Giles County is a county in Virginia, United States, along the state line with West Virginia in the New River Valley. It had a population of 16,787 at the 2020 census and covers 360 square miles (932 km2) centred near 37°19′N 80°42′W.<\/p>\n
Pearisburg is the county seat, and its postal code is 24134. The county has four incorporated towns, about two dozen unincorporated communities, no civil townships — Virginia counties do not use the township system — the Eastern time zone, and FIPS code 51071.<\/p>\n
Giles County has four incorporated towns — Narrows, Pearisburg, Pembroke, and Rich Creek — plus roughly thirty unincorporated communities and hamlets scattered through the New River Valley and its side hollows. Glen Lyn was an incorporated town until it voted to dissolve its charter in 2024; it is listed below as an unincorporated community.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearisburg<\/td>\n | Town · seat<\/td>\n | 2,909<\/td>\n | 24134<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Narrows<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24124<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pembroke<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24136<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rich Creek<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24147<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Glen Lyn<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24093<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Newport<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24128<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ripplemead<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24150<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Staffordsville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24167<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Eggleston<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24086<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bane<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bear Spring<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Berton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bluff City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24134<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Boxley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| First Ford<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| French<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Goldbond<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hoges Chapel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kimballton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kire<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Klotz<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lurich<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maybrook<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Midway<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mountain Lake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mountain View<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Norcross<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| North Pearisburg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 24134<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Olean<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Penvir<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Phlegar<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Poplar Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Prospectdale<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ronk<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Shumate<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Springdale<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Thessalia<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Trigg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| White Pine Lodge<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Bluff City is a name to know rather than a separate place: it was an early New River ferry settlement founded by landowner George Pearis and has long since been absorbed into present-day Pearisburg, which grew up around it after the county was organised. North Pearisburg is likewise a residential extension of the county seat and shares its 24134 ZIP.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe county’s smaller hollows and crossroads communities — places such as Bane, Kimballton, Klotz, and Trigg — do not have a standalone ZIP and are served by the nearest post office town listed above.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nGiles County sits in the New River Valley, where the New River cuts a gorge north through a series of Appalachian ridges — East River Mountain, Peters Mountain, and Salt Pond Mountain — on its way into West Virginia. Salt Pond Mountain holds Mountain Lake, one of only two natural freshwater lakes in Virginia; its outflow runs to the New River via Little Stony Creek and a waterfall known as The Cascades. The county’s terrain is almost entirely rural and mountainous, and much of its southern and eastern edge lies within Jefferson National Forest; the Appalachian Trail crosses the county and passes the western edge of Pearisburg.<\/p>\n Giles County borders Craig County<\/a> to the east, Montgomery County<\/a> to the southeast, Pulaski County<\/a> to the south, and Bland County<\/a> to the west, all in Virginia. Across the state line it borders Monroe County<\/a> to the north, Mercer County<\/a> to the northwest, and Summers County<\/a> to the north, both in West Virginia.<\/p>\n Giles County had 16,787 residents at the 2020 census, spread across 356 square miles of land for a density of about 47 people per square mile. Pearisburg, with 2,909 residents, is the county’s largest community; Narrows, its second incorporated town, is the next largest but its 2020 population figure is not independently verified here. Giles County is a rural, older-skewing county — its median age was 46.0 in 2020 — and its household income runs below the Virginia median of $89,931.<\/p>\n Manufacturing and healthcare anchor the local economy alongside agriculture and forestry. A long-running fiber and chemical plant at Narrows, historically tied to the Hoechst Celanese and now Celanese Corporation lineage, has been one of the county’s largest employers for decades. Tourism is a growing sector: Mountain Lake Lodge, the resort built above the natural lake in the 1930s, drew national attention as the filming location for the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing<\/em> and still hosts visitors drawn to the lake, The Cascades hiking trail, and the Appalachian Trail corridor. Pearisburg’s downtown along the Appalachian Trail also serves through-hikers each spring and summer.<\/p>\n Giles County was formed in 1806 from parts of Montgomery, Monroe, and Tazewell counties and named for William Branch Giles, a Virginia congressman, U.S. senator, and later governor of the state. Pearisburg was established as the county seat two years later, in 1808, on land donated by early landowner George Pearis around the site of his New River ferry crossing. The county’s isolated mountain geography kept it thinly settled through the 19th century, and its economy shifted from subsistence farming toward mining, timber, and, in the 20th century, chemical manufacturing along the New River at Narrows.<\/p>\n US Route 460 crosses the county east–west, connecting Pearisburg to the Blacksburg-Christiansburg area, and US Route 219 runs north into West Virginia. Virginia Routes 42, 61, and 100 connect the county’s smaller communities.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA), about 40 miles east of Pearisburg. There is no Amtrak service in Giles County; Norfolk Southern freight tracks run through the county but do not carry passengers.<\/p>\n Where is Giles County, Virginia?<\/strong> What is the population of Giles County?<\/strong> How big is Giles County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Giles County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Giles County?<\/strong> What ZIP codes are in Giles County?<\/strong> |