Greene County, Virginia

History

Greene County was established in 1838 from Orange County. The county is named for American Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), who was a general in the Continental Army.

A major incident occurred on October 24, 1979, when a natural gas main ruptured, causing an explosion. The resulting fire destroyed the bell tower of the county courthouse and county office building. However, quick action by the firefighters on the scene saved the county records secured in the vault.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 156.8 sqmi, of which 156.1 sqmi is land and 0.7 sqmi (0.4%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Virginia by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Rockingham County – west
• Page County – northwest
• Madison County – northeast
• Orange County – southeast
• Albemarle County – south

National protected areas

• Shenandoah National Park (part)

Major highways

Demographics

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

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,552. The median age was 41.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.4% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.

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

There were 7,760 households in the county, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,464 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.2% were owner-occupied and 21.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 18,403 people, 6,780 households, and 5,072 families residing in the county. The population density was 117.8 /mi2. There were 7,509 housing units at an average density of 48.1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 87.6% White, 6.3% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 4.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,780 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age for all individuals in the county was 59.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,307 and median family income was $60,414. The per capita income for the county was $24,696. 8.4% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

Local Representation at Federal and State Level

• Democrat Eugene Vindman in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the 7th District.
• Republican Nicholas J. (Nick) Freitas in the Virginia House of Delegates (62nd District)
• Republican Bryce E. Reeves in the Virginia State Senate (28th District)

History

Before the 2024 session, Greene County had been part of Virginia's 58th House of Delegates district and Virginia's 24th Senate district.

Before the 2022 session, Greene County had been part of the Virginia's 5th congressional district.

In May 2022, County Commissioner of Revenue Larry Vernon Snow resigned and pled guilty to federal charges of witness tampering. He had held the position since 1987 and had been reelected while under indictment. His son, Bryant Austin Snow, also pled guilty to charges of drug distribution.

Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors contains five members:

• At-Large District: Francis X. McGuigan
• Midway District: Marie Durrer (I)
• Monroe District: Timothy L Goolsby
• Ruckersville District: Davis Lamb (I)
• Stanardsville District: Abbey Heflin (I)

Constitutional officers

• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Ashby Lamb-Gomez
• Commissioner of Revenue: Kim Tate (I)
• Commonwealth's Attorney: Edwin "Win" Consolvo (I)
• Sheriff: Steven S. Smith (I)
• Treasurer: Stephanie Allen Deal (I)

Law enforcement

The Greene County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) is Greene County, Virginia's primary law enforcement agency.

After a 1994 study rated Greene County the second most dangerous county in Virginia for traffic, the Sheriff's office cracked down on speeding. In 1997, the office wrote 15 times more tickets than in 1992.

In November 2016, a few days before election day, the Sheriff's department held a public seminar at Piedmont Virginia Community College on Islam and jihadism. Counter-protestors described the content as islamophobic, and the group that spoke at the seminar was later added to the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups.

Presidential election results

Public services

Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Greene.

Education

Greene County is served by a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools.

Greene County is the location of the Piedmont VA CC - Eugene Giuseppe Center.

Communities

(Population according to the 2020 United States census)

References

References

1. "Greene County, Virginia".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
4. "Blast Levels One Building In Va. County". Washington Post.
5. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". [[US Census Bureau]].
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Greene County, Virginia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
11. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Greene County, Virginia". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. (May 6, 2022). "Greene County Commissioner of Revenue Resigns and Pleads Guilty".
17. (May 7, 2022). "Ex-official pleads guilty to attempted witness tampering".
18. "Board of Supervisors in Greene County, Virginia".
19. "Greene County Clerk of the Court {{!}} Greene, Virginia".
20. "Staff {{!}} Commissioner of Revenue in Greene County Virginia".
21. "Staff {{!}} Commonwealth Attorney in Greene County Virginia".
22. "Greene County Sheriff's Office | Putting Citizens First".
23. "Staff {{!}} Office of the Treasurer in Greene County Virginia".
24. Lucy, William H.. (2017). "Tomorrow's cities, tomorrow's suburbs".
25. (November 6, 2016). "People Protest 'Muslim Threat' Seminar at PVCC".
26. Fitzgerald, Pat. (October 24, 2016). "Seminar on Islam and jihad stirs controversy in Greene".
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".