Buchanan County | |
|---|---|
 Buchanan County Courthouse in Grundy | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°16′N82°02′W / 37.27°N 82.04°W /37.27; -82.04 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Named after | James Buchanan |
| Seat | Grundy |
| Largest town | Grundy |
| Area | |
• Total | 504 sq mi (1,310 km2) |
| • Land | 503 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (3 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 20,355 |
• Estimate (2023) | 19,087 |
| • Density | 40/sq mi (16/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | buchanancountyvirginia |
Buchanan County (/bə.kæn.ən/) is aUnited States county in far westernVirginia, the only county in the state to border bothWest Virginia andKentucky. The county is part of theSouthwest Virginia region and lies in the ruggedAppalachian Plateau portion of theAppalachian Mountains. Itscounty seat isGrundy.[1] Buchanan County was established in 1858 from parts ofRussell andTazewell counties, and it was named in honor of then-PresidentJames Buchanan. Local pronunciation differs from that of the 15th president's surname; here the county is pronounced as "Búh-can-nin". In 1880, part of Buchanan County was taken to formDickenson County.
As of the2020 census, the county population was 20,355.[2] Its population has decreased by double digits in each census over the last forty years. As of 2012, Buchanan was the fifth-poorest county in Virginia, when ranked by median household income; it has consistently been in the bottom 5% over the past decade.[3]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The county was formed in 1858 from parts ofRussell andTazewell counties. It was named forJames Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States.[4] In 1876, Grundy was chosen and designated by the legislature as the county seat of Buchanan County, it was named in honor ofFelix Grundy, a United States Senator from Tennessee.
In 1880, the southwestern part of Buchanan County was combined with parts of Russell andWise counties to becomeDickenson County.
Helen Timmons Henderson (1877–1925) participated in the work of the Buchanan Mission School atCouncil, Virginia. She andSarah Lee Fain (1888–1962) of Norfolk were the first two women to be elected to theVirginia General Assembly. They were both Democrats in the House of Delegates. When Henderson was in office, delegates approved construction of 6.2 miles (10.0 km) of improved road to be built from Russell County, across Big "A" Mountain, to Council. What is now Route 80 is also known as "Helen Henderson Highway".
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 503.8 square miles (1,304.8 km2), of which 502.7 square miles (1,302.0 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (0.2%) is water.[5] Outdoor recreation is provided byPoplar Gap Park near Grundy and William P. Harris Park located in Council.
The county is divided into seven supervisor districts: Garden, Hurricane, Knox, North Grundy, Prater, Rock Lick, and South Grundy.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,793 | — | |
| 1870 | 3,777 | 35.2% | |
| 1880 | 5,694 | 50.8% | |
| 1890 | 5,867 | 3.0% | |
| 1900 | 9,692 | 65.2% | |
| 1910 | 12,334 | 27.3% | |
| 1920 | 15,441 | 25.2% | |
| 1930 | 16,740 | 8.4% | |
| 1940 | 31,477 | 88.0% | |
| 1950 | 35,748 | 13.6% | |
| 1960 | 36,724 | 2.7% | |
| 1970 | 32,071 | −12.7% | |
| 1980 | 37,989 | 18.5% | |
| 1990 | 31,333 | −17.5% | |
| 2000 | 26,978 | −13.9% | |
| 2010 | 24,098 | −10.7% | |
| 2020 | 20,355 | −15.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 19,087 | [6] | −6.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[12] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 23,205 | 19,210 | 96.29% | 94.37% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 614 | 613 | 2.55% | 3.01% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 18 | 15 | 0.07% | 0.07% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 53 | 49 | 0.22% | 0.24% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 4 | 10 | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 107 | 280 | 0.44% | 1.38% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 95 | 177 | 0.39% | 0.87% |
| Total | 24,098 | 20,355 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 26,978 people, 10,464 households, and 7,900 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 54 people per square mile (21 people/km2). There were 11,887 housing units at an average density of 24 units per square mile (9.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.75%White, 2.62%Black orAfrican American, 0.06%Native American, 0.14%Asian, 0.10% fromother races, 0.33% from two or more races, and 0.47% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 10,464 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% weremarried couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. Of all households, 22.50% were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 102.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,213, and the median income for a family was $27,328. Males had a median income of $29,540 versus $17,766 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,788. About 19.80% of families and 23.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.
