Smyth County is a county in Virginia, United States, in the mountainous southwestern corner of the state along the Interstate 81 corridor. It had a population of 29,800 at the 2020 census and covers 452 square miles (1,170 km2) centred near 36°50′N 81°32′W.<\/p>\n
Marion is the county seat and its postal code is 24354. The county has 3 incorporated towns, 6 census-designated places, and more than a dozen smaller unincorporated communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 51173.<\/p>\n
Smyth County’s populated places split into three incorporated towns, six census-designated places (CDPs), and a long list of unincorporated crossroads and rural communities. CDP figures below are from the 2020 census; unincorporated-community figures are not separately tabulated by the Census Bureau and are shown as —.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion<\/td>\n | Town · seat<\/td>\n | 5,847<\/td>\n | 24354<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chilhowie<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 1,798<\/td>\n | 24319<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saltville<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 1,908<\/td>\n | 24370<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sugar Grove<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 630<\/td>\n | 24375<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Atkins<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 1,053<\/td>\n | 24311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Seven Mile Ford<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Allison Gap<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Adwolfe<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McMullin<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Groseclose<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rich Valley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Konnarock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Broadford<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cedar Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chatham Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nebo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| North Holston<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cedar Branch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dry Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ellendale<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Furnace Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Henrytown<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Holston Mill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Horseshoe Bend<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Carmel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quebec<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Riverside<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Roberts Mill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Shady Grove<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Stony Battery<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sulphur Springs Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Saltville sits mostly in Smyth County but extends across the line into neighboring Washington County. Marion, Chilhowie, and Saltville are the only self-governing towns; every other place on the list is an unincorporated community or crossroads with no separate municipal government.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nMost of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities share a ZIP code with the nearest post office town rather than having their own.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nSmyth County lies in the Ridge-and-Valley section of the Appalachians, between the Clinch Mountain range to the north and the Iron Mountain range to the south. The Middle Fork of the Holston River drains the county’s central valley, running past Marion and Chilhowie toward Saltville. The county’s southern edge climbs into the Jefferson National Forest and includes part of Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, home to Virginia’s highest peak.<\/p>\n Smyth County borders Russell County<\/a> to the northwest, Tazewell County<\/a> to the north, Bland County<\/a> to the northeast, Wythe County<\/a> to the east, Grayson County<\/a> to the south, and Washington County<\/a> to the southwest.<\/p>\n Smyth County had 29,800 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 66 people per square mile. Marion and Saltville are the two largest communities, followed closely by Chilhowie. The county’s median household income runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931 — a common pattern for rural southwestern Virginia counties, whose economies rest on manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare rather than the high-wage sectors concentrated around Richmond and Northern Virginia.<\/p>\n Marion anchors the county’s retail and government activity as the seat, while Saltville’s economy has long been tied to mineral extraction — the town takes its name from the salt and brine deposits mined there since the 18th century, later expanding into soda ash and chemical production. Agriculture, particularly cattle farming, remains active in the Rich Valley and Middle Fork corridor. The county is part of the federally designated Appalachian Regional Commission service area, which funds infrastructure and economic-development projects across the region.<\/p>\n Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from parts of Washington and Wythe counties. It is named for Alexander Smyth, a Virginia general in the War of 1812 who also served in the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. Saltville’s brine springs made it a strategic Confederate salt-production site during the Civil War, drawing two Union raids in 1864 aimed at destroying the works.<\/p>\n Interstate 81 runs the length of the county, with US Route 11 paralleling it through Marion and Chilhowie. Virginia Routes 16, 42, and 91 connect the outlying communities.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Tri-Cities Airport near Bristol\/Blountville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n Where is Smyth County?<\/strong> What is the population of Smyth County?<\/strong> How big is Smyth County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Smyth County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Smyth County?<\/strong> |