Washington County, Virginia

Washington County is a county in Virginia, United States, in the far southwestern corner of the state, along Interstate 81 between Bristol and Marion. It had a population of 53,935 at the 2020 census and covers 561 square miles (1,450 km2) of land, centred near 36°43′N 81°58′W.

Abingdon is the county seat, and its postal code is 24210. The county holds four incorporated towns, three census-designated places, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities, spread across seven magisterial districts. It sits in the Eastern time zone and shares a metro identity with the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN–VA Combined Statistical Area, known locally as the Tri-Cities.

Towns & Villages in Washington County

Washington County has four incorporated towns — Abingdon, Damascus, Glade Spring, and Saltville (which straddles the line into neighboring Smyth County) — plus three census-designated places (Emory, Meadowview, Mendota) and a long list of rural crossroads communities and mill hamlets. CDP = census-designated place, an unincorporated community the Census Bureau tracks for statistical purposes; Unincorp. = an unincorporated place with no formal boundary or population count of its own.

Saltville is a special case: its town limits straddle the Washington–Smyth county line, with most of its households and its ZIP code administered from the Smyth County side. Konnarock, on the Whitetop Laurel Creek in the county’s far eastern hills, was a company sawmill town before it became a rural community and Appalachian Trail waypoint.

ZIP Codes

• 24210 — Abingdon (also serves the county courthouse area)
• 24236 — Damascus
• 24340 — Glade Spring
• 24370 — Saltville
• 24327 — Emory (also serves Emory & Henry College)
• 24361 — Meadowview
• 24270 — Mendota
• 24347 — Konnarock

Smaller crossroads communities without their own post office generally share a ZIP with the nearest town listed above.

Geography

Washington County lies in the ridge-and-valley Appalachians of far southwestern Virginia, where parallel forested ridges alternate with limestone valley farmland drained toward the Holston River system. The Middle Fork Holston and South Fork Holston rivers cross the county, and its southeastern edge climbs into the high country of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, shared with Grayson and Smyth counties. The county borders Russell County to the northwest, Smyth County to the northeast, Grayson County to the east, Scott County to the west, and, across the state line, Sullivan County and Johnson County in Tennessee to the south.

Demographics

Washington County had 53,935 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the larger counties by population in far southwestern Virginia. Abingdon, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by Saltville and Glade Spring. Virginia’s statewide 2023 median household income was the Virginia median of $89,931; Washington County’s own figure runs well below that mark, in line with the rest of the rural Tri-Cities region. Population density works out to roughly 96 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

Healthcare, education, and tourism anchor the local economy. Ballad Health’s Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon and Virginia Highlands Community College are among the county’s largest employers, alongside Emory & Henry College (now Emory & Henry University) in Emory. Damascus, dubbed “Trail Town USA,” draws hikers off the Appalachian Trail, the Virginia Creeper Trail, and the Iron Mountain Trail, and the Creeper Trail rail-trail between Abingdon and Whitetop is one of the region’s biggest outdoor-recreation draws. Abingdon’s historic downtown, built around the Barter Theatre, hosts the annual Virginia Highlands Festival each summer.

History

Washington County was formed in 1776 from Fincastle County, and was the first county in the United States named for George Washington, who was then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. That same year, Cherokee leader Dragging Canoe led attacks against frontier settlements in the area during the early Revolutionary War period. Part of the county’s northern territory was later set off in 1856 to help form Smyth County, and the city of Bristol, on the county’s southwestern edge, was incorporated separately in 1890 and is no longer part of the county.

Getting There

Interstate 81 runs the length of the county, crossed by US Routes 11, 19, 58, and 421 and Virginia Routes 75, 80, and 91.

• Bristol — 15 miles southwest
• Marion — 20 miles northeast
• Kingsport, Tennessee — 25 miles southwest
• Johnson City, Tennessee — 30 miles south

Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee, is the nearest commercial airport, roughly a 30-minute drive from Abingdon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Washington County, Virginia?
It sits in the far southwestern corner of Virginia, along Interstate 81 between Bristol and Marion, bordering Tennessee.

What is the population of Washington County?
53,935 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Washington County?
561 square miles (1,450 km2) of land, plus 5 square miles (13 km2) of water.

What is the county seat of Washington County?
Abingdon is the county seat.

How many towns are in Washington County?
Four incorporated towns — Abingdon, Damascus, Glade Spring, and Saltville — plus three census-designated places and more than a dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Washington County?
Main ones include 24210 (Abingdon), 24236 (Damascus), 24340 (Glade Spring), and 24370 (Saltville).

What is Washington County known for?
The Virginia Creeper Trail, the Appalachian Trail through Damascus, Abingdon’s Barter Theatre, and Emory & Henry University.

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