Grayson County, Virginia
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density
was 40 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.70% White
, 6.79% Black
or African American
, 0.12% Native American
, 0.07% Asian
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
, 0.70% from other races
, and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 7,259 households out of which 26.40% had children under the living with them, 57.60% were married couples
living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out with 19.50% under the, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,676, and the median income for a family was $35,076. Males had a median income of $24,126 versus $17,856 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $16,768. About 10.00% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.
" music and musicians. Although the entire Appalachian region is known for its music, the region around Mount Airy
, North Carolina
and Galax
, Virginia
is one of the areas where this music has remained strongest, even among young people. The Old Fiddler's Convention, one of the most prominent traditional music contests in the United States, has been held annually in Galax since 1935.http://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com/ Grayson County is also the home of other fiddlers' conventions and old time and bluegrass festivals such as the Grayson County Fiddlers Convention, Fries Fiddlers Convention, and the Wayne C. Henderson
Guitar Festival. The Whitetop Mountain Band, The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, The Wolfe Brothers String Band, and the Konnarock Critters are among many of the best known old time bands of the area.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17,917 people, 7,259 households, and 5,088 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 40 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 9,123 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.70% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 6.79% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.07% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.70% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 7,259 households out of which 26.40% had children under the living with them, 57.60% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out with 19.50% under the, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.70 males.
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $16,768. About 10.00% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.
Towns
- FriesFries, VirginiaFries is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 484 as of the 200\10 census. Fries is part of the Blue Ridge area, and shares in that region's old-time musical traditions...
- IndependenceIndependence, VirginiaIndependence is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grayson County. Independence is home to a major town celebration on July 4 every year, held in front of the 1908 courthouse. It features bluegrass and old-time...
- TroutdaleTroutdale, VirginiaTroutdale is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 194 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Troutdale is located at ....
Unincorporated settlements
- BaywoodBaywood, VirginiaBaywood is an unincorporated community in Grayson County, in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia.-History:Baywood was established as a hub community, roughly embracing the area from Meadow Creek, Edmonds, NC, Little River and New River. The area was settled in the late 18th century...
- Elk CreekElk Creek, VirginiaElk Creek is an unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia, United States.Elk Creek is home to a local dragstrip owned by the people who participate in the races held there....
- Mouth of WilsonMouth of Wilson, VirginiaMouth of Wilson is an unincorporated community, in Grayson County in the U.S. state of Virginia, just north of the North Carolina state line. The community lies in the Appalachian Mountains on the western banks of the New River, where the Big Wilson Creek empties its waters. The main road through...
- Rugby
- Comers Rock
- Flat Ridge
- Fairview
- Grant
Public High Schools
Grayson County High School, IndependenceIndependence, Virginia
Independence is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grayson County. Independence is home to a major town celebration on July 4 every year, held in front of the 1908 courthouse. It features bluegrass and old-time...
Culture
Located in the Appalachian region of the United States, Grayson County has long been famous for its traditional, or "old-timeOld-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
" music and musicians. Although the entire Appalachian region is known for its music, the region around Mount Airy
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Galax
Galax, Virginia
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County. The population was 7,042 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
is one of the areas where this music has remained strongest, even among young people. The Old Fiddler's Convention, one of the most prominent traditional music contests in the United States, has been held annually in Galax since 1935.http://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com/ Grayson County is also the home of other fiddlers' conventions and old time and bluegrass festivals such as the Grayson County Fiddlers Convention, Fries Fiddlers Convention, and the Wayne C. Henderson
Wayne Henderson (luthier)
Wayne C. Henderson is an American guitar maker who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars. He also occasionally makes other stringed instruments, such as mandolins and banjos. He is based in Rugby, Virginia, population 7, in Grayson County.Henderson's guitars are inspired...
Guitar Festival. The Whitetop Mountain Band, The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, The Wolfe Brothers String Band, and the Konnarock Critters are among many of the best known old time bands of the area.
Notable residents
- Henry WhitterHenry WhitterHenry Whitter was an early country musician.-Biography:...
(1892–1941) – early country musician - Wade WardWade Ward-External links:...
(1892–1971) – old-time country music banjo player and fiddler - Estil C. BallEstil C. BallEstil Cortez Ball was an American singer-songwriter, fingerstyle guitarist, and country gospel and folk musician from Rugby in Grayson County, Virginia.-Career:...
(1913–1978) – singer-songwriter, fingerstyle guitarist, and country, gospel and folk musician - Wayne Henderson (luthier)Wayne Henderson (luthier)Wayne C. Henderson is an American guitar maker who specializes in the crafting of handmade, custom acoustic guitars. He also occasionally makes other stringed instruments, such as mandolins and banjos. He is based in Rugby, Virginia, population 7, in Grayson County.Henderson's guitars are inspired...
– guitar maker and fingerstyle guitar player - Kenneth Y. Tomlinson former editor of the Reader's Digest
- Robert Kyle Poole former VA state Delegate
See also
- National Register of Historic Places in Grayson County, Virginia
External links
- http://www.graysoncountyva.com/
- Old Fiddler's Convention official site
- Grayson Carroll Galax VA Directory
- Fries VA - Where the New River Trail Begins
- Grayson County, Virginia, Heritage Foundation -- "Promote, Preserve, & Educate: Cultural and Family Heritages of Grayson County"
- Historical and Genealogical Resources for the Upper New River Valley of North Carolina and Virginia