Dickenson

Formed January 1, 1880 (103^rd county)

Dickenson County (14,129), Clintwood (1,382)

The red brick Colonial Revival facility was erected 1915 and enlarged in 1950 and 1972.  The courthouse is on Main Street at McGuire Avenue.  Main Street is Virginia State Highway 83 Business at this location.  H. M. Miller is the building designer.  The courthouse features a tower with a working clock and columns.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was founded on January 1, 1880 from parts of Buchanan, Russell and Wise counties as the 103^rd county with Clintwood as the county seat.  There were 1881 and 1894 courthouses previously.  Dickenson County is named for Virginia Legislator William J. Dickenson.  The county seat was named for Senator Henry Clinton Wood. 

Dickenson County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Four Circuit Court Judges and Four District Court Judges serve Dickenson, Buchanan, Russell, and Tazewell counties and Fifty-three Magistrate Court Judges serve Dickenson, Buchanan, Bland, Carroll, 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 Kentucky.  Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Charleston, West Virginia is northeast of the county.  The county center is 9.1 miles East-Southeast of Clintwood nearer McClure.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Buchanan, Russell, and Wise counties and Kentucky. 

The area of the county is 333 square miles.  It is 60 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 102 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 42.4 persons per square mile making it 106 out of 133 in the state.  Dickenson County has 15.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 58 Alternate clips the southern tip east to west from Russell County to Wise County.  The county is an overall diamond shape.  Clintwood is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Clintwood is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 9.8% of the county population.