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Washington County
Washington County
County
	Washington County Courthouse
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
	Virginia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 36°43′N 81°58′W / 36.72°N 81.96°W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1776
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Abingdon
Largest town	Abingdon
Area
• Total	566 sq mi (1,470 km2)
• Land	561 sq mi (1,450 km2)
• Water	5.0 sq mi (13 km2) 0.9%
Population (2020)
• Total	53,935
• Density	95/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.washcova.com

Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,935.^[1] Its county seat is Abingdon.^[2] Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, 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 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, who was then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. 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 of Bristol in 1890, Washington County assumed its present size.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 566 square miles (1,470 km²), of which 561 square miles (1,450 km²) is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) (0.9%) is water.^[3] Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,^[4] 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.^[5]

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

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	5,625	—
1800	9,536	69.5%
1810	12,156	27.5%
1820	12,444	2.4%
1830	15,614	25.5%
1840	13,001	−16.7%
1850	14,612	12.4%
1860	16,892	15.6%
1870	16,816	−0.4%
1880	25,203	49.9%
1890	29,020	15.1%
1900	28,995	−0.1%
1910	32,830	13.2%
1920	32,376	−1.4%
1930	33,850	4.6%
1940	38,197	12.8%
1950	37,536	−1.7%
1960	38,076	1.4%
1970	40,835	7.2%
1980	46,487	13.8%
1990	45,887	−1.3%
2000	51,103	11.4%
2010	54,876	7.4%
2020	53,935	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1960^[7] 1900-1990^[8] 2010^[9] 2020^[10]

2020 census

**Washington County, Virginia - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[9]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	52,798	50,338	96.21%	93.33%
Black or African American alone (NH)	686	651	1.25%	1.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	90	91	0.16%	0.17%
Asian alone (NH)	202	334	0.37%	0.62%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	0	0.01%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	21	134	0.04%	0.25%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	349	1,496	0.64%	2.77%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	724	891	1.32%	1.65%
Total	54,876	53,935	100.00%	100.00%

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^[11] of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 inhabitants per square mile (35/km²). There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of 41 units per square mile (16 units/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 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 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.

Education

Colleges

Emory and Henry College, Emory
Virginia Highlands Community College, Abingdon
Virginia Intermont College, Bristol (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

Communities

Towns

Farmland in Washington County near Friendship and Wideners Valley

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

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

Politics

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Virginia^[12]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	22,455	76.07%	6,772	22.94%	291	0.99%
2020	21,679	75.58%	6,617	23.07%	389	1.36%
2016	19,320	74.75%	5,553	21.48%	973	3.76%
2012	18,141	70.77%	7,076	27.61%	415	1.62%
2008	16,077	65.62%	8,063	32.91%	360	1.47%
2004	14,749	65.51%	7,339	32.60%	426	1.89%
2000	12,064	59.66%	7,549	37.33%	609	3.01%
1996	9,098	50.07%	6,939	38.19%	2,132	11.73%
1992	9,150	48.17%	7,269	38.27%	2,576	13.56%
1988	10,722	63.45%	5,819	34.43%	358	2.12%
1984	12,132	68.06%	5,573	31.26%	121	0.68%
1980	8,402	53.87%	6,390	40.97%	805	5.16%
1976	6,865	48.98%	6,547	46.71%	603	4.30%
1972	8,805	72.70%	3,028	25.00%	278	2.30%
1968	6,665	51.16%	3,243	24.89%	3,121	23.95%
1964	4,146	44.94%	5,070	54.95%	10	0.11%
1960	4,473	53.59%	3,833	45.92%	41	0.49%
1956	4,651	56.38%	3,547	42.99%	52	0.63%
1952	3,810	57.74%	2,778	42.10%	11	0.17%
1948	2,972	52.20%	2,510	44.09%	211	3.71%
1944	2,792	49.29%	2,849	50.30%	23	0.41%
1940	2,697	45.13%	3,245	54.30%	34	0.57%
1936	2,047	43.98%	2,595	55.76%	12	0.26%
1932	1,774	38.34%	2,784	60.17%	69	1.49%
1928	3,449	56.40%	2,666	43.60%	0	0.00%
1924	2,848	47.30%	3,083	51.20%	90	1.49%
1920	2,672	54.14%	2,251	45.61%	12	0.24%
1916	1,717	47.84%	1,863	51.91%	9	0.25%
1912	590	17.80%	1,721	51.92%	1,004	30.29%