Pittsylvania County, Virginia

Pittsylvania is a county in Virginia, United States, on the North Carolina border in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 60,501 at the 2020 census and covers 978 square miles (2,533 km2), with 969 square miles (2,510 km2) of land and 9 square miles (23 km2) of water — the largest county in Virginia by land area. It is centred near 36°49′N 79°24′W.

Chatham is the county seat, and its postal code is 24531. The county has three incorporated towns (Chatham, Gretna and Hurt), several census-designated places, and dozens of unincorporated communities and crossroads. It observes Eastern Time and is part of the Danville micropolitan statistical area.

Towns & Villages in Pittsylvania County

Pittsylvania County has three incorporated towns — Chatham, Gretna and Hurt — plus census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities scattered across its seven magisterial districts. The table below lists the county’s principal places; entries marked CDP are Census Bureau statistical areas with no municipal government, and Unincorp. marks a crossroads or rural community with no formal boundary.

Two names on older lists are the same place spelled differently: Sandy River and the older “Sandy Level” both refer to communities in the county’s southwest, near the Halifax County line, and are kept as separate entries above only where sources distinguish them by ZIP.

ZIP Codes

• 24531 — Chatham (county seat)
• 24557 — Gretna
• 24563 — Hurt
• 24586 — Ringgold
• 24549 — Dry Fork
• 24527 — Blairs
• 24069 — Cascade
• 24594 — Sutherlin
• 24565 — Java
• 24566 — Keeling
• 24530 — Callands
• 24139 — Pittsville

Most of the county’s smaller crossroads communities — Whitmell, Climax, Coles Hill, Museville and dozens of others — share a Chatham, Gretna or Hurt ZIP rather than carrying their own.

Geography

Pittsylvania County sits on the rolling Piedmont plateau of south-central Virginia, its land drained toward the south and east by the Banister, Dan and Sandy Rivers. Terrain rises from broad river bottoms near the Dan into wooded ridges toward the Blue Ridge foothills in the county’s northwest corner. At 969 square miles of land, it is the largest county in Virginia by land area, and its farmland and forest cover have historically supported tobacco, cattle and timber operations.

Pittsylvania borders Campbell County to the north, Halifax County to the east, the independent city of Danville and Rockingham and Caswell Counties in North Carolina to the south, and Franklin, Henry and Bedford Counties to the west. Franklin County, Henry County and Rockingham County, North Carolina all have their own directory pages here; Caswell County, North Carolina and the city of Danville do not yet.

Demographics

Pittsylvania County had 60,501 residents at the 2020 census, a population density of roughly 62 people per square mile spread across its largely rural land area. Chatham and Gretna are its largest incorporated places, each with just over 1,200 residents; most of the county’s population lives outside any town limit, in the unincorporated communities and rural stretches between them. Median household income in the county runs below the Virginia median of $89,931, reflecting its historically agricultural and manufacturing economic base.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture remains central to Pittsylvania’s economy, with tobacco, cattle and timber the traditional mainstays, alongside a growing poultry and grain sector. The county has drawn manufacturing investment tied to the Danville area’s advanced-materials and industrial base, and its Berry Hill Mega Park near Chatham was developed as a joint economic project with the city of Danville to attract new industry. The Coles Hill property near Chatham holds the largest known undeveloped uranium deposit in the United States, though state law has long barred uranium mining in Virginia. Chatham hosts the Pittsylvania County Fair and county-wide 4-H and agricultural events each year.

History

Pittsylvania County was formed in 1767 from Halifax County and named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, the British statesman who had opposed several of Parliament’s colonial tax measures. Chatham, the county seat, takes its own name from the same source. The county’s economy was built on tobacco cultivation from its earliest colonial decades through the 20th century, and its courthouse town of Chatham grew as a regional tobacco market and auction center. In more recent decades the county has worked to diversify beyond tobacco into general manufacturing and logistics, partly through joint development efforts with the neighboring city of Danville.

Getting There

US Routes 29, 58 and 360 cross the county, along with US 311 and several state routes, linking Chatham to Danville, Lynchburg and the North Carolina Piedmont.

• Danville — 12 miles south
• Lynchburg — 30 miles north
• Martinsville — 35 miles west
• Greensboro, NC — 45 miles south

The nearest commercial airport is Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina; Lynchburg Regional Airport is closer for some northern parts of the county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Pittsylvania County?
It is in south-central Virginia, bordering North Carolina, between Danville and Lynchburg.

What is the population of Pittsylvania County?
60,501 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Pittsylvania County?
978 square miles (2,533 km2) total, 969 square miles of it land — the largest county in Virginia by land area.

What is the county seat of Pittsylvania County?
Chatham is the county seat.

How many towns are in Pittsylvania County?
Three incorporated towns — Chatham, Gretna and Hurt — plus census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Pittsylvania County?
Chatham uses 24531; other ZIPs include 24557 (Gretna), 24563 (Hurt), 24586 (Ringgold) and 24549 (Dry Fork), among others.

Why is it called Pittsylvania?
It was named in 1767 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, the British statesman.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Virginia.