History
Originally "Pittsylvania" was a name suggested for an unrealized British colony to be located primarily in what is now West Virginia. Pittsylvania County would not have been within this proposed colony, which subsequently was named Vandalia.
Pittsylvania County was formed in 1767 with territory annexed from Halifax County. It was named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768, and who opposed some harsh colonial policies of the period.
In 1777 the western part of Pittsylvania County was partitioned off to became Patrick Henry County.
Maud Clement's History of Pittsylvania County notes the following: "Despite the settlers' intentions, towns failed to develop for two reasons: the generally low level of economic activity in the area and the competition from plantation settlements already providing the kind of marketing and purchasing services typically offered by a town. Plantation settlements along the rivers, particularly at ferrying points, became commercial centers. The most important for early Pittsylvania was that of Sam Pannill, a Scots-Irishman, who at the end of the eighteenth century, while still a young man, set up a plantation town at Green Hill on the north side of the Staunton River in Campbell County. (Clement 15)
"Its economy was tobacco-dominated and reliant on a growing slave labor force. It was a county without towns or a commercial center. Plantation villages on the major river thoroughfares were the only centers of trade, until the emergence of Danville. (Clement 23)"
The city of Danville's history up through the antebellum period overall is an expression of the relationship between the town and the planters who influenced its development.
Demographics
Historical population| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1790 | 11,579 | | — |
|---|
| 1800 | 12,697 | | 9.7% |
|---|
| 1810 | 17,172 | | 35.2% |
|---|
| 1820 | 21,323 | | 24.2% |
|---|
| 1830 | 26,034 | | 22.1% |
|---|
| 1840 | 26,398 | | 1.4% |
|---|
| 1850 | 28,796 | | 9.1% |
|---|
| 1860 | 32,104 | | 11.5% |
|---|
| 1870 | 31,343 | | −2.4% |
|---|
| 1880 | 52,589 | | 67.8% |
|---|
| 1890 | 59,941 | | 14.0% |
|---|
| 1900 | 46,894 | | −21.8% |
|---|
| 1910 | 50,709 | | 8.1% |
|---|
| 1920 | 56,493 | | 11.4% |
|---|
| 1930 | 61,424 | | 8.7% |
|---|
| 1940 | 61,697 | | 0.4% |
|---|
| 1950 | 66,096 | | 7.1% |
|---|
| 1960 | 58,296 | | −11.8% |
|---|
| 1970 | 58,789 | | 0.8% |
|---|
| 1980 | 66,147 | | 12.5% |
|---|
| 1990 | 55,655 | | −15.9% |
|---|
| 2000 | 61,745 | | 10.9% |
|---|
| 2010 | 63,506 | | 2.9% |
|---|
| 2020 | 60,501 | | −4.7% |
|---|
|
2020 census
Pittsylvania County, Virginia - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 [10] | Pop 2020 [11] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|
| White alone (NH) | 47,250 | 44,277 | 74.40% | 73.18% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,963 | 12,354 | 21.99% | 20.42% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 124 | 93 | 0.20% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 176 | 289 | 0.28% | 0.48% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 17 | 17 | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 42 | 128 | 0.07% | 0.21% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 602 | 1,631 | 0.95% | 2.70% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,332 | 1,712 | 2.10% | 2.83% |
| Total | 63,506 | 60,501 | 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
According to the 2010 United States Census, there are 60,949 people, and 26,687 households in the county. The population density was 65.5 people per square mile (25.3 people/km2). There were 31,656 housing units at an average density of 32 units per square mile (12 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.20% White, 21.50% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 26,687 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,356. The per capita income for the county was $23,597. About 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line.
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