Its most famous inhabitant was Thomas Jefferson, who built his estate home, Monticello, in the county.

At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Albemarle County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Saponi.

[5] The county was named in honor of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle and titular Governor of Virginia at the time.

[8] When the American Revolutionary War started in 1775, Jefferson was made colonel of the Albemarle Militia.

During the Civil War, the Battle of Rio Hill was a skirmish in which Union cavalry raided a Confederate camp in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Until the Civil War, the majority of Albemarle County's population consisted of enslaved African Americans.

[10] The Rivanna River's south fork forms in Albemarle County and was historically important for transportation.

Albemarle's western border with Augusta and Rockingham Counties is located within the Shenandoah National Park.

[11] The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Albemarle County are English 16.3%, German 16.0%, Irish 12.7%, "American" 11.4% and Italian 5.2%.

In addition, the department provides a wide array of non-emergency services such as investigations, business inspections, burn permits, child safety seat inspections, smoke detector installations, public education, and emergency management.

Services are provided through a combination of career staff, nine volunteer fire and rescue agencies, and regional partners.

Prior to 1983, local county governments could create a police force by a simple vote held by their respective board of supervisors.

In February 1983 the Virginia General Assembly restricted the authority of county governments to create police forces without a voter referendum.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger represents a small sliver in the most Northwest portion of Albemarle County.

However, the Republican edge narrowed significantly in the 1990s, in part due to the influence of the University of Virginia.

The Albemarle County Public School System's mission is to "establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance and rigor, one student at a time.

Under Virginia law in effect since 1871, all municipalities in the state incorporated as cities are legally and politically independent of any county.