Washington County, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Washington County
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Washington County Courthouse
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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 | 1776 | ||
| Named for | George Washington | ||
| Seat | Abingdon | ||
| Largest town | Abingdon | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 566 sq mi (1,470 km2) | ||
| • Land | 561 sq mi (1,450 km2) | ||
| • Water | 5 sq mi (10 km2) 0.9% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 53,935 | ||
| • Density | 95.29/sq mi (36.79/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 9th | ||
Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,935. Its county seat is Abingdon.
Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Contents
History
For thousands of years, indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area. At the time of European encounter, the Chiska had a chief village near what is now Saltville, destroyed by the Spaniards in 1568. The Cherokee annexed the region from the Xualae around 1671, and ceded it to the Virginia Colony in 1770 at the Treaty of Lochaber.
The county was formed by Virginians in 1776 from Fincastle County. It was named for George Washington, who was then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Washington County is among the first geographical regions to be named after the president of the United States.
Washington County was raided by the Chickamauga Cherokee during the Cherokee–American wars. In July 1776, Chief Dragging Canoe led an attack on Black's Fort (renamed Abingdon in 1778). The area remained prone to attack until after Chickamauga leader Bob Benge was finally slain by settlers in Washington County in 1794.
As with many other frontier counties, the boundaries and territory changed over the years. In 1786 the northwestern part of Washington County became Russell County. In 1814 the western part of what remained of Washington County was combined with parts of Lee and Russell counties to form Scott County. In 1832 the northeastern part of Washington was combined with part of Wythe County to form Smyth County. Finally, with the incorporation of the town of Goodson as the independent city of Bristol in 1890, Washington County assumed its present size.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 566 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 561 square miles (1,450 km2) is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) (0.9%) is water. Washington 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.
Districts
The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Harrison, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Tyler, and Wilson.
Adjacent counties
- Smyth County - northeast
- Grayson County - east-southeast
- Johnson County, Tennessee - south
- Sullivan County, Tennessee - southwest
- Bristol (City) - southwest
- Scott County - west
- Russell County - northwest
National protected areas
- Jefferson National Forest (part)
- Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (part)
Major highways
I-81
US 11
US 19
US 58
US 58 Alt.
US 421
SR 75
SR 80
SR 91
SR 617
SR 625
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 5,625 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,536 | 69.5% | |
| 1810 | 12,156 | 27.5% | |
| 1820 | 12,444 | 2.4% | |
| 1830 | 15,614 | 25.5% | |
| 1840 | 13,001 | −16.7% | |
| 1850 | 14,612 | 12.4% | |
| 1860 | 16,892 | 15.6% | |
| 1870 | 16,816 | −0.4% | |
| 1880 | 25,203 | 49.9% | |
| 1890 | 29,020 | 15.1% | |
| 1900 | 28,995 | −0.1% | |
| 1910 | 32,830 | 13.2% | |
| 1920 | 32,376 | −1.4% | |
| 1930 | 33,850 | 4.6% | |
| 1940 | 38,197 | 12.8% | |
| 1950 | 37,536 | −1.7% | |
| 1960 | 38,076 | 1.4% | |
| 1970 | 40,835 | 7.2% | |
| 1980 | 46,487 | 13.8% | |
| 1990 | 45,887 | −1.3% | |
| 2000 | 51,103 | 11.4% | |
| 2010 | 54,876 | 7.4% | |
| 2020 | 53,935 | −1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 52,798 | 50,338 | 96.21% | 93.33% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 686 | 651 | 1.25% | 1.21% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 90 | 91 | 0.16% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 202 | 334 | 0.37% | 0.62% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 6 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 21 | 134 | 0.04% | 0.25% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 349 | 1,496 | 0.64% | 2.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 724 | 891 | 1.32% | 1.65% |
| Total | 54,876 | 53,935 | 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.
Education
Colleges
- Emory and Henry College, Emory
- Virginia Highlands Community College, Abingdon
- Virginia Intermont College, Bristol (closed 2014) ** Portion ** The main VIC campus was located in the City of Bristol, however the Equestrian Center (now part of Emory & Henry College) is located in Washington County.
Public high schools
- Abingdon High School, Abingdon
- Holston High School, Damascus
- John S. Battle High School, Bristol
- Patrick Henry High School, Glade Spring
Communities
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Azen
- Goose Pimple Junction
- Green Spring
- Hayter
- Konnarock
- Mendota
- Plasterco
- Taylors Valley
Several unincorporated portions of the county have Bristol addresses.
Notable people
- Frederick C. Boucher, Member of Congress
- Landon Boyd, civil rights advocate during Reconstruction who was selected to serve on petit jury to try Jefferson Davis for treason.
- Red Byron, race car driver
- David Campbell, Governor of Virginia
- John Buchanan Floyd, Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War and C.S.A. general
- Robert William Hughes, lawyer, newspaper publisher, U.S. District Court judge
- John Warfield Johnston, lawyer, judge, U.S. Senator
- Barbara Kingsolver, writer and novelist
- Joseph Meek, American frontiersman
- William Frank Newton, jazz musician
- John E. Reinhardt, Ambassador to Nigeria, Director of the U.S. Information Agency and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
- Wyndham Robertson, Governor of Virginia
- Connally Findlay Trigg. Member of Congress
- Hiram Emory Widener, Jr., U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals judge
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Washington (Virginia) para niños
