Bedford County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Bedford County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°19′N79°32′W / 37.31°N 79.53°W /37.31; -79.53 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1754 |
| Named after | John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford |
| Seat | Bedford |
| Largest town | Bedford |
| Area | |
• Total | 769 sq mi (1,990 km2) |
| • Land | 753 sq mi (1,950 km2) |
| • Water | 16 sq mi (41 km2) 2.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 79,462 |
• Estimate (2024) | 82,182 |
| • Density | 106/sq mi (40.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th,9th |
| Website | www |
Bedford County is aUnited States county located in thePiedmont region of theCommonwealth ofVirginia. Itscounty seat is the town ofBedford, which was an independent city from 1968 until rejoining the county in 2013.[1]
Bedford County was created in 1753 from parts ofLunenburg County, and several changes in alignment were made until the present borders were established in 1786. The county was named in honor ofJohn Russell, an English statesman and fourthDuke of Bedford.
Bedford County is part of theLynchburg metropolitan area. As of the2020 census, Bedford's population was 79,462.[2] The county population has more than doubled since 1980.[3]
The Piedmont area had long been inhabited byindigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, mostlySiouan-speaking tribes lived in this area.
Bedford County was established by theVirginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts ofLunenburg County.[4] Later in 1756, a portion ofAlbemarle County lying south of the James River was added. The county is named forJohn Russell, the fourthDuke of Bedford, who was aSecretary of State of Great Britain.[5] 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 ofHenry County to formFranklin County.
The town of Bedford became anindependent city in 1968, and remained the county seat. On September 14, 2011, the Bedford City Council voted to transition into a town and end itsindependent city 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.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 769 square miles (1,990 km2), of which 753 square miles (1,950 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.1%) is water.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 10,531 | — | |
| 1800 | 14,125 | 34.1% | |
| 1810 | 16,148 | 14.3% | |
| 1820 | 19,305 | 19.6% | |
| 1830 | 20,246 | 4.9% | |
| 1840 | 20,203 | −0.2% | |
| 1850 | 24,080 | 19.2% | |
| 1860 | 25,068 | 4.1% | |
| 1870 | 25,327 | 1.0% | |
| 1880 | 31,205 | 23.2% | |
| 1890 | 31,213 | 0.0% | |
| 1900 | 30,356 | −2.7% | |
| 1910 | 29,549 | −2.7% | |
| 1920 | 30,669 | 3.8% | |
| 1930 | 29,091 | −5.1% | |
| 1940 | 29,687 | 2.0% | |
| 1950 | 29,627 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 31,028 | 4.7% | |
| 1970 | 26,728 | −13.9% | |
| 1980 | 34,927 | 30.7% | |
| 1990 | 45,656 | 30.7% | |
| 2000 | 60,371 | 32.2% | |
| 2010 | 68,676 | 13.8% | |
| 2020 | 79,462 | 15.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010[14] 2020[15] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 62,035 | 68,128 | 90.33% | 85.74% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,909 | 4,864 | 5.69% | 6.12% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 172 | 167 | 0.25% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 700 | 967 | 1.02% | 1.22% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 14 | 33 | 0.02% | 0.04% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 47 | 329 | 0.07% | 0.41% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 709 | 2,919 | 1.03% | 3.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,090 | 2,055 | 1.59% | 2.59% |
| Total | 68,676 | 79,462 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 60,371 people, 23,838 households, and 18,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31 people/km2). There were 26,841 housing units at an average density of 36 units per square mile (14 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.18%White, 6.24%Black orAfrican American, 0.20%Native American, 0.43%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.20% fromother races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 28.2% were of American, 15.6% English, 11.0%German and 9.6% Irish ancestry according toCensus 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.
As of 2017, the largest self-reported ancestry groups were:[17]
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.
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 serveLynchburg,Roanoke, andSmith Mountain Lake. Tourism and retail are also becoming more significant, with some new industry near Forest and New London.
Bedford has votedRepublican in every presidential election since1980. Like much of theSolid South, it was a reliablyDemocratic county until1948, whenStrom Thurmond's candidacy reducedHarry S. Truman's victory, and it was a swing county for the next three decades. It voted for segregationist third-party candidateGeorge Wallace for president in1968.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 142 | 8.19% | 1,219 | 70.34% | 372 | 21.47% |
| 1916 | 298 | 15.38% | 1,628 | 84.05% | 11 | 0.57% |
| 1920 | 583 | 24.49% | 1,774 | 74.51% | 24 | 1.01% |
| 1924 | 432 | 19.00% | 1,811 | 79.64% | 31 | 1.36% |
| 1928 | 1,118 | 43.77% | 1,436 | 56.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 469 | 16.57% | 2,321 | 81.99% | 41 | 1.45% |
| 1936 | 619 | 21.30% | 2,276 | 78.32% | 11 | 0.38% |
| 1940 | 791 | 23.68% | 2,535 | 75.90% | 14 | 0.42% |
| 1944 | 1,068 | 29.60% | 2,534 | 70.23% | 6 | 0.17% |
| 1948 | 1,084 | 30.04% | 1,556 | 43.11% | 969 | 26.85% |
| 1952 | 2,916 | 54.47% | 2,426 | 45.32% | 11 | 0.21% |
| 1956 | 3,148 | 52.07% | 2,649 | 43.81% | 249 | 4.12% |
| 1960 | 2,911 | 47.87% | 3,150 | 51.80% | 20 | 0.33% |
| 1964 | 3,806 | 48.09% | 4,076 | 51.50% | 32 | 0.40% |
| 1968 | 2,807 | 35.80% | 1,574 | 20.08% | 3,459 | 44.12% |
| 1972 | 5,286 | 73.43% | 1,501 | 20.85% | 412 | 5.72% |
| 1976 | 4,189 | 45.31% | 4,766 | 51.55% | 291 | 3.15% |
| 1980 | 6,608 | 55.81% | 4,721 | 39.87% | 511 | 4.32% |
| 1984 | 10,371 | 68.15% | 4,754 | 31.24% | 92 | 0.60% |
| 1988 | 10,702 | 65.33% | 5,406 | 33.00% | 274 | 1.67% |
| 1992 | 10,496 | 50.57% | 6,792 | 32.72% | 3,468 | 16.71% |
| 1996 | 11,955 | 54.07% | 7,786 | 35.22% | 2,368 | 10.71% |
| 2000 | 17,224 | 65.87% | 8,160 | 31.21% | 765 | 2.93% |
| 2004 | 21,925 | 69.82% | 9,102 | 28.98% | 377 | 1.20% |
| 2008 | 24,420 | 68.16% | 11,017 | 30.75% | 393 | 1.10% |
| 2012 | 26,679 | 71.29% | 10,209 | 27.28% | 537 | 1.43% |
| 2016 | 30,659 | 72.10% | 9,768 | 22.97% | 2,098 | 4.93% |
| 2020 | 35,600 | 73.15% | 12,176 | 25.02% | 893 | 1.83% |
| 2024 | 38,017 | 74.42% | 12,414 | 24.30% | 650 | 1.27% |
Some of these unincorporated areas have mailing addresses in Bedford town and Lynchburg.
Geographic data related toBedford County, Virginia atOpenStreetMapArchived September 25, 2005, at theWayback Machine
Places adjacent to Bedford County, Virginia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofBedford County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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