Craig County, Virginia

History

Nestled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, Craig County was named for Robert Craig, a 19th-century Virginia congressman. The initial outpost in the area was called "Craig's Camp," and it is claimed that George Washington visited it in 1756 during his travels to the frontier. Formed from parts of Botetourt, Roanoke, Giles, and Monroe (in present-day West Virginia) counties in 1851, Craig was later enlarged with several subsequent additions from neighboring counties.

The secluded, mountainous town of New Castle, the county seat, has one of the commonwealth's antebellum court complexes, including a porticoed courthouse built in 1852. Craig Healing Springs, a collection of well-preserved early-20th-century resort buildings representative of the architecture of Virginia's more modest mountain spas, is located here.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 330.6 sqmi, of which 329.5 sqmi is land and 1.1 sqmi (0.3%) is water. More than 112,000 acres of the county is national forest . Craig 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.

Adjacent counties

• Alleghany County – north
• Botetourt County – east
• Roanoke County – southeast
• Montgomery County – south
• Giles County – southwest
• Monroe County, West Virginia – west

National protected area

• Jefferson National Forest (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 4,892. The median age was 47.9 years. 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.1% of the population.

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

There were 2,111 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,584 housing units, of which 18.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.6% were owner-occupied and 18.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,091 people, 2,060 households, and 1,507 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 /mi2. There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 98.94% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. 0.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,060 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 103.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,314, and the median income for a family was $41,750. Males had a median income of $26,713 versus $21,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,322. About 6.60% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

• Craig City District: Rusty Zimmerman (Vice Chair)
• Craig Creek District: Lindsey Dunne
• New Castle District: Jesse Spence (chair)
• Potts Mountain District: Carl Bailey
• Simmonsville District: Kathi Toelke

Constitutional officers

• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Sharon P. Oliver (I)
• Commissioner of the Revenue: Elizabeth Huffman (I)
• Commonwealth's Attorney: Matthew Dunne (R)
• Sheriff: Trevor Craddock (R)
• Treasurer: Jackie Parsons (I)

Craig County is represented by Republican Stephen D. "Steve" Newman in the Virginia Senate, Republican Joe McNamara in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Politics

Communities

Town

• New Castle

Unincorporated communities

• Abbott
• Maggie
• Paint Bank
• Simmonsville

References

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
2. "Craig County, Virginia".
3. "Virginia Counties by Population (2025)".
4. "Craig County".
5. "Craig County Virginia".
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7. "History of Craig County".
8. "Craig County Courthouse".
9. "Craig Healing Springs".
10. "Craig Healing Springs".
11. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "Visitors {{!}} Craig County, VA".
13. "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission.
14. "The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line". New York Times.
15. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". [[US Census Bureau]].
16. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
17. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
18. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race –2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Craig County, Virginia".
20. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Craig County, Virginia".
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
22. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
23. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
24. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. "Board of Supervisors". Craig County.
26. "Elected Officials". Craig County.
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".