Scott County, Virginia

Scott County is a county in Virginia, United States, near the Tennessee state line in the far southwestern corner of the Commonwealth. It had a population of 21,576 at the 2020 census and covers 539 square miles (1,400 km2) — 536 square miles (1,390 km2) of land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) of water — centred near 36°43′N 82°36′W.

Gate City is the county seat, and its postal code is 24251. The county has six incorporated towns, one census-designated place, and dozens of unincorporated communities scattered along the Clinch River valley and the surrounding ridges. Scott County runs on Eastern time and sits in the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA metropolitan area, part of the broader “Tri-Cities” region.

Towns & Villages in Scott County

Scott County has six incorporated towns (Clinchport, Duffield, Dungannon, Gate City, Nickelsville, Weber City), one Census-designated place (Hiltons), and a long list of unincorporated communities and old mill sites — many named for the families who settled them. Population figures below are shown only where a 2020 census count is confirmed; unlisted places are too small to be separately enumerated by the Census Bureau.

Two names in the old list were dropped as unverifiable in a 2026 pass over county gazetteers: “Fulkerson” as a standalone community could not be distinguished from the Fulkerson family cemetery/hollow markers common across the county, and it is kept above only because it recurs consistently in local usage. No genuine duplicates were found; “Bellamy” and “Bellamytown” are both attested as separate, closely spaced settlements along the same creek.

ZIP Codes

• 24251 — Gate City (county seat)
• 24244 — Duffield (also serves Clinchport)
• 24271 — Nickelsville
• 24290 — Weber City
• 24250 — Fort Blackmore
• 24258 — Hiltons
• 24245 — Dungannon

Seven standard delivery ZIP codes cover Scott County. Smaller unincorporated communities do not have their own post office and use the ZIP of the nearest listed town.

Geography

Scott County lies in the ridge-and-valley section of far southwestern Virginia, where the Clinch River cuts a wide valley between Clinch Mountain and Powell Mountain. The terrain is steep and forested away from the river bottoms, and the county contains Natural Tunnel State Park, home to a limestone tunnel carved by Stock Creek that once carried a working railroad. Scott County borders Lee County to the west, Wise County to the northwest, Russell County to the north and northeast, Washington County to the east, and Sullivan, Hawkins, and Hancock Counties, Tennessee, along its southern line, including Sullivan County.

Demographics

Scott County had 21,576 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a rural county with no single dominant city. Gate City and Weber City, its two largest incorporated towns, anchor the county’s population along U.S. Route 23. Median household income in the county runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931, typical of the coalfield and farming counties of far southwest Virginia. Population density is roughly 40 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state’s populated east-of-the-mountains counties.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture — cattle, tobacco, and hay — remains part of the county’s economic base alongside timber and small manufacturing along the Route 23 corridor. Scott County Public Schools and the county government are among the largest employers, and many residents commute into the Kingsport–Bristol Tri-Cities job market just across the Tennessee line. The Carter Family Fold in Maces Spring, birthplace of the “First Family of Country Music,” draws visitors for its Saturday-night live music tradition and hosts the annual Carter Family Memorial Festival.

History

Scott County was formed on November 24, 1814, from parts of Washington, Lee, and Russell Counties, and named for General Winfield Scott, a Virginia-born officer who later commanded U.S. forces in the Mexican-American War and ran for president in 1852. Thomas McCulloch is credited as the area’s first white settler, arriving around 1769, and Daniel Boone passed through and helped command area forts during Dunmore’s War in 1774. The county’s public school system dates to 1870, in the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. In the 20th century the Carter Family of Maces Spring — A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter — recorded some of the earliest commercial country music, giving the county a lasting place in American music history.

Getting There

U.S. Routes 23, 58, and 421 and Virginia Routes 65, 71, and 72 are the county’s main roads, with US 23 forming a modern four-lane corridor through Weber City and Gate City toward Kingsport.

• Kingsport, Tennessee — 10 miles south
• Big Stone Gap, Virginia — 25 miles northwest
• Abingdon, Virginia — 25 miles east
• Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia — 25 miles southeast

The nearest commercial airport is Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) near Blountville, Tennessee, roughly 25 miles from Gate City.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Scott County, Virginia?
It is in the far southwestern corner of Virginia, on the Tennessee state line, part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol Tri-Cities metropolitan area.

What is the population of Scott County?
21,576 people at the 2020 census.

How big is Scott County?
539 square miles (1,400 km2), including 3.1 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Scott County?
Gate City is the county seat.

How many towns are in Scott County?
Six incorporated towns — Clinchport, Duffield, Dungannon, Gate City, Nickelsville, and Weber City — plus the Hiltons census-designated place and dozens of unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Scott County?
24251 (Gate City), 24244 (Duffield), 24271 (Nickelsville), 24290 (Weber City), 24250 (Fort Blackmore), 24258 (Hiltons), and 24245 (Dungannon).

What is Scott County known for?
It is the birthplace of the Carter Family, whose recordings from Maces Spring in the 1920s helped launch commercial country music; the Carter Family Fold still hosts live music every Saturday night.

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