Washington County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in 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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 53,935. 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 Abingdon. Washington County is part of the Kingsport–

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

–

, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the " Tri-Cities" region, which includes Bristol TN-VA, Kingsport TN, and Johnson City TN.

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 The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

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 George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, who was then commander-in-chief of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. 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 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 1890, Washington County assumed its present size. On January 27, 2025,

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

JD Vance James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Glenn Youngkin visited Washington County to meet with survivors of

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

and review the recovery progress. WashingtonCountyVA

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

, 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

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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.56%

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 ...

, 1.32%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.14% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.63% 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. 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,350. About 8.10% of families and 10.90% 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 ...

, 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,

(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 Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

* John S. Battle High School,

* Patrick Henry High School, Glade Spring

Communities

Towns

* Abingdon *

* Glade Spring * Saltville (Partially in Smyth County)

Census-designated places

* Emory * Meadowview

Other unincorporated communities

* Alvarado * Azen * Bethel * Blackwell * Clinchburg *

Friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

* Goose Pimple Junction * Greendale * Green Spring * Hayter * Holston * Konnarock * Lindell * Lodi * Mendota * 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 In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

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

External links

Washington County government official website

Washington County Virginia Public Schools

Washington County Virginia GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

Mount Rogers Planning District

Barter Theater (State Theater of Virginia)
{{Authority control Virginia counties 1776 establishments in Virginia Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area Populated places established in 1776