Greene County, Virginia

Greene County
County
Courthouse, built 1838, in Stanardsville
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°18′N78°28′W / 38.3°N 78.47°W / 38.3; -78.47
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Founded	1838
Named for	Nathanael Greene
Seat	Stanardsville
Largest community	Twin Lakes
Area
• Total	157 sq mi (410 km2)
• Land	156 sq mi (400 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,552
• Density	130/sq mi (51/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.greenecountyva.gov

Greene County is a county in Virginia in the eastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,552. ^[1] Its county seat is Stanardsville. ^[2]

Greene County is part of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In recent years, Greene County has become a tourist destination for metropolitan areas to escape to the Shenandoah National Park and Virginia's scenic foothills.

History

Nathanael Greene, for whom the county was named.

Greene County was established in 1838 from Orange County. The county is named for American Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, who was a general in the Continental Army. ^[3]

A major incident occurred on October 24, 1979, when a natural gas main ruptured, causing an explosion. The resulting fire destroyed the bell tower of the county courthouse and county office building. However, quick action by the firefighters on the scene saved the county records secured in the vault. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 156.8 square miles (406.1 km²), of which 156.1 square miles (404.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (0.4%) is water. ^[5] It is the second-smallest county in Virginia by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Rockingham County, Virginia – west
• Page County, Virginia – northwest
• Madison County, Virginia – northeast
• Orange County, Virginia – southeast
• Albemarle County, Virginia – south

National protected areas

• Shenandoah National Park (part)

Major highways

• US 29
• US 33
• SR 230

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	4,232		—
1850	4,400		4.0%
1860	5,022		14.1%
1870	4,634		−7.7%
1880	5,830		25.8%
1890	5,622		−3.6%
1900	6,214		10.5%
1910	6,937		11.6%
1920	6,369		−8.2%
1930	5,980		−6.1%
1940	5,218		−12.7%
1950	4,745		−9.1%
1960	4,715		−0.6%
1970	5,248		11.3%
1980	7,625		45.3%
1990	10,297		35.0%
2000	15,244		48.0%
2010	18,403		20.7%
2020	20,552		11.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010 [10] 2020 [11]

2020 census

Greene 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 [10]	Pop 2020 [11]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	15,785	16,214	85.77%	78.89%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,160	1,442	6.30%	7.02%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	38	26	0.21%	0.13%
Asian alone (NH)	247	456	1.34%	2.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	4	0.01%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	46	92	0.25%	0.45%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	344	988	1.87%	4.81%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	781	1,330	4.24%	6.47%
Total	18,403	20,552	100.00%	100.00%

2020 Census

As of the census ^[12] of 2010, there were 18,403 people, 6,780 households, and 5,072 families residing in the county. The population density was 117.8 people per square mile (45.5 people/km²). There were 7,509 housing units at an average density of 48.1 per square mile (18.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.6% White, 6.3% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 4.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,780 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age for all individuals in the county was 59.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,307 and median family income was $60,414. The per capita income for the county was $24,696. 8.4% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

Local Representation at Federal and State Level

• Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the 7th District.
• Republican Nicholas J. (Nick) Freitas in the Virginia House of Delegates (62nd District)
• Republican Bryce E. Reeves in the Virginia State Senate (28th District)

History

Before the 2024 session, Greene County had been part of Virginia's 58th House of Delegates district and Virginia's 24th Senate district.^{[ citation needed ]}

Before the 2022 session, Greene County had been part of the Virginia's 5th congressional district.^{[ citation needed ]}

In May 2022, County Commissioner of Revenue Larry Vernon Snow resigned and pled guilty to federal charges of witness tampering. He had held the position since 1987 and had been reelected while under indictment. His son, Bryant Austin Snow, also pled guilty to charges of drug distribution. ^{[13] [14]}

Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors contains five members: ^[15]

• At-Large District: Francis X. McGuigan
• Midway District: Marie Durrer (I)
• Monroe District: Timothy L Goolsby
• Ruckersville District: Davis Lamb (I)
• Stanardsville District: Abbey Heflin (I)

Constitutional officers

• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Ashby Lamb-Gomez ^[16]
• Commissioner of Revenue: Kim Tate (I) ^[17]
• Commonwealth's Attorney: Edwin "Win" Consolvo (I) ^[18]
• Sheriff: Steven S. Smith (I) ^[19]
• Treasurer: Stephanie Allen Deal (I) ^[20]

Law enforcement

Greene County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation	GCSO
Agency overview
Formed	1838
Employees	56
Jurisdictional structure
Constituting instrument	Yes
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Stanardsville, Virginia
Deputys	39
Civilians	17
Agency executive	Steve Smith, Sheriff
Website
Official Website

The Greene County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) is Greene County, Virginia's primary law enforcement agency.