Buchanan County is represented by RepublicanTravis Hackworth in theVirginia Senate, RepublicanJames W. "Will" Morefield in theVirginia House of Delegates, and RepublicanMorgan Griffith in theU.S. House of Representatives.
Buchanan County, a classically ancestral Democratic county, has become a Republican stronghold at the presidential level, in common with much of Appalachia.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 7,939 | 85.03% | 1,355 | 14.51% | 43 | 0.46% |
| 2020 | 8,311 | 83.50% | 1,587 | 15.94% | 55 | 0.55% |
| 2016 | 7,296 | 78.90% | 1,721 | 18.61% | 230 | 2.49% |
| 2012 | 6,436 | 66.72% | 3,094 | 32.08% | 116 | 1.20% |
| 2008 | 4,541 | 51.99% | 4,063 | 46.52% | 130 | 1.49% |
| 2004 | 4,507 | 45.85% | 5,275 | 53.67% | 47 | 0.48% |
| 2000 | 3,867 | 39.23% | 5,745 | 58.29% | 244 | 2.48% |
| 1996 | 2,785 | 26.96% | 6,551 | 63.40% | 996 | 9.64% |
| 1992 | 3,297 | 28.17% | 7,405 | 63.27% | 1,002 | 8.56% |
| 1988 | 3,912 | 35.68% | 6,935 | 63.25% | 118 | 1.08% |
| 1984 | 5,053 | 38.71% | 7,828 | 59.97% | 172 | 1.32% |
| 1980 | 4,554 | 42.85% | 5,768 | 54.27% | 307 | 2.89% |
| 1976 | 3,850 | 35.89% | 5,791 | 53.98% | 1,087 | 10.13% |
| 1972 | 4,801 | 56.13% | 3,566 | 41.69% | 187 | 2.19% |
| 1968 | 3,699 | 37.68% | 5,003 | 50.97% | 1,114 | 11.35% |
| 1964 | 2,349 | 32.97% | 4,756 | 66.76% | 19 | 0.27% |
| 1960 | 2,370 | 38.86% | 3,706 | 60.76% | 23 | 0.38% |
| 1956 | 3,191 | 46.71% | 3,616 | 52.94% | 24 | 0.35% |
| 1952 | 2,330 | 38.65% | 3,613 | 59.93% | 86 | 1.43% |
| 1948 | 2,085 | 39.15% | 3,174 | 59.61% | 66 | 1.24% |
| 1944 | 1,971 | 41.02% | 2,826 | 58.81% | 8 | 0.17% |
| 1940 | 1,291 | 33.55% | 2,554 | 66.37% | 3 | 0.08% |
| 1936 | 808 | 29.94% | 1,886 | 69.88% | 5 | 0.19% |
| 1932 | 727 | 34.57% | 1,372 | 65.24% | 4 | 0.19% |
| 1928 | 1,333 | 49.41% | 1,365 | 50.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 1,080 | 54.93% | 870 | 44.25% | 16 | 0.81% |
| 1920 | 1,078 | 61.42% | 675 | 38.46% | 2 | 0.11% |
| 1916 | 827 | 53.22% | 720 | 46.33% | 7 | 0.45% |
| 1912 | 223 | 19.60% | 524 | 46.05% | 391 | 34.36% |
All public schools in Buchanan County are operated byBuchanan County Public Schools system.
{{cite book}}:|first1= has generic name (help)37°16′N82°02′W / 37.27°N 82.04°W /37.27; -82.04
Places adjacent to Buchanan County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofBuchanan County, Virginia,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities |
| |
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
