Lee County, Virginia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Lee County
County
Lee County Courthouse in Jonesville
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
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)
• Total	22,173
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th

Lee County is the county farthest to the west in Virginia. In 2020, about 22,173 people lived there. The main town and government center is Jonesville.

History of Lee County

The area of western Virginia and eastern Kentucky was once home to many Native American groups during ancient times. The first Europeans known to visit what is now Lee County were Spanish explorers in 1540. They were sent by Hernando de Soto to look for gold.

Lee County was created in 1792 from Russell County. It was named after Light Horse Harry Lee. He was the Governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794. Lee was famous for leading light cavalry during the American Revolutionary War. He was also the father of Robert E. Lee, who later became a general during the American Civil War.

Lee County was an important stop on the Wilderness Road. This famous path was used by settlers heading west into Kentucky. During the 1780s and 1790s, people built strong, fortified buildings called "stations" along the trail. These stations offered protection from Native American raids. Settlers followed Daniel Boone's path.

Some of the stations in Lee County included Yoakum Station (near Dryden), Rocky Station, Mump's Fort (at Jonesville), Prist Station, Martin's Station (at Rose Hill), Chadwell Station, Owen Station (at Ewing), and Gibson Station.

One of the biggest landowners in the early days was Joseph Martin. He was an officer in the Revolutionary War and an explorer. Martin's Station and Martin's Creek are named after him. He received a large land grant of about 25,000 acres (100 km²) after the war. He then sold parts of this land. Rose Hill became the first official post office in Lee County in 1832. Later, parts of Lee County were used to form Scott County in 1814 and Wise County in 1856.

Economy and Tourism

For a long time, the economy of Lee County mainly depended on growing tobacco and mining coal. However, as these industries declined, many people lost their jobs. This also caused the population to decrease since 1940.

To help the economy, Lee County now tries to attract visitors through "heritage tourism." This means they highlight the county's history and its role in the journey west. The county uses the slogan Where Virginia Begins.

Lee County shares Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with Kentucky and Tennessee. This park is a major attraction. Some cool places to visit in the park include Hensley's Settlement, the Pinnacle Overlook, the Sand Cave, and the White Rocks. These rocks offer great views of the towns of Ewing and Rose Hill.

Geography of Lee County

Lee County landscape near Pennington Gap

Mountains near Rose Hill

Lee County covers about 437 square miles (1,132 km²). Most of this is land (436 square miles or 1,129 km²), with a small amount of water. Lee County is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission. It is also considered part of "Greater Appalachia."

It's interesting to know that all of Lee County is located west of West Virginia. Also, Lee County is physically closer to eight other state capitals than it is to its own capital, Richmond. These capitals include Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; Charleston, West Virginia; Frankfort, Kentucky; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Indiana. The far western part of Lee County is even closer to Montgomery, Alabama!

The county has a unique type of land called "karst." This is an area with Ordovician limestone. The Powell River flows through Lee County on its way to Tennessee.

Districts and Towns

Lee County is divided into seven districts: Jonesville, Rocky Station, Rocky Station Mineral, Rose Hill, White Shoals, Yoakum, and Yoakum Mineral. The two main towns are Pennington Gap and Jonesville.

Neighboring Counties

Lee County shares borders with these counties:

Wise County, Virginia – to the northeast
Scott County, Virginia – to the east
Hancock County, Tennessee – to the south
Claiborne County, Tennessee – to the south-southwest
Bell County, Kentucky – to the west
Harlan County, Kentucky – to the northwest

Protected Areas

Lee County is home to parts of two national protected areas:

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Jefferson National Forest

It also has a state protected area:

The Cedars Natural Area Preserve

Major Roads

US 58
US 58 Alt.
US 421
SR 70
SR 352
SR 600

Population Information

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%
2023 (est.)	21,745	−15.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 Census Details

**Lee County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
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%

In 2020, the county's population was 22,173. Most residents were White (91.07%). Other groups included Black or African American (3.91%), Native American (0.31%), and Asian (0.18%). About 2.23% of people identified as mixed race. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 2.15% of the population.

Ancestry Groups

The largest ancestry groups in Lee County include:

English (14%)
Irish (11%)
German (9%)
Scottish-Irish (3%)

Lee County Sheriff's Office

Lee County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation	LCSO
Agency overview
Employees	42
Jurisdictional structure
Constituting instrument	Yes
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Jonesville, Virginia
Deputies	39
Civilians	3
Agency executive	Gary B. Parsons, Sheriff
Website
Official Website: http://www.leecountysheriff.net/

The Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is in charge of law enforcement in the county. The current Sheriff is Gary B. Parsons. He has been in this role since 1996, making him the longest-serving sheriff in Lee County's history.

Education in Lee County

The Lee County School System manages eleven schools. This includes 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 Schools

Pennington Elementary School was torn down in 1989. A bank was built where it used to be. Three other elementary schools, Ewing, Keokee, and Stickleyville, closed in June 2012.

Technical Schools

Lee County Career & Technical Center, Ben Hur

Communities in Lee County

Jonesville

Towns

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as towns:

Other Communities

Notable People from Lee County

Many interesting people have come from Lee County:

Frank Rowlett, a cryptologist who worked with secret codes
Carol Wood, a mathematician
Campbell Slemp, a congressman
Andrew Taylor Still, who started osteopathic medicine
William C. Wampler, a U.S. Representative
Barry Audia, a professional boxer
Jim Pankovits, a Major League Baseball player
Elbert S. Martin, a congressman
John Preston Martin, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky
Steve Rasnic Tem, an author
Glen Morgan Williams, a federal judge
Don Newton, a comic artist
James Buchanan Richmond, a congressman
C. Bascom Slemp, a congressman
Claude Ely, a singer and songwriter
Walker Cress, a Major League Baseball player
Cynthia D Kinser, a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Pete DeBusk, who founded DeRoyal Industries

In Popular Culture

The 2022 novel Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is set in Lee County. This book was inspired by David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. The main character in Demon Copperhead is born into poverty and becomes an orphan, similar to Copperfield.