| Buchanan County, Virginia | ||
 Buchanan County Courthouse in Grundy
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 Location in the state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1858 | |
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| Named for | James Buchanan | |
| Seat | Grundy | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
504 sq mi (1,305 km²) 504 sq mi (1,305 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.00% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
24,098 54/sq mi (21/km²) |
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| Website | www.buchanancountyinfo.org | |
Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 24,098.[1] Its county seat is Grundy.[2] As of 2009, it was the poorest county in the state of Virginia and one of the 100 poorest counties in the United States, when ranked by median household income.[3]
Contents |
History [edit]
The county was formed in 1858 from parts of Russell County and Tazewell County. It was named for James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States.In 1880 the southwestern part of Buchanan County was combined with parts of Russell County and Wise County to become Dickenson County.
Helen Timmons Henderson (1877–1925)[4] helped participate in the work of the Buchanan Mission School at Council, Va. She and Sarah Lee Fain (1888–1962) of Norfolk became the first two women to be elected into the Virginia General Assembly. They were both Democrats in the House of Delegates. When Helen was in office, the delegates agreed to let 6.2 miles of improved road to be placed from Russell County, across Big "A" Mountain, to Council. Route 80 is also known as "Helen Henderson Highway,In 1876,Grundy was chosen and became the county seat of Buchanan County,it was named in honor of Felix Grundy,a Senator from Tennessee.
Geography [edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 504 square miles (1,305.4 km2), all land. It is home to Poplar Gap Park.
Districts [edit]
The county is divided into seven supervisor districts: Garden, Hurricane, Knox, North Grundy, Prater, Rock Lick, and South Grundy.
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Mingo County, West Virginia - north-northeast
- McDowell County, West Virginia - east
- Tazewell County, Virginia - southeast
- Russell County, Virginia - south
- Dickenson County, Virginia - southwest
- Pike County, Kentucky - northwest
Major highways [edit]
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,793 |
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| 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% | |
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 26,978 people, 10,464 households, and 7,900 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 11,887 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.75% White, 2.62% Black or African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households 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 age 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. The per capita income for the county was $12,788. About 19.80% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.
Towns [edit]
Unincorporated Communities [edit]
Education [edit]
Colleges [edit]
Private Schools [edit]
Public High Schools [edit]
All public schools in Buchanan County are operated by Buchanan County Public Schools system.
- Grundy Senior High School, Grundy
- Twin Valley High School, Pilgrims Knob
- Council High School, Council
- Hurley High School, Hurley
Public Elementary & Middle Schools [edit]
- Twin Valley Elem/Middle School
- Council Elementary School
- Riverview Elementary Middle School
- J.M. Bevins Elementary
- Russel Prater Elementary
- Hurley Elementary
- Hurley Middle School
Inactive Schools [edit]
- Harman Elementary (Destroyed: 2009)
- Vansant Elementary (Destroyed 2007)
- Big Rock Elementary (Destroyed 2009)
- Grundy Jr. High School (Now the Appalachian School of Law)
- Garden Elementary
- Garden Middle School (Now the current location of the Appalachian College of Pharmacy)
- Garden High School (Now Twin Valley Elementary)
- Whitewood Elementary School (Torn Down)
- Whitewood High School (Now Twin Valley High School)
- D.A. Justus (Torn Down)
- P.V. Dennis (Now the ASL Library)
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ [1]. Weldon Cooper Center 2010 Census Count Retrieved September 9, 2011
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ State and County Estimates for 2009. Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
- ^ Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. Published by Elihu Jasper Sutherland: Clintwood, Virginia, 1962.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links [edit]
Coordinates: 37°16′N 82°02′W / 37.27°N 82.04°W
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Pike County, Kentucky | Mingo County, West Virginia | |
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McDowell County, West Virginia | |||
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| Dickenson County | Russell County | Tazewell County |
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