Formed March 30, 1861 (100th county)
Bland County (6,824), Bland* (409)
The red brick Colonial Revival courthouse, on Main Street between Fairground Street and Courthouse Street, was built in 1889. United States Highway 52 is two blocks north of the site. John I. Corder is the architect. The building was enlarged in 1929, 1949, and 2003. It features columns and a tower. Veteran memorials and a Liberty Bell are on the grounds. Many of the Virginia counties have their county seat at a location named after the county followed by the words Court House. Some counties maintain this in their official name. Bland County was organized on March 30, 1861 from Wythe, Tazewell, and Giles counties as the 100th county with Bland as the only county seat. The county and its county seat are named for Virginia politician Richard Bland.
Bland County government consists of a sheriff and 9 Supervisors. Six Circuit Court Judges and Nine District Court Judges serve Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and Galax and Radford cities and Fifty-three Magistrate Court Judges serve Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe counties and Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford cities. The county is on the southwest border with West Virginia. Roanoke, Virginia is east and Charleston, West Virginia is north of the county. The county center is 1.3 miles North of Bland. The county is surrounded clockwise by West Virginia and Giles, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, and Tazewell counties.
The area of the county is 359 square miles. It is 57 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 126 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 19.01 persons per square mile making it 129 out of 133 in the state. Bland County has 0.0% of its population in its incorporated areas since it does not have any incorporated cities. Interstate Highway 77 crosses through the county from north to south from West Virginia to Wythe County. United States Highways 19/460 clip the northwest corner from West Virginia, north, to Tazewell County, west. United States Highway 52 parallels Interstate Highway 77 from West Virginia to Wythe County. The county is a small letter q lying on its face. Bland is located in the southern third of the county. Bland is the county seat and the largest populated area. It is 6.0% of the county population.
