Tazewell County is a county in Virginia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state, on the West Virginia line. It had a population of 40,429 at the 2020 census and covers 520 square miles (1,300 km2), centred near 37°08′N 81°34′W.
Tazewell is the county seat, and its postal code is 24651. The county has five incorporated towns — Tazewell, Richlands, Cedar Bluff, Pocahontas and Bluefield — plus dozens of unincorporated coal-camp communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone and is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Tazewell County
Tazewell County lists more than 90 named places, split between five incorporated towns and a long roster of unincorporated communities left over from its coal-mining past — company camps, mill sites and rural crossroads that never organized as towns. A handful (Abbs Valley, Amonate, Boissevain and Claypool Hill) are recognized Census-designated places; the rest are marked Unincorp. below.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tazewell | Town · seat | 4,486 | 24651 |
| Richlands | Town | 5,261 | 24641 |
| Cedar Bluff | Town | — | 24609 |
| Pocahontas | Town | — | 24635 |
| Bluefield | Town | — | 24605 |
| Abbs Valley | CDP | — | — |
| Adria | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Afredton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Amonate | CDP | — | 24601 |
| Asberrys | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bailey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bandy | Unincorp. | — | 24602 |
| Benbolt | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Benbow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bernietown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Big Vein | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Birmingham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boissevain | CDP | — | 24606 |
| Burkes Garden | Unincorp. | — | 24608 |
| Burtons Shop | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Busthead | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Camp Tazewell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cliffield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Claypool Hill | CDP | — | — |
| Coaldan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cove Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Criggers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dalton Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doran | Unincorp. | — | 24612 |
| Drytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dunford Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Falls Mills | Unincorp. | — | 24613 |
| Five Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fork Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fourway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frog Level | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gap Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gillespie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glen Burke | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gose Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gratton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hales Bottom | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Harman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hereford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horsepen | Unincorp. | — | 24619 |
| Horsepen Cove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jewell Ridge | Unincorp. | — | 24622 |
| Joe Neets | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Joe Whites | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamberts Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liberty | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Little Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maiden Spring | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maxwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McCall Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Gate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mouth of Laurel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mud Fork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Tazewell | Unincorp. | — | 24630 |
| Osborns Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paintlick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pisgah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pounding Mill | Unincorp. | — | 24637 |
| Premier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pucketts Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Raven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Ash | Unincorp. | — | 24640 |
| River Jack | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockhouse | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rourkes Gap | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint Clair | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sayersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seaboard | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shannandale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shawver Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shraders | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spracher Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Springville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Steeleburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stony Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tabors | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tannersville | Unincorp. | — | 24377 |
| Thompson Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tiptop | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Van Dyke | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wardell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Graham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whites Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wittens Fort | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wittens Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 24651 — Tazewell (also serves the county seat area)
- 24641 — Richlands
- 24609 — Cedar Bluff
- 24635 — Pocahontas
- 24605 — Bluefield
- 24630 — North Tazewell
- 24637 — Pounding Mill
- 24602 — Bandy
- 24606 — Boissevain
- 24613 — Falls Mills
- 24612 — Doran
- 24601 — Amonate
- 24640 — Red Ash
- 24608 — Burkes Garden
- 24619 — Horsepen
- 24622 — Jewell Ridge
- 24377 — Tannersville
Most of the smaller crossroads and former coal camps — Adria, Asberrys, Benbolt, Fourway, Frog Level and dozens of others in the table above — have no post office of their own and are served by whichever of the ZIPs above is nearest.
Geography
Tazewell County lies in the Ridge-and-Valley section of the Appalachians, folded into a series of long parallel ridges and hollows drained by the Clinch River and Bluestone River. Burkes Garden, a horseshoe-shaped mountain valley in the county’s north, is one of the highest and most isolated farming valleys in Virginia. Elevations range from river-bottom land along the Clinch up to the Clinch Mountain and Garden Mountain ridgelines above 4,000 feet.
Tazewell County borders Buchanan County to the north, McDowell County and Mercer County in West Virginia to the northeast and east, Bland County to the southeast, Smyth County to the south, and Russell County to the west.
Demographics
The county had a population of 40,429 at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 78 people per square mile. Richlands (5,261) and Tazewell (4,486) are its two largest communities. Median household income runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931, reflecting the county’s dependence on a shrinking coal sector; the population has also been declining for decades as mining employment has fallen.
Economy & Local Life
Coal mining built Tazewell County and still shapes its economy, though far smaller than in its early-20th-century peak, when the Pocahontas Coalfield made it one of the richest coal-producing counties in the country. Healthcare (Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands), education, and small manufacturing have become larger employers as mining jobs have declined. Southwest Virginia Community College, in Richlands, serves the county and its neighbors. The Historic Crab Orchard Museum near Tazewell preserves the region’s Native American and pioneer history.
History
Tazewell County was formed in 1799 from parts of Russell and Wythe counties and named for Henry Tazewell, a U.S. senator and judge from Virginia. Its early economy was agricultural, centered on the isolated Burkes Garden valley, until the discovery of the Pocahontas Coalfield in the 1880s brought railroads and a wave of coal camps — many of the unincorporated places in the table above, such as Boissevain, Jewell Ridge and Red Ash, began as company towns built around individual mines. Coal production peaked in the early 1900s and has declined steadily since the mid-20th century.
Getting There
U.S. Route 19/460 runs through Richlands and Tazewell as the county’s main highway, connecting to Interstate 77 at Wytheville to the southeast and to Bluefield, West Virginia, to the east. State routes fan out to the smaller communities.
- Bluefield, WV — 15 miles east
- Bristol, VA — 60 miles southwest
- Wytheville — 35 miles southeast
- Roanoke — 100 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Mercer County Airport in Bluefield, West Virginia; Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport offers a wider range of flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tazewell County, Virginia?
It is in the southwestern part of Virginia, on the West Virginia state line, part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
What is the population of Tazewell County?
40,429 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Tazewell County?
520 square miles (1,300 km2).
What is the county seat of Tazewell County?
The town of Tazewell.
How many towns are in Tazewell County?
Five incorporated towns — Tazewell, Richlands, Cedar Bluff, Pocahontas and Bluefield — plus dozens of unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Tazewell County?
Seventeen, led by 24651 (Tazewell), 24641 (Richlands), 24609 (Cedar Bluff), 24635 (Pocahontas) and 24605 (Bluefield).
What is Burkes Garden?
A high, horseshoe-shaped mountain valley in the county’s north, one of Virginia’s most isolated farming communities and a National Historic Landmark district.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Virginia.