Bedford County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is the town of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, which was an independent city from 1968 until rejoining the county in 2013. Bedford County was created in 1753 from parts of Lunenburg County, and several changes in alignment were made until the present borders were established in 1786. The county was named in honor of John Russell, an English statesman and fourth

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...

. Bedford County is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Bedford's population was 79,462. The county population has more than doubled since 1980.

History

The Piedmont area had long been inhabited by

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. At the time of European encounter, mostly Siouan-speaking tribes lived in this area. Bedford County was established by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

on December 13, 1753, from parts of Lunenburg County. Later in 1756, a portion of Albemarle County lying south of the James River was added. The county is named for John Russell, the fourth

, who was a Secretary of State of Great Britain. In 1782, Campbell County was formed from eastern Bedford County and the county seat was moved from New London to Liberty (now Bedford). Also in 1786, the portion of Bedford County south of the Staunton (Roanoke) River was taken with part of Henry County to form Franklin County. The town of Bedford became an

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

in 1968, and remained the county seat. On September 14, 2011, the Bedford City Council voted to transition into a town and end its

status. The supervisors of Bedford County also voted to accept the town of Bedford as part of the county when it lost city status. The town of Bedford once more became part of Bedford County on July 1, 2013.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties and city

* Rockbridge County – north * Amherst County – northeast * Lynchburg – east (independent city) * Campbell County – southeast *

Pittsylvania County Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 60,501. The county seat is Chatham. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical ...

– south * Franklin County – southwest * Roanoke County – west * Botetourt County – northwest

National protected areas

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

(part) * Jefferson National Forest (part). The Jefferson National Forest has roads and trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, dog-walking, scenic drives, wildlife viewing, camping, and photography as well as streams for paddling and fishing. Roads and trails are shown on National Geographic Map 789, "Lexington, Blue Ridge Mts Map, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests". The nearby Glenwood Cluster contains areas in the Jefferson Forest designated by the Wilderness Society as "Mountain Treasures". * James River Face Wilderness (part) * Thunder Ridge Wilderness (part)

State Park

* Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Major highways

* * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 60,371 people, 23,838 households, and 18,164 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 26,841 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.24%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.20% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 28.2% were of American, 15.6% English, 11.0%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and 9.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 23,838 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non-families. 20.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population's age distribution was: 24.00% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,136, and the median income for a family was $49,303. Males had a median income of $35,117 versus $23,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,582. About 5.20% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

2017

As of 2017, the largest self-reported ancestry groups were: * English - 16.5% * American - 14.3% *

- 13.3% * Irish - 11.3% *

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

- 3.0% * Scots-Irish - 2.7% *

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

- 2.6%

Government

Board of Supervisors

*District 1: Mickey M. Johnson (R) *District 2: Edgar Tuck, Chair (I) *District 3: Charla Bansley (R) *District 4: John Sharp, (R) *District 5: Tommy W. Scott (R) *District 6: Bob W. Davis (R) *District 7: Tamara F. "Tammy" Parker, Vice Chair (R)

Constitutional officers

*Clerk of the Circuit Court: Judy Reynolds (R) *Commissioner of the Revenue: Tracy Patterson (R) *Commonwealth's Attorney: Wes Nance (R) *Sheriff: Michael Miller (R) *Treasurer: Will Perrow (R) Bedford County is represented by Republican Mark Peake (8th District) in the Virginia Senate; Republicans Eric Zehr (51st District) and Tim Griffin (53rd District) in the Virginia House of Delegates; and Republicans Bob Good (VA 5th District), Ben Cline (VA 6th District), and Morgan Griffith (VA 9th District) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Economy

Historically, Bedford County was an agricultural economy. While agriculture is still an important factor in the county's economy, Bedford County has significant residential development to serve Lynchburg, Roanoke, and

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, Virginia, Lynchburg. The lake was created in 1963 by the Smith Mountain Dam impoundin ...

. Tourism and retail are also becoming more significant, with some new industry near Forest and New London.

Politics

Bedford has voted Republican in every presidential election since

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. Like much of the

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

, it was a reliably Democratic county until

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, when

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

's candidacy reduced

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

's victory, and it was a swing county for the next three decades. It voted for segregationist third-party candidate

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

for president in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

Attractions

* Beale ciphers, the key to a supposed treasure buried somewhere in the county and which has attracted treasure hunters since the 19th century * National D-Day Memorial *

Peaks of Otter The Peaks of Otter are three mountain topographical summit, peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia, which lies to the southeast along State Route 43 (Virginia), State Route 43. These peaks are Sharp Top, ...

* Poplar Forest *

* Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library

Communities

Town

Census-designated places

* Big Island *

Forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

Moneta In Roman mythology, Moneta (Latin Monēta) was a title given to two separate goddesses: It was the name of the goddess of memory (identified with the Greek mythology, Greek goddess Mnemosyne), and it was an epithet of Juno (mythology), Juno, ca ...

* Montvale * Stewartsville

Other unincorporated communities

* Chamblissburg * Coleman Falls * Goode * Goodview * Hardy * Huddleston * New London * Thaxton Some of these unincorporated areas have mailing addresses in Bedford town and Lynchburg.

Notable people

* Nicholas H. Cobbs (1796-1861), former Episcopal prelate, served as the first Bishop of Alabama. *

Colonel Chaffin "Colonel" Josephus H. Chaffin ( – April 1873) was an American with dwarfism who achieved some fame in the 1840s touring the United States. He was billed as the American Tom Thumb(29 October 1845)The Real American Tom Thumb ''American & Commercia ...

(1826 – April 1873), little person who toured the United States and was billed as the "Virginia Dwarf". * Erik Estrada (born March 16, 1949), an American actor, voice actor, and subsequent Bedford County deputy sheriff, known for his co-starring lead role in the police drama television series, ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

'', which ran from 1977 to 1983. * Carl Overstreet, (1929-2015) first U2 pilot to fly over Soviet Air Space *

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

had a summer retreat in Bedford County called " Poplar Forest". * James P. Ownby (1845–1906), Illinois state representative; was born in Bedford County. * Lacey Putney was born and raised in Bedford County, VA. * Jerry Falwell Jr, former

Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...

President, lives in Bedford County on a farm. *

Sam Sloan Samuel Howard Sloan (born September 7, 1944), also known as Mohammad Ismail Sloan, is an American perennial candidate and former broker-dealer. In 1978, he won a case ''pro se'' before the United States Supreme Court, becoming the last non-lawyer ...

, book publisher, lives in Bedford County and attended Boonsboro School Elementary School and High School in Bedford County

References

External links

*
Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce's websiteBedford County government's website
{{Coord, 37.31, -79.53, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-VA_source:UScensus1990 Virginia counties 1754 establishments in the Colony of Virginia Counties on the James River (Virginia) Populated places established in 1754