Pittsylvania 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 of

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 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population was 60,501.

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

is the

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 ...

. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The largest undeveloped

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

deposit in the United States (7th largest in the world) is located in Pittsylvania County. (see '' Uranium mining in Virginia''.)

History

Originally "Pittsylvania" was a name suggested for an unrealized British colony to be located primarily in what is now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. Pittsylvania County would not have been within this proposed colony, which subsequently was named Vandalia. Pittsylvania County was formed in 1767 with territory annexed from Halifax County. It was named for

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, who served as

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...

from 1766 to 1768, and who opposed some harsh colonial policies of the period. In 1777 the western part of Pittsylvania County was partitioned off to became Patrick Henry County. Maud Clement's ''History of Pittsylvania County'' notes the following: "Despite the settlers' intentions, towns failed to develop for two reasons: the generally low level of economic activity in the area and the competition from

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

settlements already providing the kind of marketing and purchasing services typically offered by a town. Plantation settlements along the rivers, particularly at ferrying points, became commercial centers. The most important for early Pittsylvania was that of Sam Pannill, a Scots-Irishman, who at the end of the eighteenth century, while still a young man, set up a plantation town at Green Hill on the north side of the

Staunton River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

in Campbell County. (Clement 15) "Its economy was tobacco-dominated and reliant on a growing

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

labor force. It was a county without towns or a commercial center. Plantation villages on the major river thoroughfares were the only centers of trade, until the emergence of Danville. (Clement 23)" The city of Danville's history up through the antebellum period overall is an expression of the relationship between the town and the planters who influenced its development.

Geography

According to the

United States 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 (0.9%) is water. It is the largest county in Virginia by land area and second-largest by total area. The county is bounded on the north by the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

(this stretch of the river is known as the

), bisected by the

Banister River The Banister River is a tributary of the Dan River, about 65 mi (105 km) long, in southern Virginia in the United States. Via the Dan, it is part of the watershed of the Roanoke River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. It rises on ...

running eastward through the center, and is drained on the south by the

Dan River The Dan River flows in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It rises in Patrick County, Virginia, and crosses the state border into Stokes County, North Carolina. It then flows into Rockingham County. From there it flows back int ...

, flowing eastward.

Districts

The county is divided into seven districts: *

Banister A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are usually used to provide support for body or to hold clothings in a bathroom or ...

* Callands-Gretna *

- Blairs *

* Tunstall * Westover

Adjacent counties and cities

Virginia Counties * Bedford County - Northwest (across

Smith Mountain Lake Smith Mountain Lake is a large reservoir in the Roanoke Region of Virginia, United States, located southeast of the City of Roanoke and southwest of Lynchburg. The lake was created in 1963 by the Smith Mountain Dam impounding the Roanoke River. ...

) * Campbell County - North/Northeast * Franklin County - West/Northwest * Halifax County - East * Henry County - West/Southwest * Danville (independent city within borders of Pittsylvania County) - South North Carolina Counties *

Caswell County, North Carolina Caswell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yanceyville. Partially bordering the state of Virginia, ...

- South/Southeast *

Rockingham County, North Carolina Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,096. Its county seat is Wentworth. The county is known as "North Carolina's North Star." Rockingham County is included in ...

- South/Southwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * * *

Demographics

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.''

2010 Census

According to the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there are 60,949 people, and 26,687 households 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 65.5 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 31,656 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.20%

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 ...

, 21.50%

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.50%

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 ...

, 0.37% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.70% 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 26,687 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93. The median income for a household in the county was $44,356. 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 $23,597. About 12.60% 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 ...

Government

Pittsylvania County is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Supervisors. Management of the County is vested in a Board-appointed

County Administrator In local government in the United States, a county administrator or county manager is a person appointed to be the administrative manager of a county, in a council–manager form of county government. In some counties, the equivalent position is ...

