Washington County, Virginia

History

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area. At the time of European massacre, 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 brutally taken over by Europeans with ammunition 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.

On January 27, 2025, Vice President JD Vance and Governor Glenn Youngkin visited Washington County to meet with survivors of Hurricane Helene and review the recovery progress.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 566 sqmi, of which 561 sqmi is land and 5 sqmi (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

Demographics

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

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 can be of any race.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 53,935. The median age was 46.5 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.

30.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 22,616 households in the county, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 25,424 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.0% were owner-occupied and 26.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 PD/sqmi. There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of 41 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.56% White, 1.32% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 21,056 households, out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,742, and the median income for a family was $40,162. Males had a median income of $30,104 versus $21,307 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,350. About 8.10% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.

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

• Abingdon
• Damascus
• Glade Spring
• Saltville (Partially in Smyth County)

Census-designated places

• Emory
• Meadowview
• Mendota

Other unincorporated communities

• Alvarado
• Azen
• Bethel
• Blackwell
• Clinchburg
• Friendship
• Goose Pimple Junction
• Greendale
• Green Spring
• Hayter
• Holston
• Konnarock
• Lindell
• Lodi
• Osecola
• Plasterco
• Taylors Valley
• Wyndale

Several unincorporated portions of the county have Bristol addresses.

Notable people

• Frederick C. Boucher, Member of Congress
• 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
• Steven Jason Williams, better known by his alias Boogie2988, an American YouTube personality born in Abingdon, Virginia. He was raised in St. Paul.

Governance and politics

Presidential election results

Washington County is politically conservative, voting for the Republican nominee in every presidential election since 1968.

Governance

Federal

Virginia is represented in the U.S. Senate by Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. Washington County is located in the state's 9th congressional district, represented by Republican Morgan Griffith.

State Legislature

Washington County is represented in the State Senate by Republican Todd Pillion of the 6th district and in the House of Delegates by Republican Israel O'Quinn in the 44th district.

County

Like many counties in Virginia, the county has an elected board of supervisors.

References

References

1. "Washington County, Virginia".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "It was a moving experience yesterday hearing the stories of Virginians who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene.".
4. Cain, Andrew. (January 27, 2025). "Virginia Politics Insider: Vance on the road to Damascus". [[Richmond Times-Dispatch]].
5. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission.
7. (July 30, 2018). "The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line". New York Times.
8. "QuickFacts".
9. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". [[US Census Bureau]].
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Washington County, Virginia".
13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Washington County, Virginia".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
16. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
17. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".