Campbell County, Virginia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Campbell County

U.S. county

Campbell County Courthouse in Rustburg

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Virginia

Virginia's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Virginia

Founded

1782

Named for

General William Campbell

Seat

Rustburg

Largest town

Altavista

Area

• Total

507 sq mi (1,310 km²)

• Land

504 sq mi (1,310 km²)

• Water

3.5 sq mi (9 km²) 0.7%

Population

(2020)

• Total

55,696

• Density

109.85/sq mi (42.41/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

5th

Campbell County is a United States county situated in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Campbell borders the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county seat is Rustburg.

Grounded on a tobacco cash crop economy, Campbell County was created in 1782 from part of Bedford County. The county was named in honor of General William Campbell, hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Campbell County is part of the Lynchburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the county population is 55,696. The number of residents has grown steadily in every census after 1930, and the total population has more than doubled since that time.

Lynchburg was established in Campbell County in 1786, incorporated as a town in 1805, and separated from Campbell County when it became an independent city in 1852. Lynchburg has annexed additional land from Bedford County and Campbell County through the years, most recently in 1976.

History
Geography
- Adjacent counties / Independent city
- Major Highways
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
Sports and recreation
Images for kids
See also

History

Main house, Green Hill Plantation, Campbell County, Historic American Buildings Survey

The area that would become Campbell County was first settled by Europeans, initially Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, in the late 1730s. After nearly fifty years of immigration and development, the newly formed county was established in 1782 from part of Bedford County. Campbell County was named for Revolutionary War hero, General William Campbell, who is known for the 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain. The independent city of Lynchburg, Virginia was subsequently formed from the county in 1786.

From its earliest days, the county relied on tobacco as the primary cash crop and basis for the economy, though it also developed early manufacturing operations. Brookneal, with its strategic location on the Staunton River, was long an important tobacco and textile hub. However, the departure of manufacturing and the changing tobacco market has forced Campbell to transform from a mainly agricultural area into a mixture of suburban and rural communities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 507 square miles (1,313.1 km²), of which 504 square miles (1,305.4 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km²) (0.55%) is water.

Adjacent counties / Independent city

Lynchburg, Virginia – northwest
Amherst County, Virginia – north
Appomattox County, Virginia – northeast
Charlotte County, Virginia – east
Halifax County, Virginia – southeast
Pittsylvania County, Virginia – southwest
Bedford County, Virginia – west

Major Highways

US 29
US 460
US 501
SR 24
SR 40
SR 43

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	7,685	—
1800	9,866	28.4%
1810	11,001	11.5%
1820	16,569	50.6%
1830	20,350	22.8%
1840	21,030	3.3%
1850	23,245	10.5%
1860	26,197	12.7%
1870	28,384	8.3%
1880	36,250	27.7%
1890	41,087	13.3%
1900	23,256	−43.4%
1910	23,043	−0.9%
1920	26,716	15.9%
1930	22,885	−14.3%
1940	26,048	13.8%
1950	28,877	10.9%
1960	32,958	14.1%
1970	43,319	31.4%
1980	45,424	4.9%
1990	47,572	4.7%
2000	51,078	7.4%
2010	54,842	7.4%
2020	55,696	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**Campbell County, Virginia - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	44,595	42,884	81.32%	77.00%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,737	7,761	14.11%	13.93%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	142	169	0.26%	0.30%
Asian alone (NH)	543	601	0.99%	1.08%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	11	8	0.02%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	56	241	0.10%	0.43%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	840	2,217	1.53%	3.98%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	918	1,815	1.67%	3.26%
Total	54,842	55,696	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.