Russell County is a county in Virginia, United States, in the Clinch Valley of the Appalachian coalfield region. It had a population of 25,781 at the 2020 census and covers 477 square miles (1,240 km2) — 474 square miles (1,230 km2) of land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) of water — centred near 36°56′N 82°06′W.
Lebanon is the county seat, and its postal code is 24266. The county has four incorporated towns (Cleveland, Honaker, Lebanon and St. Paul, the last shared with neighboring Wise County), three census-designated places (Castlewood, Dante and Raven), and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities. Russell County sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 51167.
Towns & Villages in Russell County
Russell County has roughly 80 named places on record, from its four incorporated towns down to crossroads communities of a few dozen residents. Reliable 2020 census population figures are not available for most unincorporated places, so those cells are marked with a dash below rather than guessed.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Town · seat | — | 24266 |
| Honaker | Town | — | 24260 |
| Cleveland | Town | — | 24225 |
| St. Paul | Town (shared with Wise County) | — | 24283 |
| Castlewood | CDP | — | 24224 |
| Dante | CDP (shared with Dickenson County) | — | 24237 |
| Raven | CDP (mostly in Tazewell County) | — | 24639 |
| Rosedale | Unincorp. | — | 24280 |
| Swords Creek | Unincorp. | — | 24649 |
| Carbo | Unincorp. | — | 24230 |
| Elk Garden | Unincorp. | — | 24637 |
| Artrip | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Banners Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Belfast | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Belfast Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bickley Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blackford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bolton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boody | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Candler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carterton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Church Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clifton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clinchfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Collinwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Corn Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coulwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Counts | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Creswell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Daw | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dickenson Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dickensonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dorado | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dye | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flatrock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flatwoods | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fugates Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fuller Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fullers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gardner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grassy Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gravel Lick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hamlin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hansonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hawkins Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hazel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hickory Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hubbard Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jacksons Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jahile | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jessees Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| John | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Laurel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lynn Spring | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mew | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morefield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nash Ford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parsonage | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Point Truth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pondtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Purcell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Putnam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rasnake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Repass | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockdell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Russell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slabtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smithfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Clinchfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spring City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stone Bruise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sun | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunny Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tarkiln | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Temple Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| The Cross Roads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tumbez | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Raven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Willis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Willow Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
St. Paul straddles the Russell–Wise county line, with most of the town on the Wise County side; Dante straddles the Russell–Dickenson line; Raven is mostly in neighboring Tazewell County, with only its western edge in Russell.
ZIP Codes
- 24266 — Lebanon (county seat)
- 24260 — Honaker
- 24225 — Cleveland
- 24283 — St. Paul
- 24224 — Castlewood
- 24237 — Dante
- 24280 — Rosedale
- 24649 — Swords Creek
- 24230 — Carbo
- 24637 — Elk Garden
- 24639 — Raven
Most of the county’s smaller crossroads communities use the ZIP code of their nearest post office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Russell County lies in the Ridge-and-Valley section of the Appalachians, drained by the Clinch River, which crosses the county from northeast to southwest through Lebanon and Castlewood. The Copper Creek and Cedar Creek watersheds also cut through the county. Beartown Mountain, in the Channels area of Clinch Mountain, is Virginia’s fourth-highest point. Russell County borders Buchanan County to the north, Tazewell County to the east, Smyth County to the southeast, Washington County to the south, Scott County to the southwest, Wise County to the west, and Dickenson County to the northwest.
Demographics
Russell County had a population of 25,781 at the 2020 census, a density of about 54.4 people per square mile. Lebanon and Honaker are the county’s largest incorporated towns. Household income in the county runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931 — Russell is one of the state’s poorer counties, reflecting the long decline of coal employment in the region.
Economy & Local Life
Coal mining shaped Russell County’s economy for more than a century and remains active in the Clinchfield and Dante areas, though employment has fallen sharply since the 1980s. Healthcare, education and county government are now the largest employers, centered on Lebanon; Southwest Virginia Community College sits just across the line in Tazewell County and draws students from Russell. Agriculture, particularly cattle farming, continues in the Clinch and Copper Creek valleys.
History
Russell County was formed on January 2, 1786, from Washington County, and was named for Colonel William Russell of Culpeper County, a Revolutionary War officer and early settler of southwest Virginia. Coal was discovered in the county’s western reaches in the late 19th century, and railroads built to haul it — including the line through Dante — turned isolated mountain hollows into company mining towns almost overnight. Several of those company towns, including Dante and Clinchfield, declined sharply once large-scale mining wound down in the late 20th century.
Getting There
US Route 19 runs north–south through the county and US Route 58 Alternate runs east–west through Lebanon, along with State Routes 63, 65, 67, 71, 80 and 82 connecting the smaller communities.
- Abingdon — 25 miles southeast
- Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee — 40 miles southeast
- Tazewell — 20 miles northeast
- Big Stone Gap — 35 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Tri-Cities Airport near Bristol/Blountville, Tennessee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Russell County, Virginia?
Russell County is in the far southwestern part of the state, in the Clinch Valley of the Appalachian coalfield region, bordering Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson, Wise, Scott, Washington and Smyth counties.
What is the population of Russell County?
Russell County had a population of 25,781 at the 2020 census.
How big is Russell County?
The county covers 477 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 474 square miles is land and 2.9 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Russell County?
Lebanon is the county seat.
How many towns are in Russell County?
Russell County has four incorporated towns — Cleveland, Honaker, Lebanon and St. Paul — plus three census-designated places and dozens of unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Russell County?
Major ZIP codes include 24266 (Lebanon), 24260 (Honaker), 24225 (Cleveland), 24283 (St. Paul), 24224 (Castlewood) and 24237 (Dante).
What is Russell County known for?
Russell County is known for Beartown Mountain, Virginia’s fourth-highest peak, and for its 19th- and 20th-century coal-mining towns along the Clinch River and Dante line.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Virginia.