At the time of European encounter, the indigenous inhabitants of the area that became Fredericksburg were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Manahoac. English colonists recorded the name of the Manahoac village there as

2020 census
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns

By long-standing tradition (dating back to the Federal Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibited government employees from participating in partisan politics), local elections in Fredericksburg are officially non-partisan. Neither the mayoral and council elections nor local

Fredericksburg's daily newspaper is The Free Lance–Star. The Free Lance was first published in 1885, and competed with two twice-weekly papers in the city during the late 19th century, the

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27.2 km ), of which 10.4 square miles (27.0 km ) is

Architecture and historic sites
Despite recent decades of suburban growth, reminders of the area's past abound. The 40-block Fredericksburg Historic District, listed on

Primary and secondary schools
The Fredericksburg City Public Schools are run independently of the surrounding counties. The public primary and secondary schools include:
• James Monroe High School
• Walker-Grant Middle School