Grayson County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Present-day Grayson County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°39′N81°14′W / 36.65°N 81.23°W /36.65; -81.23 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1793 |
| Named after | William Grayson |
| Seat | Independence |
| Largest town | Independence |
| Area | |
• Total | 446 sq mi (1,160 km2) |
| • Land | 442 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
| • Water | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) 0.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 15,333 |
| • Density | 34.7/sq mi (13.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www |
Grayson County is acounty located in thesouthwestern part of theCommonwealth ofVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 15,333.[1] Itscounty seat isIndependence.[2]Mount Rogers, the state's highest peak at 5,729 feet (1,746 m), is in Grayson County.
Grayson County was founded in 1793 from part ofWythe County. It was named forWilliam Grayson,[3] delegate to the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1787 and one of the first two U.S. Senators from Virginia. The first courthouse was built in Greensville, later calledOldtown, constructed in 1794 and rebuilt beginning in 1832. In 1842, theVirginia General Assembly authorized the division of Grayson County, the northeastern portion becomingCarroll County.
During theAmerican Civil War, little fighting occurred within Grayson County. However, the "Grayson Dare Devils" (Company F, 4th Regiment of theStonewall Brigade) were recruited from the Elk Creek Valley of Grayson County shortly after Virginia seceded and sustained significant losses as theFirst Battle of Manassas. The Grayson Cavalry was Company C of the8th Virginia Cavalry, which served until the war's end.[4] Company D of the 50th Virginia Infantry was recruited in the Mouth of Wilson Community and they were known as the "Wilson Rifles."
The county seat since shortly before the American Civil War has beenIndependence, Virginia, since the former county seat had been centrally located until Carroll County split off (and Oldtown now is a district within Grayson county).[5] TheOld Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office renovated circa 1834 still exists but is now located near what since 1953 is the independent city ofGalax, Virginia. Even by 1890 the nearest railroad to Grayson county was nine miles from the county line, aNorfolk and Western Railway stop called "Rural Retreat." Textile and then furniture factories arrived inGalax (which was planned as a town near the old village of Blair on a plateau beginning in 1903 and renamed after a plant harvested from the surrounding mountains). Also, theNew River was dammed atFries to power a cotton mill, which also led to more direct service by the Norfolk and Western toTroutdale (which later faltered). Whitetop City and Fairwood also virtually disappeared during theGreat Depression.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 446 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 442 square miles (1,140 km2) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) (0.8%) is water.[7] Grayson County is one of the 423 counties served by theAppalachian Regional Commission,[8] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his bookAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[9]
The southernmost point in Virginia lies in Grayson County. Additionally, it is the only county in Virginia containing anOceanic climate.[10]
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,912 | — | |
| 1810 | 4,941 | 26.3% | |
| 1820 | 5,598 | 13.3% | |
| 1830 | 7,675 | 37.1% | |
| 1840 | 9,087 | 18.4% | |
| 1850 | 6,677 | −26.5% | |
| 1860 | 8,252 | 23.6% | |
| 1870 | 9,587 | 16.2% | |
| 1880 | 13,068 | 36.3% | |
| 1890 | 14,394 | 10.1% | |
| 1900 | 16,853 | 17.1% | |
| 1910 | 19,856 | 17.8% | |
| 1920 | 19,816 | −0.2% | |
| 1930 | 20,017 | 1.0% | |
| 1940 | 21,916 | 9.5% | |
| 1950 | 21,379 | −2.5% | |
| 1960 | 17,930 | −16.1% | |
| 1970 | 15,439 | −13.9% | |
| 1980 | 16,579 | 7.4% | |
| 1990 | 16,278 | −1.8% | |
| 2000 | 17,917 | 10.1% | |
| 2010 | 15,533 | −13.3% | |
| 2020 | 15,333 | −1.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010[15] 2020[16] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 14,627 | 13,396 | 94.17% | 87.37% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 317 | 887 | 2.04% | 5.78% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 30 | 26 | 0.19% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 15 | 24 | 0.10% | 0.16% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 7 | 30 | 0.05% | 0.20% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 121 | 372 | 0.78% | 2.43% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 416 | 596 | 2.68% | 3.89% |
| Total | 15,533 | 15,333 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.70%White, 6.79%Black orAfrican American, 0.12%Native American, 0.07%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.70% fromother races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,259 households, out of which 26.40% had children under the living with them, 57.60% weremarried couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.50% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.70 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 109.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,676, and the median income for a family was $35,076. Males had a median income of $24,126 versus $17,856 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,768. About 10.00% of families and 13.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.
