Henry County, Virginia

Infobox U.S. County
county = Henry County
state = Virginia


map size = 250
founded = 1777
seat = Martinsville | area_total_sq_mi =384
area_land_sq_mi =382
area_water_sq_mi =2
area percentage = 0.53%
census yr = 2000
pop = 47286
density_km2 =58
web = www.co.henry.va.us
|

Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 57,930. The county seat is Martinsville.GR|6

Henry County is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was established in 1777 when it was carved from Pittsylvania County. The new county was initially named Patrick Henry County in honor of Patrick Henry, who was then serving as the first Governor of Virginia after independence. Living on his 10,000-acre plantation called Leatherwood, Gov. Henry was a sometime resident of the county, where he had relatives already settled. [ [http://www.virginiaplaces.org/places/henry.html Places Associated with Patrick Henry, virginiaplaces.org] ] [ [http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Henry/044-5172_Edgewood_2006_NRdraft.pdf National Register of Historic Places Form, dhr.virginia.gov] ] [ [http://www.martinsville.com/tourism/index.cfm?topic=history&item=60&sub=20 History, Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia, martinsville.com] ]

In 1785 the northern part of Patrick Henry County was combined with part of Bedford County to form Franklin County. In 1790, Patrick Henry County was split into two counties, the western part becoming Patrick County and the rest becoming Henry County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (996 km²), of which, 382 square miles (990 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.53%) is water.

Districts

The county is divided into six supervisor districts: Blackberry, Collinsville, Horsepasture, Iriswood, Reed Creek, and Ridgeway.

Adjacent counties

*Franklin County, Virginia - north
*Pittsylvania County, Virginia - east
*Rockingham County, North Carolina - south
*Stokes County, North Carolina - south-southwest
*Patrick County, Virginia - west

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 people per square mile (58/km²). There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.47% White, 10% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 3.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 23,910 households out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,816, and the median income for a family was $38,649. Males had a median income of $26,660 versus $20,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,110. About 8.80% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

*Ridgeway

Unincorporated communities

*Axton
*Bassett
*Chatmoss
*Collinsville
*Fieldale
*Horsepasture
*Laurel Park
*Oak Level
*Sandy Level
*Spencer
*Stanleytown
*Villa Heights

As an independent city since 1928, Martinsville is not part of Henry County, despite its status as the county seat.

References

External links

* [http://www.co.henry.va.us/ Henry County, Official site]
* [http://henryva.schoolwires.com/henrycounty/site/default.asp/ Henry County Public Schools]
* [http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?AttrID=48725 Patrick Henry Monument, Henry County, Virginia, virginia.org]