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Giles County, Virginia facts for kids

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Giles County
Giles County Courthouse
Giles County Courthouse
Official seal of Giles County
Seal
Map of Virginia highlighting Giles County
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Virginia
Founded 1806
Named for William Branch Giles
Seat Pearisburg
Largest town Pearisburg
Area
 • Total 360 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Land 356 sq mi (920 km2)
 • Water 4.6 sq mi (12 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,787
 • Density 46.6/sq mi (18.00/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 9th

Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia on the West Virginia state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,787. Its county seat is Pearisburg.

Giles County is included in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Giles County is the location of Mountain Lake, one of only two natural fresh water lakes in Virginia. The lake drains into Little Stony Creek, which passes over a waterfall known as The Cascades before reaching the New River.

History

William Branch Giles
William Branch Giles, for whom the county was named

Giles County was established in 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe, Wythe, and Tazewell counties. The county is named for William Branch Giles who was born in Amelia County in 1762. Giles became a lawyer and from there was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served from 1790 to 1815. He also served in the Virginia General Assembly from 1816 to 1822. In 1827, he was elected Governor. In all, he served his nation and state around a total of forty years.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 360 square miles (930 km2), of which 356 square miles (920 km2) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km2) (1.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Jefferson National Forest (part)

Major highways

  • I-73 (future)
  • US 219 (US Highway 219 in Virginia)
  • US 460 (US Highway 460 in Virginia)
  • SR 42 (Virginia State Route 42)
  • SR 61 (Virginia State Route 61)
  • SR 100 (Virginia State Route 100)

Railroads

  • Norfolk Southern (Virginia Division)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 3,745
1820 4,521 20.7%
1830 5,274 16.7%
1840 5,307 0.6%
1850 6,570 23.8%
1860 6,883 4.8%
1870 5,875 −14.6%
1880 8,794 49.7%
1890 9,090 3.4%
1900 10,793 18.7%
1910 11,623 7.7%
1920 11,901 2.4%
1930 12,804 7.6%
1940 14,635 14.3%
1950 18,956 29.5%
1960 17,219 −9.2%
1970 16,741 −2.8%
1980 17,810 6.4%
1990 16,366 −8.1%
2000 16,657 1.8%
2010 17,286 3.8%
2020 16,787 −2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Giles County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 16,580 15,673 95.92% 93.36%
Black or African American alone (NH) 259 238 1.50% 1.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 19 28 0.11% 0.17%
Asian alone (NH) 54 69 0.31% 0.41%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 7 19 0.04% 0.11%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 158 516 0.91% 3.07%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 209 244 1.21% 1.45%
Total 17,286 16,787 100.00% 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.

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,286 people, 7,215 households, and 4,899 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile (18/km2). There were 8,319 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% White, 1.51% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,215 households, out of which 29.27% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.46% were married couples living together, 10.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.86% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.56% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 4.89% from 20 to 24, 23.85% from 25 to 44, 29.43% from 45 to 64, and 18.03% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.14 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.55 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,231, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $41,521 versus $36,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,766. About 6.60% of families (2000 census) and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line(2012), including 17.70% of those under age 18 (2012)and 10.50% of those age 65 or over (2000 census).

Communities

Towns

Giles County has five incorporated towns. Only nine other counties have more towns than Giles. Of the 191 towns in Virginia, Glen Lyn is the fifth smallest in population. Thirty-nine percent of Giles residents live in one of the five towns.

Town Population
in 2014
Glen Lyn 117
Narrows 1,964
Pearisburg 2,699
Pembroke 1,087
Rich Creek 752

Unincorporated communities

Education

Giles county is home to three public elementary/middle schools, two public high schools, and one technical school:

Eastern Elementary/Middle School (Pembroke)
Macy McClaugherty Elementary/Middle School (Pearisburg)
Narrows Elementary/Middle School (Narrows)
Giles High School (Pearisburg)
Narrows High School (Narrows)
Giles County Technology Center (Pearisburg)

The schools have a combined enrollment of 2425 as of mid 2014.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Giles (Virginia) para niños

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