Halifax County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,022. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Halifax.

History

Occupied by varying cultures of

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

for thousands of years, in historic times English colonists encountered Siouan language Native Americans. Halifax County was established in 1752 by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

colonists from Lunenburg County. The county was named for

George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, (6 October 1716 – 8 June 1771) was a British statesman of the Georgian era. Due to his success in extending commerce in the Americas, he became known as the "father of the colonies". President of th ...

. Through the 1990 Census, South Boston was an independent city, but it became a town again and rejoined Halifax County in 1995.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Campbell County - northwest * Charlotte County - northeast * Mecklenburg County - east * Granville County, North Carolina - southeast * Person County, North Carolina - south * Caswell County, North Carolina - southwest * Pittsylvania County - west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

Hog killing Halifax County Marion Post Wolcott 1939

2020 census

''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.''

2000 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 37,355 people, 15,018 households, and 10,512 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 16,953 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.32%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 38.02%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.24%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.44% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 15,018 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,929, and the median income for a family was $37,845. Males had a median income of $27,498 versus $20,684 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,353. About 11.50% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

* District 1: Ricky Short * District 2: Larry D Roller * District 3: Hubert Pannell * District 4: Ronnie E Duffey * District 5: Dean E Throckmorton * District 6: Stanley Brandon * District 7: Garland B Ricketts * District 8: William Bryant Claiborne * Tie Breaker: Wayne Smith

Constitutional officers

* Clerk of the Circuit Court: Cathy M. Cosby (I) * Commissioner of the Revenue: Brenda P. Powell (I) * Commonwealth's Attorney: Tracy Quackenbush Martin (I) * Sheriff: Fred S. Clark (I) * Treasurer: Ruth Ann Oakes (I) Halifax is represented by Republicans Frank Ruff and Bill Stanley in the Virginia Senate, Republican James E. Edmunds in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican

Bob Good Robert George Good (born September 11, 1965) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative in Virginia's 5th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Good was born in Wilkes-Barre, ...

in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democratic Mark Warner and Tim Kaine United States Senator from Virginia.

Communities

Towns

* Halifax * Scottsburg * South Boston * Virgilina

Census-designated places

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

* Cluster Springs * Mountain Road * Nathalie * Riverdale

Other unincorporated communities

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland *Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada *Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida *Cody (Duluth), Minnesota *Cody, Missouri *Cody, Nebraska *Cody, Wyo ...

Turbeville Turbeville is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 766 at the 2010 census, up from 602 in 2000. Geography and Infrastructure Turbeville is located in northeastern Clarendon County at (33.889433, -80.013 ...

Vernon Hill Vernon W. Hill II (born August 18, 1945) is an American businessman, the founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, a UK retail bank with 77 stores, and assets of £7.4b ($10.6b). He was also the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of ...

References

External links

Official site of Halifax County & South Boston, Virginia

Official site of Town of South Boston - largest town within the County

Official site of the County Museum

Halifax County South Boston Public Library System
{{authority control Virginia counties 1752 establishments in Virginia