Giles County, Virginia


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 metropolitan 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.
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History

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, of which is land and is water. Giles County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
It is the site of two of the highest mountain peaks of Virginia.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Major highways

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Railroads

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,787. The median age was 46.0 years. 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,107 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 8,285 housing units, of which 14.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.7% were owner-occupied and 26.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.7%.

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. There were 8,319 housing units at an average density of.
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 and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.70% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

  • At-Large District: Paul W. "Chappy" Baker
  • At-Large District: Richard "Ricky" McCoy
  • Central District: Jeffrey Morris
  • Eastern District: Perry Martin
  • Western District: John Lawson

Constitutional officers

  • Clerk of the Circuit Court: Sherry E Gautier
  • Commissioner of the Revenue: Lisa Corell
  • Commonwealth's Attorney: Robert M. Lilly, Jr.
  • Sheriff: W. Morgan Millirons
  • Treasurer: Angela L. Higginbotham
Giles is represented by Republican Travis Hackworth in the Virginia Senate, Republican Jason Ballard in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Law enforcement

The Giles County Sheriff's Department patrols and investigates crimes in the county. It also serves process, provides security for the county court, and operates the county's E-911 service. Since the establishment of the Sheriff's Office, 1 officer has died in the line of duty, in 1954.

Communities

Towns

After the dissolution of the Town of Glen Lyn in 2024, Giles County has four incorporated towns.
TownPopulation
in 2022
Narrows2,046
Pearisburg2,832
Pembroke1,129
Rich Creek735

Census-designated places

Education

Giles county is home to three public elementary/middle schools, two public high schools, and one technical school:
The schools have a combined enrollment of 2425 as of mid 2014.

In popular culture