Henrico County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
As of the 2006 population estimate, the county's population has risen
to 285,000, an increase of 8.5 percent over the 2000 census. It is
located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Founded in 1634 as one of the eight original shires of Virginia, Henrico is one of the oldest counties in the United States.
The independent city of Richmond was located within Henrico County until a state constitutional change in 1871 created independent cities. Due to the geography in which the James River approaches Richmond from almost due west, and turns almost due south below the fall line for about 8 miles before turning east again, the land within Henrico County currently encompasses much of Metropolitan Richmond's West End, its North Side, and East End areas.
Richmond International Raceway is located in the central portion of Henrico County near Mechanicsville, just north of the City of Richmond corporate limits.