Alleghany County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alleghany County
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The Alleghany Courthouse in Covington.
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Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
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 Virginia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Virginia |
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| Founded | 1822 | ||
| Named for | Allegheny Mountains | ||
| Seat | Covington | ||
| Largest town | Clifton Forge | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 449.7 sq mi (1,165 km2) | ||
| • Land | 446.572 sq mi (1,156.62 km2) | ||
| • Water | 3.152 sq mi (8.16 km2) 0.7% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 15,223 | ||
| • Density | 33.851/sq mi (13.0701/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 6th | ||
Alleghany County is an American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is the northernmost part of the Roanoke Region. The county seat is Covington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,223.
The county was created in 1822 from parts of Bath County, Botetourt County, and Monroe County (now in West Virginia) with additional portions of Bath County and Monroe County added in 1823 and 1844, respectively.
At the time, the majority of the population lived around Covington, and the primary cash crop then was hemp, which was used for rope production.
Contents
History
Alleghany County was established on January 5, 1822, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The new county was formed from parts of Bath County, Botetourt County, and Monroe County (now in West Virginia), with most of the population centered in the new county seat in Covington. Alleghany County was named for the Allegheny Mountains, which border the western edge of the county.
The current Constitution of Virginia allows the city of Covington, among others in the state, to be an independent city. On July 1, 2001, the city of Clifton Forge reincorporated as a town within Alleghany County. As such, the town is subject to the county and simultaneously subject to the new charter for the town of Clifton Forge.
When the county was established, the principal export was hemp, used for rope production in Richmond. However, as hemp demand and prices declined, the farmers of Alleghany switched to grain, hay and livestock production.
During the American Civil War, the iron for the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) came from Longdale Furnace in the county. Regiments from Alleghany County were at the surrender at Appomattox.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 449.7 square miles (1,165 km2), of which 446.572 square miles (1,156.62 km2) is land and 3.152 square miles (8.16 km2) (0.7%) is water. The county is entirely within the Valley and Ridge physiographic region of Virginia. Alleghany County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
The primary tributaries of the James River, the Cowpasture River and Jackson River both flow through the county. The confluence of the two is just south of the county boundary near the town of Iron Gate.
Adjacent counties
- Bath County – north
- Rockbridge County – east
- Botetourt County – southeast
- Craig County – south
- Monroe County, West Virginia – southwest
- Greenbrier County, West Virginia – west
National protected areas
- George Washington National Forest (part)
- United States National Radio Quiet Zone (part)
Climate
| Climate data for WestRock Paper Mill in Covington, Virginia (1990–2022 normals, extremes 1961–2022) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
99 (37) |
100 (38) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
97 (36) |
93 (34) |
85 (29) |
80 (27) |
102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.9 (7.2) |
48.7 (9.3) |
58.1 (14.5) |
69.3 (20.7) |
77.1 (25.1) |
83.6 (28.7) |
87 (31) |
85.6 (29.8) |
79.7 (26.5) |
69.9 (21.1) |
58.4 (14.7) |
48.5 (9.2) |
67.7 (19.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.4 (1.3) |
37.1 (2.8) |
44.8 (7.1) |
54.6 (12.6) |
63.2 (17.3) |
70.6 (21.4) |
74.2 (23.4) |
73.2 (22.9) |
66.9 (19.4) |
56.3 (13.5) |
45.1 (7.3) |
37.9 (3.3) |
54.8 (12.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.9 (−4.5) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
39.7 (4.3) |
49.1 (9.5) |
57.4 (14.1) |
61.5 (16.4) |
60.7 (15.9) |
54.2 (12.3) |
42.5 (5.8) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
42 (6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−5 (−21) |
1 (−17) |
15 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
34 (1) |
41 (5) |
39 (4) |
28 (−2) |
14 (−10) |
9 (−13) |
−10 (−23) |
−19 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.64 (67) |
2.45 (62) |
3.12 (79) |
3.55 (90) |
4.28 (109) |
4.12 (105) |
3.89 (99) |
3.39 (86) |
3.5 (89) |
2.65 (67) |
2.67 (68) |
2.91 (74) |
40.07 (1,018) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.8 (7.1) |
2.9 (7.4) |
1.4 (3.6) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
— | 2.6 (6.6) |
10.5 (27) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 2,816 | — | |
| 1840 | 2,749 | −2.4% | |
| 1850 | 3,515 | 27.9% | |
| 1860 | 6,765 | 92.5% | |
| 1870 | 3,674 | −45.7% | |
| 1880 | 5,586 | 52.0% | |
| 1890 | 9,283 | 66.2% | |
| 1900 | 16,330 | 75.9% | |
| 1910 | 14,173 | −13.2% | |
| 1920 | 15,332 | 8.2% | |
| 1930 | 20,188 | 31.7% | |
| 1940 | 22,688 | 12.4% | |
| 1950 | 23,139 | 2.0% | |
| 1960 | 12,128 | −47.6% | |
| 1970 | 12,461 | 2.7% | |
| 1980 | 14,333 | 15.0% | |
| 1990 | 13,176 | −8.1% | |
| 2000 | 12,926 | −1.9% | |
| 2010 | 16,250 | 25.7% | |
| 2020 | 15,223 | −6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 15,040 | 13,754 | 92.55% | 90.35% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 751 | 676 | 4.62% | 4.44% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 25 | 22 | 0.15% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 37 | 59 | 0.23% | 0.39% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 11 | 7 | 0.07% | 0.05% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 6 | 24 | 0.04% | 0.16% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 204 | 503 | 1.26% | 3.30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 176 | 178 | 1.08% | 1.17% |
| Total | 16,250 | 15,223 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Economy
The county economy is dominated by WestRock, which operates a paperboard mill in Covington, the second largest on the East Coast and an extrusion and converting facility in Low Moor. Alleghany County is within close proximity to The Homestead in Bath County and The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs. Residents also commute to Lewisburg, Lexington, and Roanoke for employment. Covington has a team in the Valley Baseball League called the Lumberjacks.
Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to the Clifton Forge station (12 miles (19 km) away from Covington) with the Cardinal route. Clifton Forge serves a major locomotive fuel facility for CSX Transportation.
The area is served by Interstate 64 (east-west) and U.S. 220 (north-south), offering interstate truck access to the area.
Major highways
I-64
US 60
US 220
SR 18
SR 42
SR 159
SR 311
Education
Alleghany County is serviced by one high school, Alleghany High School (grades 9–12); one middle school, Covington Middle School (grades 6–8), and three pre-kindergarten to grade 5 elementary schools: Callaghan Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and Sharon Elementary. The county also contains one Virginia state governors school, the Jackson River Governor's School; one technical center, the Jackson River Technical Center; and the Mountain Gateway Community College.
Communities
Though it is the county seat, Covington is an independent city, and thus is not part of Alleghany County.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Alleghany (Virginia) para niños
