Lee County, Virginia

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Lee County, Virginia
Map of Virginia highlighting Lee County
Location in the state of Virginia
Map of the U.S. highlighting Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded 1793
Seat Jonesville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
437 sq mi (1,132 km²)
437 sq mi (1,132 km²)
0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.04%
Population
 -  Density
25,587
54/sq mi (21/km²)
Lee County landscape near Pennington Gap

Lee County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 25,587[1]. Its county seat is Jonesville[2]. Lee County is the westernmost county in Virginia.

Contents

[edit] History

The first Europeans to enter what is present-day Lee County were a party of Spanish explorers in 1540, sent by Hernando de Soto, in search of gold.[3]

The county was formed in 1793 from Russell County. It was named for Light Horse Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794, who was known as "Light Horse Harry" for his exploits as a leader of light troops in the American Revolutionary War. He was the father of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Among the largest early landowners in the county was Revolutionary War officer and explorer Joseph Martin, for whom Martin's Station and Martin's Creek at Rose Hill are named, and who was awarded some 25,000 acres (100 km2) in the county, which he later sold. Martin was among the earliest explorers of the region.

In 1814, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Washington County were combined to form Scott County. In 1856, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Scott County were combined to form Wise County, Virginia.

[edit] Notable residents

Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine, was born near Jonesville.

Frank Rowlett, cryptologist, member of the Signals Intelligence Service. Born in Rose Hill. [4]

[edit] Economy

Lee County is one of the poorest counties in Virginia. Its economy is dependent largely on growing tobacco and mining coal.

Using the slogan Where Virginia Begins, it has attempted to increase its tourism industry by emphasizing its role in the route used by settlers going west through the Cumberland Gap, at Lee County's western tip.

Lee County shares Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with Kentucky and Tennessee. Attractions listed in the park include Hensley's Settlement, the Pinnacle Overlook, the Sand Cave, and the White Rocks overlooking the towns of Ewing and Rose Hill.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 square miles (1,131.8 km2), of which 437 square miles (1,131.8 km2) is land and 0 square miles (0.0 km2) (0.04%) is water.

[edit] Districts

The county is divided into seven districts: Jonesville, Rocky Station, Rocky Station Mineral, Rose Hill, White Shoals, Yokum,St.Charles Pennington Gap, Keokee, Robbins Chappel, and Yokum Mineral.

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1800 3,538
—
1810 4,694 32.7%
1820 4,256 −9.3%
1830 6,461 51.8%
1840 8,441 30.6%
1850 10,267 21.6%
1860 11,032 7.5%
1870 13,268 20.3%
1880 15,116 13.9%
1890 18,216 20.5%
1900 19,856 9.0%
1910 23,840 20.1%
1920 25,293 6.1%
1930 30,419 20.3%
1940 39,296 29.2%
1950 36,106 −8.1%
1960 25,824 −28.5%
1970 20,321 −21.3%
1980 25,956 27.7%
1990 24,496 −5.6%
2000 23,589 −3.7%
2010 25,587 8.5%


According to the census[5] 2009 estimates, there were 25001 people, 11,587 households, and 6,852 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 11,587 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.3% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, 0.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest ancestry groups in Lee County include:English (14%), Irish (11%), German (9%), and Scots-Irish (3%).[6]

There were 9,706 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% 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 age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,889, and the median income for a family was $40,721. The per capita income for the county was $16,317. About 20.3% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.10% of those under age 18 and 23.30% of those age 65 or over.[7]

[edit] Politics

Presidential election results
Year GOP DEM Others
2008 46.8% 19,028 51.7% 21,031 1.5% 594
2004 54.2% 17,070 44.8% 14,128 1.0% 317
2000 51.5% 13,991 43.2% 11,720 5.3% 1,449
1996 43.3% 10,517 44.7% 10,867 12.0% 2,914
1992 42.5% 10,606 42.7% 10,658 14.7% 3,671
1988 57.5% 12,326 41.5% 8,909 1.0% 209
1984 62.9% 12,428 36.4% 7,202 1.1% 135
1980 47.4% 8,222 43.0% 7,455 9.6% 1,667
1976 50.6% 7,971 47.9% 7,539 1.5% 232
1972 70.6% 9,348 27.9% 3,692 1.6% 208
1968 61.5% 7,098 23.4% 2,700 15.1% 1,749
1964 54.2% 4,604 45.6% 3,872 0.2% 13
1960 66.3% 4,270 33,5% 2,157 0.3% 18

[edit] Towns

[edit] Unincorporated areas

[edit] Schools in Lee County Virginia

[edit] Public High Schools

[edit] Public Middle Schools

  • Pennington Middle School, Pennington Gap
  • Jonesville Middle School, Jonesville

[edit] Public Elementary Schools

  • Dryden Elementary School, Dryden
  • Keokee Elementary School, Keokee
  • Elk Knob Elementary School, Woodway
  • Elydale Elementary School, Ewing
  • Ewing Elementary School, Ewing
  • Flatwoods Elementary School, Jonesville
  • St. Charles Elementary School, St. Charles
  • Stickleyville Elementary School, Stickleyville
  • Rose Hill Elementary School, Rose Hill
Consisting of three buildings built at various times (1912, 1917 and 1937), the school was demolished in late 1989 and a bank was constructed on its Morgan Avenue site.

[edit] Technical Schools

  • Lee County Vo/Career Tech, Ben Hur

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]. Weldon Cooper Center 2010 Census Count Retrieved September 9, 2011
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ Berrier Jr., Ralph (September 20, 2009). "The slaughter at Saltville". The Roanoke Times. http://www.roanoke.com/219462. Retrieved October 9, 2011. 
  4. ^ http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/hall_of_honor/1999/rowlett.shtml
  5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ^ Lee County, VA - Lee County, Virginia - Ancestry & family history - ePodunk
  7. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=05000US51105&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=lee+county&_cityTown=lee+county&_state=04000US51&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null:null&_keyword=&_industry=

[edit] External links

Harlan County, Kentucky Wise County
Bell County, Kentucky Scott County
   Lee County, Virginia    
Claiborne County, Tennessee Hancock County, Tennessee
Municipalities and communities of Lee County, Virginia, United States
Towns
CDPs
Unincorporated
communities
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Coordinates: 36°43′N 83°08′W / 36.71°N 83.13°W / 36.71; -83.13

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