Grayson is economically isolated, without an Interstate Highway and surrounded by mountains. It struggled to attract and retain business; a situation made much worse beginning in 2009 with the recession. 20,000 acres are being exploited for growing industrial Christmas trees; migrant laborer workers are transported to complete the risky jobs. Like much of Southwest Virginia, losses of jobs in the furniture and textile sectors resulted in an unemployment rate of 14.6%. In order to create jobs the new but idle River North Correctional Center was activated by the state brought in several hundred jobs. Local efforts were successful in retaining Core Fitness' Nautilus facility as the largest employer in the county and integrating local businesses as part of their supply chain, though the business laid off all employees by 2020.[1][2] suffered significant losses in a fire in November 2012 which forced it to relocate operations to North Carolina. Efforts by the county led to the company rebuilding and reopening its facility in 2014 with 125 jobs. By 2014 a focus on job creation brought additional business operations and 300 more jobs to the county and resulted in an unemployment rate of only 6.9%.[18] Unemployment got as low as 2.8% in April 2019 but then rose significantly during the COVID pandemic before returning to rates in the 2%-3% range.[3]
In 2009, the county was in dire financial condition due to broader trends in the economy. The county debt was $18.3 million and operational expenses were being paid by added borrowing. By 2015 the county had reversed its fiscal direction along with much of the region due to the economic recovery.[18]
| Office | Person | Political party |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk of the Circuit Court ‡ | Susan M. Herrington | (R) |
| Commissioner of the Revenue | Larry D. Bolt | (R) |
| Commonwealth's Attorney ‡ | Brandon R. Boyles | (R) |
| Sheriff ‡ | Richard A. Vaughan | (I) |
| Treasurer | R. Pete Hall, Jr. | (R) |
Grayson is represented by Republican William M. "Bill" Stanley Jr. in theVirginia Senate, Republican Israel D. O'Quinn in theVirginia House of Delegates, and RepublicanH. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 832 | 42.32% | 842 | 42.83% | 292 | 14.85% |
| 1916 | 1,244 | 56.16% | 967 | 43.66% | 4 | 0.18% |
| 1920 | 2,153 | 54.73% | 1,781 | 45.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 1,442 | 46.88% | 1,611 | 52.37% | 23 | 0.75% |
| 1928 | 2,728 | 61.43% | 1,713 | 38.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 1,624 | 41.03% | 2,306 | 58.26% | 28 | 0.71% |
| 1936 | 3,343 | 52.63% | 3,005 | 47.31% | 4 | 0.06% |
| 1940 | 2,806 | 50.78% | 2,703 | 48.91% | 17 | 0.31% |
| 1944 | 3,298 | 55.77% | 2,607 | 44.08% | 9 | 0.15% |
| 1948 | 3,669 | 55.86% | 2,741 | 41.73% | 158 | 2.41% |
| 1952 | 4,449 | 61.78% | 2,734 | 37.97% | 18 | 0.25% |
| 1956 | 4,039 | 62.18% | 2,426 | 37.35% | 31 | 0.48% |
| 1960 | 3,893 | 58.65% | 2,738 | 41.25% | 7 | 0.11% |
| 1964 | 3,105 | 48.88% | 3,238 | 50.98% | 9 | 0.14% |
| 1968 | 3,563 | 54.09% | 1,926 | 29.24% | 1,098 | 16.67% |
| 1972 | 3,565 | 67.48% | 1,603 | 30.34% | 115 | 2.18% |
| 1976 | 3,021 | 48.33% | 3,146 | 50.33% | 84 | 1.34% |
| 1980 | 3,494 | 53.37% | 2,875 | 43.91% | 178 | 2.72% |
| 1984 | 4,508 | 65.43% | 2,319 | 33.66% | 63 | 0.91% |
| 1988 | 3,968 | 61.51% | 2,441 | 37.84% | 42 | 0.65% |
| 1992 | 3,378 | 48.68% | 2,615 | 37.69% | 946 | 13.63% |
| 1996 | 3,004 | 46.92% | 2,661 | 41.56% | 738 | 11.53% |
| 2000 | 4,236 | 61.82% | 2,467 | 36.00% | 149 | 2.17% |
| 2004 | 4,655 | 65.22% | 2,430 | 34.05% | 52 | 0.73% |
| 2008 | 4,540 | 62.88% | 2,480 | 34.35% | 200 | 2.77% |
| 2012 | 4,801 | 67.42% | 2,068 | 29.04% | 252 | 3.54% |
| 2016 | 5,592 | 76.76% | 1,407 | 19.31% | 286 | 3.93% |
| 2020 | 6,529 | 80.30% | 1,535 | 18.88% | 67 | 0.82% |
| 2024 | 6,544 | 80.60% | 1,503 | 18.51% | 72 | 0.89% |
Located in theAppalachian region of the United States, Grayson County has long been famous for its traditional, or "old-time" music and musicians. Although the entire Appalachian region is known for its music, the region aroundMount Airy,North Carolina andGalax,Virginia is one of the areas where this music has remained strongest, even among young people. TheOld Fiddler's Convention, one of the most prominent traditional music contests in the United States, has been held annually in Galax since 1935.[20] Grayson County is also the home of other fiddlers' conventions and old time and bluegrass festivals such as the Grayson County Fiddlers Convention, Fries Fiddlers Convention, and theWayne C. Henderson Guitar Festival. The Whitetop Mountain Band, The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, The Wolfe Brothers String Band, and the Konnarock Critters are among many of the best known old time bands of the area.
Places adjacent to Grayson County, Virginia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofGrayson County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
36°39′N81°14′W / 36.65°N 81.23°W /36.65; -81.23
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