Nelson County, Virginia

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Nelson County, Virginia

Map
Location in the state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1807
Seat	Lovingston
Area - Total - Land - Water	474 sq mi (1,228 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.41%
Population - (2000) - Density	14,445 31/sq mi (12/km²)
Website: www.nelsoncounty.com

Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 14,445. Its county seat is Lovingston^[1]. It is also home to Wintergreen Resort, a local ski area, and is the location of Walton's Mountain made famous by the television show, The Waltons. Nelson County is also home to many thriving vineyards.

1 History
2 Geography
- 2.1 Adjacent counties
- 2.2 National protected areas
3 Education
4 Unincorporated towns
5 Demographics
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Nelson County was established in 1807 from Amherst County. The county is named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., Governor of Virginia 1771. It was the site of disastrous flooding in August 1969 as the remnants of Hurricane Camille stalled and dumped an unexpected deluge of rain.

The Tye River flows through the mountains and low hills of Nelson County.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 474 square miles (1,228 km²), of which, 472 square miles (1,223 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.41%) is water. The Blue Ridge Mountains form the northwest boundary of the county; the James River forms the boundary to the southeast. Internally, Nelson consists of the Rockfish, Tye and Piney Rivers, along with many known creeks.

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] National protected areas

Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
George Washington National Forest (part)

[edit] Education

The public education system consists of two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The middle and high schools are located just outside Lovingston, Virginia. Nelson County also provides free GED testing to all adults.

[edit] Unincorporated towns

There are no cities or incorporated towns in Nelson County. Unincorporated communities include:

Afton
Arrington
Howardsville
Lovingston
Massies Mill
Montebello
Nellysford
Schuyler
Shipman
Wingina

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.65% White, 14.89% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,887 households out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.00% 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 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 29.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,769, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $29,684 versus $24,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,230. 12.10% of the population and 8.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.40% are under the age of 18 and 14.60% are 65 or older.