Lee County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee County
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| Lee County | |
Lee County Courthouse in Jonesville
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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 |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | October 25, 1792 |
| Named for | Light Horse Harry Lee |
| Seat | Jonesville |
| Largest town | Pennington Gap |
| Area | |
| • Total | 437 sq mi (1,130 km2) |
| • Land | 436 sq mi (1,130 km2) |
| • Water | 1.9 sq mi (5 km2) 0.4% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 22,173  |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
Lee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,173. Its county seat is Jonesville.
Contents
History
The first Europeans to enter what is present-day Lee County were a party of Spanish explorers, Juan de Villalobos and Francisco de Silvera, sent by Hernando de Soto in 1540, in search of gold.
The county was formed in 1793 from Russell County. It was named for Light Horse Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794, who was famous for his exploits as a leader of light cavalry during the American Revolutionary War. He was also the father of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Lee County was the final front on the Kentucky Trace, now known as the Wilderness Road and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. During the 1780s and 1790s, fortified buildings called "stations" were built along the trail for shelter from Indian raids as the settlers followed Daniel Boone's footsteps into Kentucky. The stations in Lee County were Yoakum Station at present-day Dryden, west to Powell River and Station Creek at today's Rocky Station, then to Mump's Fort at Jonesville, followed by Prist Station, Chadwell Station at Chadwell Gap, Martin's Station at Rose Hill, Owen Station at Ewing, and finally Gibson Station, which still bears its original name.
One of the largest early landowners in the was Revolutionary War officer and explorer Joseph Martin, whom Martin's Station and Martin's Creek at Rose Hill are named for. Because of his rank, Martin had been awarded some 25,000 acres (100 km2), which he later divided up and sold.
In 1814, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Washington County were combined to form Scott County. In 1856, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Scott County were combined to form Wise County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 436 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.4%) is water.
Lee County is physically closer to eight state capitals other than its own capital in Richmond: Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; Charleston, West Virginia; Frankfort, Kentucky; Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Additionally, Cumberland Gap in the far western part of Lee County is closer to Montgomery, Alabama, a ninth state capital.
Districts
The county is divided into seven districts: Jonesville, Rocky Station, Rocky Station Mineral, Rose Hill, White Shoals, Yoakum, St. Charles, Pennington Gap, Keokee, Robbins Chapel and Yoakum Mineral.
Adjacent counties
- Harlan County, Kentucky - north
- Wise County, Virginia - northeast
- Scott County, Virginia - east
- Hancock County, Tennessee - south
- Claiborne County, Tennessee - south-southwest
- Bell County, Kentucky - west
National protected areas
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (part)
- Jefferson National Forest (part)
Major highways
US 23
US 58
US 421
US 58 Alt.
SR 70
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 3,538 | — | |
| 1810 | 4,694 | 32.7% | |
| 1820 | 4,256 | −9.3% | |
| 1830 | 6,461 | 51.8% | |
| 1840 | 8,441 | 30.6% | |
| 1850 | 10,267 | 21.6% | |
| 1860 | 11,032 | 7.5% | |
| 1870 | 13,268 | 20.3% | |
| 1880 | 15,116 | 13.9% | |
| 1890 | 18,216 | 20.5% | |
| 1900 | 19,856 | 9.0% | |
| 1910 | 23,840 | 20.1% | |
| 1920 | 25,293 | 6.1% | |
| 1930 | 30,419 | 20.3% | |
| 1940 | 39,296 | 29.2% | |
| 1950 | 36,106 | −8.1% | |
| 1960 | 25,824 | −28.5% | |
| 1970 | 20,321 | −21.3% | |
| 1980 | 25,956 | 27.7% | |
| 1990 | 24,496 | −5.6% | |
| 2000 | 23,589 | −3.7% | |
| 2010 | 25,587 | 8.5% | |
| 2020 | 22,173 | −13.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 23,893 | 20,193 | 93.38% | 91.07% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 909 | 868 | 3.55% | 3.91% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 96 | 69 | 0.38% | 0.31% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 55 | 39 | 0.21% | 0.18% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 8 | 0 | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 22 | 33 | 0.09% | 0.15% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 198 | 495 | 0.77% | 2.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 406 | 476 | 1.59% | 2.15% |
| Total | 25,587 | 22,173 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2010 Census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 25,587 people living in the county. 94.2% were White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.6% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 1.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
According to the census 2009 estimates, there were 25,001 people, 11,587 households, and 6,852 families living in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km2). There were 11,587 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.3% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, 0.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The largest ancestry groups in Lee County include: English (14 percent), Irish (11 percent), German (9 percent), and Scottish-Irish (3 percent).
There were 9,706 households, out of which 29.0 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0 percent were married couples living together, 11.7 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4 percent were non-families. 27.0 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.8 percent under the age of 18, 8.0 percent from 18 to 24, 27.5 percent from 25 to 44, 26.3 percent from 45 to 64, and 15.4 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,889, and the median income for a family was $40,721. The per capita income for the county was $16,317. About 20.3 percent of families and 22.7 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1 percent of those under age 18 and 23.3 percent of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Economy
The economy of Lee County has been based largely on growing tobacco and mining coal. The decline of both has resulted in high unemployment in the county and a decrease in population since 1940, which was the peak.
Using the slogan Where Virginia Begins, the county has attempted to increase its heritage tourism industry by emphasizing its role in the route used by settlers going west through the Cumberland Gap, at Lee County's western tip.
Lee County shares Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with Kentucky and Tennessee. Attractions listed in the park include Hensley's Settlement, the Pinnacle Overlook, the Sand Cave, and the White Rocks overlooking the towns of Ewing and Rose Hill in Virginia.
Education
The Lee County School System operates eleven schools, including two high schools and one technical school.
Public high schools
- Lee High School, Jonesville
- Thomas Walker High School, Ewing
Public middle schools
- Elydale Middle School, Ewing
- Jonesville Middle School, Jonesville
- Pennington Middle School, Pennington Gap
Public elementary schools
- Dryden Elementary School, Dryden
- Elk Knob Elementary School, Pennington Gap
- Flatwoods Elementary School, Jonesville
- Rose Hill Elementary School, Rose Hill
- St. Charles Elementary School, St. Charles
Former
Pennington Elementary School, consisting of three buildings built at various times (1912, 1917, and 1937), was demolished in 1989, and a bank was constructed on its Morgan Avenue site. Three other elementary schools, Ewing, Keokee, and Stickleyville, were closed in June 2012.
Technical schools
- Lee County Career & Technical Center, Ben Hur
Notable residents
- Frank Rowlett, cryptologist, member of the Signals Intelligence Service
- Carol Wood, mathematician
- Campbell Slemp, congressman
- Andrew Taylor Still, founder of osteopathic medicine
- William C. Wampler, U.S. Representative
- Barry Audia, professional boxer
- Jim Pankovits, Major League Baseball player
- Elbert S. Martin, congressman
- John Preston Martin, U.S. Senator from Kentucky
- Steve Rasnic Tem, author
- Glen Morgan Williams, federal judge
- Don Newton, comic artist
- James Buchanan Richmond, congressman
- C. Bascom Slemp, congressman
- Claude Ely, singer/songwriter
- Walker Cress, Major League Baseball player
- Cynthia D Kinser, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
- Pete DeBusk, founder of DeRoyal Industries
Images for kids
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Lee County landscape near Pennington Gap
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Mountains near Rose Hill
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Lee (Virginia) para niños