After a 1994 study rated Greene County the second most dangerous county in Virginia for traffic, the Sheriff's office cracked down on speeding. In 1997, the office wrote 15 times more tickets than in 1992. ^[21]

In November 2016, a few days before election day, the Sheriff's department held a public seminar at Piedmont Virginia Community College on Islam and jihadism. Counter-protestors described the content as islamophobic, and the group that spoke at the seminar was later added to the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups. ^{[22] [23]}

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Virginia ^[24]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,866	60.70%	4,163	36.80%	282	2.49%
2016	5,945	61.88%	2,924	30.44%	738	7.68%
2012	5,569	61.72%	3,290	36.46%	164	1.82%
2008	4,980	60.29%	3,174	38.43%	106	1.28%
2004	4,570	65.86%	2,240	32.28%	129	1.86%
2000	3,375	62.36%	1,774	32.78%	263	4.86%
1996	2,351	55.29%	1,440	33.87%	461	10.84%
1992	2,265	52.30%	1,353	31.24%	713	16.46%
1988	2,234	69.29%	899	27.88%	91	2.82%
1984	2,216	73.87%	760	25.33%	24	0.80%
1980	1,702	60.55%	925	32.91%	184	6.55%
1976	1,095	51.41%	895	42.02%	140	6.57%
1972	1,208	78.24%	318	20.60%	18	1.17%
1968	856	55.26%	255	16.46%	438	28.28%
1964	641	58.06%	460	41.67%	3	0.27%
1960	573	64.24%	314	35.20%	5	0.56%
1956	539	63.49%	246	28.98%	64	7.54%
1952	537	67.80%	250	31.57%	5	0.63%
1948	420	58.82%	261	36.55%	33	4.62%
1944	393	58.14%	282	41.72%	1	0.15%
1940	282	43.72%	363	56.28%	0	0.00%
1936	321	48.42%	341	51.43%	1	0.15%
1932	258	39.57%	394	60.43%	0	0.00%
1928	423	62.02%	259	37.98%	0	0.00%
1924	240	44.86%	285	53.27%	10	1.87%
1920	414	57.18%	306	42.27%	4	0.55%
1916	239	51.96%	221	48.04%	0	0.00%
1912	141	29.44%	238	49.69%	100	20.88%

Public services

Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Greene.

Education

Greene County is served by a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools.

Greene County is the location of the Piedmont VA CC - Eugene Giuseppe Center.

Communities

(Population according to the 2020 United States Census)

Towns Stanardsville (349)		Census-designated places (CDP) Ruckersville (1,484) Twin Lakes (1,602)
Unincorporated Communities
Amicus Barnes Barbousville Burtonville Dawsonville	Dyke Geer Haneytown Lydia	McMullen Midway Newton Pirkey	Quinque St. George Shady Grove Simmons Gap	Upper Pocosin Williams Fork

See also

• Greene County Sheriff's Office
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Virginia

References

1. "Greene County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 30, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  143.
4. "Blast Levels One Building In Va. County". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved September 22, 2020.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau . Retrieved January 24, 2022.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
10. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Greene County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
11. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Greene County, Virginia". United States Census Bureau.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. "Greene County Commissioner of Revenue Resigns and Pleads Guilty". www.justice.gov. May 6, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
14. "Ex-official pleads guilty to attempted witness tampering". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR. May 7, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
15. "Board of Supervisors in Greene County, Virginia". www.greenecountyva.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
16. "Greene County Clerk of the Court | Greene, Virginia". www.greenecountyva.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
17. "Staff | Commissioner of Revenue in Greene County Virginia". www.greenecountyva.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
18. "Staff | Commonwealth Attorney in Greene County Virginia". www.greenecountyva.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
19. "Greene County Sheriff's Office | Putting Citizens First". www.greenecountysheriffva.com.
20. "Staff | Office of the Treasurer in Greene County Virginia". www.greenecountyva.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
21. Lucy, William H. (2017). "The Myth of Exurban Safety and Rational Location Decisions". Tomorrow's cities, tomorrow's suburbs. David L. Phillips. London. ISBN   978-1-351-17783-2. OCLC   1022945238.
22. "People Protest 'Muslim Threat' Seminar at PVCC". NBC29. November 6, 2016. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
23. Fitzgerald, Pat (October 24, 2016). "Seminar on Islam and jihad stirs controversy in Greene". The Daily Progress. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.

External links

• County Website
• Greene County Tourism
• Greene County Economic Development, Virginia
• Greene County Record Newspaper
• Greene County Historical Society
• Greene County Chamber of Commerce

38°18′N78°28′W / 38.30°N 78.47°W / 38.30; -78.47