Bath County, Virginia

History

Bath County was created on December 14, 1790 from parts of Augusta, Botetourt, and Greenbrier counties. Due to the many mineral springs found in the area, the county was named for the English spa and resort city of Bath. In the early 1700s, before the county was formed, the area that subsequently became Bath County was settled by people with ancestry principally in England, Scotland, Germany, Wales, Ireland and France. The families who settled in what has since become Bath County who came to Virginia from England predominantly came from the counties of Derbyshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, the western portion of Sussex, Dorset, Somerset (where Bath in England is located), Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Kent and Lincolnshire.

Like much of the Shenandoah Valley region, Bath had a relatively large share of residents descended from Scots-Irish immigrants and German farmers, both of which groups were moving southward from the back country of Pennsylvania. By 1800, Bath County's population consisted mostly of subsistence farmers, though some were also artisans and a smaller number were shopkeepers.

Economy

Like its namesake, Bath County's economy is focused on tourism and recreation. The county's major employer is The Omni Homestead, a resort and historic hotel built in 1766 as "The Homestead" in Hot Springs. Additional recreational opportunities are provided by camping and fishing at Lake Moomaw in the southern part of the county.

Ecology

The Nature Conservancy owns more than 9000 acre of forest habitat in the county, established as the Warm Springs Mountain Preserve, which adds additional protection to some of the most ecologically significant habitats in the Central Appalachian Mountains. Montane pine barrens are globally rare habitat, appearing as dwarfed shrublands, and only known in Virginia to occur on Warm Springs Mountain.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 535 sqmi, of which 529 sqmi are land and 5 sqmi (1.0%) are water. 89% of Bath County is forest, with 51% in George Washington National Forest and 6% in Douthat State Park. The 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.

Located along the western central border with West Virginia, Bath County contains a number of villages, including Hot Springs, Warm Springs, Millboro, and Mountain Grove. Hot Springs and Warm Springs are the most well known of the villages, given their natural mineral springs. Bath County is the only county in Virginia without a traffic signal.

Adjacent counties

• Highland County – north
• Augusta County – northeast
• Rockbridge County – east
• Alleghany County – south
• Greenbrier County, West Virginia – southwest
• Pocahontas County, West Virginia – west

National protected areas

• George Washington National Forest (part)
• United States National Radio Quiet Zone (part)

Major highways

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990-2000 2010 2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,209. The median age was 51.1 years. 16.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.9 males age 18 and over.

Racial and ethnic composition is shown above in the table.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,891 households in the county, of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,239 housing units, of which 41.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.6% were owner-occupied and 23.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.6%.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,048 people, 2,053 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 /mi2. There were 2,896 housing units at an average density of 5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.29% White, 6.28% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,053 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,013, and the median income for a family was $41,276. Males had a median income of $30,238 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,092. 7.80% of the population and 5.80% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.40% are under the age of 18 and 12.90% are 65 or older.

Government

Board of Supervisors

• Cedar Creek district: Ron Shifflett (I)
• Millboro district: Eddy T. Hicklin (I)
• Valley Springs district: H. Lee Fry (I)
• Warm Springs district: Roy W. Burns (I)
• Williamsville district: Thomas S. Burns (I)

Constitutional officers

• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Annette T. Loan (I)
• Commissioner of the Revenue: Angel M. Grimm (I)
• Commonwealth's Attorney: John C. Singleton (I)
• Sheriff: Robert W. Plecker (I)
• Treasurer: Pam Webb (I)

Bath County is represented by Democrat Creigh Deeds in the Virginia Senate, Republican Ronnie R. Campbell in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican Ben Cline in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Politics

Economy

Tourism and recreation have been the focus of the economy from the time the county was established. The Omni Homestead, a luxury mountain resort in Hot Springs, is the county's major employer.

Bath County is also home to the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant.

Education

The county has two elementary schools (serving students from pre-kindergarten to seventh grade) and one high school (serving students in grades 8 through 12). Around 555 students are enrolled in the school system.

Media

The Recorder is the newspaper of record serving Bath, Highland, and the Allegheny Highlands region of Virginia. Newspaper offices are located in Monterey (Highland County) and Mitchelltown (Bath County).

Communities

Census-designated places

• Hot Springs
• Millboro
• Warm Springs

Other unincorporated communities

• Armstrong
• Ashwood
• Bacova
• Bacova Junction
• Bolar
• Burnsville
• Carloover
• Chimney Run
• Crowdertown
• Fort Lewis
• Green Valley
• Healing Springs
• McClung
• Millboro Springs
• Mitchelltown
• Mountain Grove
• Sunrise
• Switch Back
• Thomastown
• Tinkertown
• West Warm Springs
• Williamsville
• Yost

Notable people

• Custer LaRue, soprano vocalist
• Creigh Deeds, Virginia Senator (11th District)
• Jailyn Ford, NPF pitcher
• Dan Ingalls, computer scientist, president of the Homestead
• John Phillips, NFL tight end
• Sam Snead, professional golfer

Gallery

Image:The Homestead at night.jpg|The Omni Homestead Resort, a historic hotel that has operated in Bath County since 1766 Oakley Farm, Bath County.jpg|Oakley Farm, with views of the surrounding mountains as seen from Highway 220 Lake Moomaw 2024-1.jpg|Lake Moomaw, a manmade lake providing water supply and recreation to the area. Image:Hot Springs, Virginia 2024.jpg|Main Street of the town of Hot Springs, Virginia Warm Springs Pools-3.jpg|The Warm Springs Pools, historic geothermal pools that are the namesake of Bath County. Bath County Pumped Storage Station.jpg|Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a hydroelectric dam system operated by Dominion Energy and FirstEnergy Homestead-8.jpg|The Homestead ski slopes, located on the side of Warm Springs Mountain

References

References

1. "Bath County, Virginia".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (1994). "The Hornbook of Virginia History : A Ready-Reference Guide to the Old Dominion's People, Places, and Past". Library of Virginia.
4. A Brief History of Bath County, Virginia by Jean Graham McAllister pg. 29
5. "About Bath County". County of Bath, Virginia.
6. Crichton, Gwynn. (March 2003). "Warm Springs Mountain Cowpasture River Conservation Area Plan".
7. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission.
9. (July 30, 2018). "The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line". New York Times.
10. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". [[US Census Bureau]].
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
14. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Bath County, Virginia".
15. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Bath County, Virginia".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
18. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. Virginia Department of Education. "Fall Membership Data".
22. Layman, Sara. (October 22, 1987). "Homestead's New President Plans Emphasis on Tradition, Service". The Recorder.
23. Oxendine, Margo. (December 17, 1993). "Growing up at The Homestead". The Recorder.