Dickenson County, Virginia

Dickenson County, Virginia
Seal
Location in the state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1880
Seat	Clintwood
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	334 sq mi (865 km²) 332 sq mi (860 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.57%
Population  -  Density	15,903 49/sq mi (19/km²)
Website	www.dickensoncountyvirginia.org/

Dickenson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 15,903.^[1] Its county seat is Clintwood^[2].

History

Dickenson County, formed in 1880 from parts of Buchanan County, Russell County, and Wise County, is Virginia's youngest county. It was named for William J. Dickenson, delegate to the Virginia General Assembly from Russell County, 1859–1861, 1865–1867, and 1877-1882.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 334 square miles (865.1 km²), of which 332 square miles (859.9 km²) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.57%) is water.

Districts

The county is divided into five supervisor districts: Clintwood, Ervinton, Kenady, Sandlick, and Willis.

Adjacent counties

• Buchanan County, Virginia - northeast
• Russell County, Virginia - southeast
• Wise County, Virginia - southwest
• Pike County, Kentucky - northwest

National protected area

• Jefferson National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	5,077		—
1900	7,747		52.6%
1910	9,199		18.7%
1920	13,542		47.2%
1930	16,163		19.4%
1940	21,266		31.6%
1950	23,393		10.0%
1960	20,211		−13.6%
1970	16,077		−20.5%
1980	19,806		23.2%
1990	17,620		−11.0%
2000	16,395		−7.0%
2010	15,903		−3.0%

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 16,395 people, 6,732 households, and 4,887 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 7,684 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,732 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,431, and the median income for a family was $27,986. Males had a median income of $27,281 versus $17,695 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,822. About 16.90% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.80% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Towns

• Clinchco
• Clintwood
• Haysi
• Nora, Virginia

Education

Public High Schools

• Clintwood High School, Clintwood
• Ervinton High School, Nora
• Haysi High School, Haysi

Media

Newspaper

• The Dickenson Star [2]

Radio Stations

• WDIC (AM)
• WDIC-FM

Famous Citizens

• Justin Hamilton, former NFL player for Washington Redskins
• Darrell "Shifty" Powers, World War II (D-day) veteran, Company E ("Easy Company") 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division (portrayed in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers")
• Trazel Silvers, former professional basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters and in Europe.
• Ralph Stanley and Carter Stanley, The Stanley Brothers, bluegrass musicians

See also

• Dickenson County Sheriff's Office
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dickenson County, Virginia

External links

• Dickenson County Public Schools
• The Dickenson Star
• Dickenson County Voting information
• Dickenson County's unofficial web site
• Dickenson County Unofficial User Portal
• Dickenson County Coal Miner's Memorial
• Dickenson County Military Veteran's Memorial
• Dickenson County Discussion Board (DCDB)
• Ralph Stanley Museum & Traditional Mountain Music Center

Coordinates: 37°07′N 82°21′W / 37.12°N 82.35°W / 37.12; -82.35

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. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.