Alleghany County, Virginia

Alleghany County is an American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is the northernmost part of the Roanoke Region. The county seat is Covington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,223.

The county was created in 1822 from parts of Bath County, Botetourt County, and Monroe County (now in West Virginia) with additional portions of Bath County and Monroe County added in 1823 and 1844, respectively.

At the time, the majority of the population lived around Covington, and the primary cash crop then was hemp, which was used for rope production.

History
Alleghany County was established on January 5, 1822, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The new county was formed from parts of Bath County, Botetourt County, and Monroe County (now in West Virginia), with most of the population centered in the new county seat in Covington. Alleghany County was named for the Allegheny Mountains, which border the western edge of the county.

The current Constitution of Virginia allows the city of Covington, among others in the state, to be an independent city. On July 1, 2001, the city of Clifton Forge reincorporated as a town within Alleghany County. As such, the town is subject to the county and simultaneously subject to the new charter for the town of Clifton Forge.

When the county was established, the principal export was hemp, used for rope production in Richmond. However, as hemp demand and prices declined, the farmers of Alleghany switched to grain, hay and livestock production.

During the American Civil War, the iron for the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) came from Longdale Furnace in the county. Regiments from Alleghany County were at the surrender at Appomattox.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 449.7 sqmi, of which 446.572 sqmi is land and 3.152 sqmi (0.7%) is water. The county is entirely within the Valley and Ridge physiographic region of Virginia. Alleghany 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.

The primary tributaries of the James River, the Cowpasture River and Jackson River both flow through the county. The confluence of the two is just south of the county boundary near the town of Iron Gate.

Adjacent counties

 * Bath County – north
 * Rockbridge County – east
 * Botetourt County – southeast
 * Craig County – south
 * Monroe County, West Virginia – southwest
 * Greenbrier County, West Virginia – west

National protected areas

 * George Washington National Forest (part)
 * United States National Radio Quiet Zone (part)

Climate


2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,926 people, 5,149 households, and 3,866 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 /mi2. There were 5,812 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.35% White, 2.45% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 0.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.9% were of American, 11.6% German, 11.0% English and 9.8% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 5,149 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.20% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.85.

The age distribution is 22.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,545, and the median income for a family was $45,843. Males had a median income of $35,120 versus $20,855 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,635. About 4.90% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

The 2000 population of what is now Alleghany County (including the former city of Clifton Forge) was 17,215. The article includes geographic data from before and after the reincorporation of Clifton Forge as a town into the county.

Politics
Until recently, the county did not reliably vote for a single party at the presidential level since the Great Depression era when it backed the Democratic Party candidate in five straight election cycles. However, since the 2000 United States presidential election the county has shifted to the Republican party with generally increasing margins when voting in presidential races. In the 2020 United States presidential election, the county gave Republican candidate Donald Trump the highest margin, just under 45 percent, since the 1928 United States presidential election when Republican candidate Herbert Hoover won by over 45 percent.

Board of Supervisors

 * Boiling Springs district: Shannon P. Cox (I)
 * Clifton Forge East district: Dr. Ronald S. Goings (I)
 * Clifton Forge West district: Gregory A. Dodd (I)
 * Covington district: James M. Griffith (I), Vice-chair
 * Falling Spring district: G. Matt Garten (I), Chair
 * Jackson River district: Stephen A. Bennett (I)
 * Sharon district: Cletus W. Nicely (I)
 * County Administrator: Reid Walters

Constitutional officers

 * Clerk of the Circuit Court: Debra N. Byer (I)
 * Commissioner of the Revenue: Sheila K. Selleck (I)
 * Commonwealth's Attorney: Ann Gardner(I)
 * Sheriff: Kyle Matt Moore (I)
 * Treasurer: Teresa Brown (I)

State representatives

 * Christopher Head of the Virginia's 3rd Senate district in the Virginia Senate
 * Terry Austin of the Virginia's 37th House of Delegates district in the Virginia House of Delegates

Federal representatives

 * Ben Cline from Virginia's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives
 * Tim Kaine as Senator from Virginia in the U.S. Senate
 * Mark Warner as Senator from Virginia in the U.S. Senate

Economy
The county economy is dominated by WestRock, which operates a paperboard mill in Covington, the second largest on the East Coast and an extrusion and converting facility in Low Moor. Alleghany County is within close proximity to The Homestead in Bath County and The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs. Residents also commute to Lewisburg, Lexington, and Roanoke for employment. Covington has a team in the Valley Baseball League called the Lumberjacks.

Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to the Clifton Forge station (12 mi away from Covington) with the Cardinal route. Clifton Forge serves a major locomotive fuel facility for CSX Transportation.

The area is served by Interstate 64 (east-west) and U.S. 220 (north-south), offering interstate truck access to the area.

Education
Alleghany County is serviced by one high school, Alleghany High School (grades 9–12); one middle school, Covington Middle School (grades 6–8), and three pre-kindergarten to grade 5 elementary schools: Callaghan Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and Sharon Elementary. The county also contains one Virginia state governors school, the Jackson River Governor's School; one technical center, the Jackson River Technical Center; and the Mountain Gateway Community College.

Communities
Though it is the county seat, Covington is an independent city, and thus is not part of Alleghany County.