. {, class=wikitable , +Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors , - ! colspan=2 align=center , Name ! valign=bottom, Party ! valign=bottom, First Election ! valign=bottom, District , - , style="background-color:" , , Robert 'Bob' Warren , Rep , 2016 , Chatham-Blairs , - , style="background-color:" , , Ronald 'Ron' Scearce , Rep , 2016 , Westover , - , style="background-color: , , Tim Chesher , , 2022 , Dan River , - , style="background-color:" , , Tim Dudley , Rep , 2016 , Staunton River , - , style="background-color: , , Darrell Dalton , , 2022 , Callands-Gretna , - , style="background-color:{{ , , William 'Vic' Ingram , Ind , 2022 , Tunstall , - , style="background-color: , , Robert M. Tucker Jr. , , 2017 , Banister , - There are also five elected Constitutional Officers: * Clerk of the Circuit Court: Mark Scarce (I) * Commonwealth's Attorney: Robert Bryan Haskins (R) * Sheriff: Michael "Mike" Taylor (I) * Commissioner of Revenue: Robin Goard (I) * Treasurer: Vincent Shorter (I) {{PresHead, place=Pittsylvania County, Virginia, whig=no, source1={{cite web, url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS, title=Atlas of US Presidential Elections, first=David, last=Leip, website=uselectionatlas.org, access-date=9 December 2020 {{PresRow, 2020, Republican, 23,751, 10,115, 361, Virginia {{PresRow, 2016, Republican, 21,554, 9,199, 845, Virginia {{PresRow, 2012, Republican, 19,263, 10,858, 560, Virginia {{PresRow, 2008, Republican, 18,730, 11,415, 288, Virginia {{PresRow, 2004, Republican, 17,673, 9,274, 470, Virginia {{PresRow, 2000, Republican, 15,760, 7,834, 661, Virginia {{PresRow, 1996, Republican, 12,127, 7,681, 1,906, Virginia {{PresRow, 1992, Republican, 11,467, 7,675, 2,752, Virginia {{PresRow, 1988, Republican, 12,229, 6,612, 360, Virginia {{PresRow, 1984, Republican, 15,743, 7,791, 290, Virginia {{PresRow, 1980, Republican, 12,022, 7,653, 605, Virginia {{PresRow, 1976, Republican, 9,173, 7,929, 811, Virginia {{PresRow, 1972, Republican, 12,108, 4,429, 200, Virginia {{PresRow, 1968, American Independent, 5,096, 5,427, 9,367, Virginia {{PresRow, 1964, Republican, 7,120, 5,228, 25, Virginia {{PresRow, 1960, Democratic, 3,788, 4,089, 77, Virginia {{PresRow, 1956, Democratic, 2,870, 4,136, 788, Virginia {{PresRow, 1952, Democratic, 2,893, 3,976, 31, Virginia {{PresRow, 1948, Democratic, 1,164, 3,149, 1,353, Virginia {{PresRow, 1944, Democratic, 1,224, 3,492, 8, Virginia {{PresRow, 1940, Democratic, 728, 3,710, 17, Virginia {{PresRow, 1936, Democratic, 556, 3,694, 5, Virginia {{PresRow, 1932, Democratic, 656, 3,124, 60, Virginia {{PresRow, 1928, Republican, 2,598, 1,688, 0, Virginia {{PresRow, 1924, Democratic, 880, 2,563, 113, Virginia {{PresRow, 1920, Democratic, 1,162, 2,715, 19, Virginia {{PresRow, 1916, Democratic, 801, 2,012, 40, Virginia {{PresFoot, 1912, Democratic, 527, 1,558, 341, Virginia

Communities

Incorporated Towns

* Gretna * Hurt

Census-designated places

* Blairs * Motley *

Mount Hermon Mount Hermon ( ar, جبل الشيخ or جبل حرمون / ALA-LC: ''Jabal al-Shaykh'' ("Mountain of the Sheikh") or ''Jabal Haramun''; he, הַר חֶרְמוֹן, ''Har Hermon'') is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of th ...

Other unincorporated communities

{{div col, colwidth=15em * Bachelors Hall * Brosville * Callands *

Cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science *Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...

* Chalk Level *

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

* Dry Fork * Grit *

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

* Keeling *

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

* Mount Airy * Mountain Hill * Museville * Pittsville * Renan * Ringgold * Sheva * Sonans * Straightstone *

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

* Tightsqueeze * Whitmell * Whittles Depot {{div col end

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Pittsylvania County Official Website

WMDV TV44/Danville
{{Geographic Location , Centre = Pittsylvania County, Virginia , North = Bedford County , Northeast = Campbell County , East = Halifax County , Southeast =

, South = City of Danville , Southwest =

, West = Henry County , Northwest = Franklin County {{Pittsylvania County, Virginia {{Virginia {{coord, 36.82, -79.40, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-VA_source:UScensus1990 {{authority control Virginia counties 1767 establishments in Virginia Danville, Virginia micropolitan area Populated places established in 1767