Grayson

Formed January 1, 1793 (74^th county)

Grayson County (15,533), Independence (947)                

The brown brick Modern structure was built on a hill in 1978.  A classier courthouse from 1908 preceded this one and an 1850 was before the 1908 building.  The courthouse is on Davis Street at Locust Avenue.  Dabney Cosby provided the designs.  The county was created on January 1, 1793 from Wythe County as the 74^th county.  Greenville was the first county seat until 1850 when Independence took over.  United States Highway 58 is one block south of the facility.  The courthouse was renovated in 2011.  The county was named for Continental Congressman William Grayson.  Independence was named for locating the county seat independent from two competing towns. 

Grayson County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Six Circuit Court Judges and Nine District Court Judges serve Grayson, Bland, Carroll, Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Wythe counties and Galax and Radford cities and Fifty-three Magistrate Court Judges serve Grayson, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe counties and Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford cities.  The county is on the southern border with both Tennessee and North Carolina.  Roanoke, Virginia is northeast and Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest of the county.  The county center is 3.8 miles Northwest of Independence.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wythe and Carroll counties and the City of Galax and North Carolina and Tennessee and Washington and Smyth counties.  The highest point in Virginia, Mount Rogers, is on its northwest border. 

The area of the county is 446 square miles.  It is 40 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 95 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 34.83 persons per square mile making it 116 out of 133 in the state.  Grayson County has 10.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 21 travels north to south through the county from Wythe County to North Carolina.  United States Highway 58 goes east to west from the City of Galax to Washington County.  United States Highway 221 is joined with United States Highway 58 from Galax City, splits and continues south into North Carolina.  The county is shaped like the State of Virginia.  Independence is located near the southern border of the county.  Independence is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 6.1% of the county population.