Washington County, Virginia

Infobox U.S. County
county = Washington County
state = Virginia




map size = 250
founded = 1776
seat = Abingdon | area_total_sq_mi =566
area_water_sq_mi =3
area percentage = 0.55%
census yr = 2000
pop = 51103
density_km2 =16
web = www.washcova.com
|

Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,103. Its county seat is AbingdonGR|6.

History

The county was formed in 1776 from Fincastle County. It was named for George Washington, who was then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Washington County has the distinction of being the first geographical region to be named after the president of the United States. [ [http://www.abingdon.com/our_rich_history.html Official website for the city of Abingdon, Va.] ] 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 County and Russell County to form Scott County. In 1832 the northeastern part of Washington County was combined with part of Wythe County to form Smyth County. With the incorporation of the town of Goodson as the independent city of Bristol in 1890, Washington County assumed its present size.

Geography

"A farm in Washington County, Virginia"

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 566 square miles (1,466 km²), of which, 563 square miles (1,458 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (8 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.

Districts

The county is divided into seven magisterial districts: Harrison, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Tyler, and Wilson.

Adjacent counties

*Smyth County, Virginia - northeast
*Grayson County, Virginia - east-southeast
*Johnson County, Tennessee - south-southeast
*Sullivan County, Tennessee - southwest
*Bristol, Virginia - southwest
*Scott County, Virginia - west
*Russell County, Virginia - northwest

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile (35/km²). There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). 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 age 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.

Communities

Towns

*Abingdon
*Damascus
*Glade Spring
*Saltville

Unincorporated

*Emory-Meadowview
*Mendota

Education

Colleges

* [http://www.ehc.edu/cgi-bin/MySQLdb?FILE=/index1.html Emory and Henry College] , Emory
* [http://www.vhcc.edu/ Virginia Highlands Community College] , Abingdon

Public high schools

*Abingdon High School, Abingdon
*Holston High School, Damascus
*John S. Battle High School, Bristol
*Patrick Henry High School, Glade Spring

Notes

External links

* [http://www.washcova.com/ Washington County government official website]
* [http://www.wcs.k12.va.us/ Washington County Virginia Public Schools]
* [http://www.washingtonvachamber.org/area.htm Washington County Virginia Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://216.184.85.84/gis_public_testing/htdocs/ Washington County Virginia GIS (Geographic Information Systems)]
* [http://www.mrpdc.org/ Mount Rogers Planning District]
* [http://www.bartertheatre.com/ Barter Theater (State Theater of Virginia)]