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Bland County
Bland County
County
	Bland County Courthouse
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
	Virginia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°08′N 81°08′W / 37.13°N 81.13°W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1861
Named for	Richard Bland
Seat	Bland
Largest community	Bland
Area
• Total	359 sq mi (930 km2)
• Land	358 sq mi (930 km2)
• Water	1 sq mi (3 km2) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	6,270
• Density	17/sq mi (6.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.blandcountyva.gov

Bland County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county seat is the unincorporated area of Bland.^[1] At the 2020 census, the population was 6,270.

Bland County was created in 1861 from parts of Wythe, Tazewell, and Giles counties in Virginia. The new county was named in honor of Richard Bland, a Virginia statesman who served in the House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress.

As of the 2020 census, the county population was 6,270, making it the 4th least populated county in Virginia.^[2] Bland County is also one of the few counties in the United States that do not contain any incorporated municipalities.^{[citation needed]}

History

The push to create Bland County resulted from popular dissatisfaction with the distances required to travel to the various county seats in the area. The distances and the difficult mountain trails created a significant hardship for those needing to conduct legal affairs. In addition, the growing population resented paying taxes for benefits outside of the local area. This pressure eventually persuaded the Virginia General Assembly to take action to form a new county in the southwestern portion of the state.^[3]

Bland County was officially formed on March 30, 1861, from parts of Wythe, Tazewell, and Giles counties. Additional land from Giles County was added later. The county was named after Richard Bland, a Virginia statesman and political figure who helped lead the struggle for freedom and independence from England.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 358.7 square miles (929.0 km²), of which 357.7 square miles (926.4 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.3%) is water.^[5]

Bland County lies within the Appalachian Regional Commission's definition of the Appalachian region. The county is mountainous with small river valleys running through the county. The county lies entirely within the Ridge and Valley physiographic province.

The North Fork of the Holston River has its head waters in Bland County.

Adjacent counties

Mercer County, West Virginia – north
Giles County – northeast
Pulaski County – southeast
Wythe County – south
Smyth County – southwest
Tazewell County – west

National protected area

Jefferson National Forest (part)

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	4,000		—
1880	5,004		25.1%
1890	5,129		2.5%
1900	5,497		7.2%
1910	5,154		−6.2%
1920	5,593		8.5%
1930	6,031		7.8%
1940	6,731		11.6%
1950	6,436		−4.4%
1960	5,982		−7.1%
1970	5,423		−9.3%
1980	6,349		17.1%
1990	6,514		2.6%
2000	6,871		5.5%
2010	6,824		−0.7%
2020	6,270		−8.1%
2022 (est.)	6,148	^[6]	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790–1960^[8] 1900–1990^[9] 1990–2000^[10] 2010^[11] 2020^[12]

2020 census

**Bland County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010^[11]	Pop 2020^[12]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	6,494	5,857	95.16%	93.41%
Black or African American alone (NH)	228	167	3.34%	2.66%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1	0	0.01%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	18	4	0.26%	0.06%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0	0.01%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	5	0.00%	0.08%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	43	177	0.63%	2.82%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	39	60	0.57%	0.96%
Total	6,824	6,270	100.00%	100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 6,871 people, 2,568 households, and 1,908 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile (7.3 people/km²). There were 3,161 housing units at an average density of 9 units per square mile (3.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.82% White, 4.19% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.4% were of American, 11.8% German, 11.5% English and 10.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,568 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 23.30% 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 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85.

The population distribution of Bland County is: 19.40% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 27.90% 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 119.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 121.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,397, and the median income for a family was $35,765. Males had a median income of $30,801 versus $23,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,744. 12.40% of the population and 9.10% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.20% are under the age of 18 and 22.60% are 65 or older.

Government

Board of Supervisors

2022-2024

District 1: K. Adam Kidd, Chair (R)
District 2: Stephen Kelley, Vice Chair (R)
District 3: Randy Johnson, Chair (I)
District 4: Keith Costello (R)

Constitutional officers

Clerk of the Circuit Court: Lisa Hall (R)
Commissioner of the Revenue: Cindy U. Wright (I)
Commonwealth's Attorney: Patrick D. White (R)
Sheriff: Jason Ramsey (R)
Treasurer: John F. Goins (I)

Bland County is represented by Republican Travis Hackworth in the Virginia Senate, Republican James W. "Will" Morefield in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.

United States presidential election results for Bland County, Virginia^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,998	84.33%	524	14.74%	33	0.93%
2020	2,903	83.44%	532	15.29%	44	1.26%
2016	2,573	81.97%	453	14.43%	113	3.60%
2012	2,144	72.73%	735	24.93%	69	2.34%
2008	2,031	68.64%	864	29.20%	64	2.16%
2004	1,962	68.48%	846	29.53%	57	1.99%
2000	1,759	65.44%	851	31.66%	78	2.90%
1996	1,167	46.00%	939	37.01%	431	16.99%
1992	1,368	48.31%	1,001	35.35%	463	16.35%
1988	1,556	61.12%	937	36.80%	53	2.08%
1984	1,812	67.29%	867	32.19%	14	0.52%
1980	1,278	54.50%	1,002	42.73%	65	2.77%
1976	1,047	51.91%	961	47.65%	9	0.45%
1972	1,352	70.64%	527	27.53%	35	1.83%
1968	938	50.38%	560	30.08%	364	19.55%
1964	717	45.67%	851	54.20%	2	0.13%
1960	848	50.75%	822	49.19%	1	0.06%
1956	1,113	57.16%	813	41.76%	21	1.08%
1952	1,000	57.21%	743	42.51%	5	0.29%
1948	822	50.49%	738	45.33%	68	4.18%
1944	744	49.40%	762	50.60%	0	0.00%
1940	693	47.83%	753	51.97%	3	0.21%
1936	642	45.05%	778	54.60%	5	0.35%
1932	556	41.00%	783	57.74%	17	1.25%
1928	826	58.96%	575	41.04%	0	0.00%
1924	609	49.96%	604	49.55%	6	0.49%
1920	478	54.26%	403	45.74%	0	0.00%
1916	420	53.85%	356	45.64%	4	0.51%
1912	206	33.50%	289	46.99%	120	19.51%

The county is a historically Republican county. The only Democrats who have carried it since 1910 have been Woodrow Wilson in 1912 when the Republican Party was split between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt in each of his four elections, and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, all national Democratic Party landslides.