Formed January 1, 1767 (52nd county)
Pittsylvania County (60,502), Chatham (1,226), Gretna (1,309)
The Modern red brick courthouse was completed in 1991 to replace the 1853 facility. The courthouse is on Bank Street at Main Street. United States Highway 29 Business is Main Street in the town. An Administration Building was purchased/remodeled to augment the courthouse. The county was formed on January 1, 1767 from Halifax County as the 52nd county. The courthouse designers are the Moseley Group. The county is named for William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. Chatham is also named for him. Peytonsburg (1776), Callande (1776) and Chatham (1777) have all served as the county seat. Pittsylvania County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Claude A. Swanson.
Pittsylvania County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors. Four Circuit Court Judges and Six District Court Judges serve Pittsylvania and Franklin counties and Danville City and Fifty-nine Magistrate Court Judges serve Pittsylvania, Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, Franklin, Henry, Highland, Nelson, Patrick, Roanoke, and Rockbridge counties and Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, and Waynesboro cities. The county is on the southern border with North Carolina. Roanoke, Virginia is northwest and Richmond, Virginia is northeast of the county. The county center is 4.5 miles Southwest of Chatham nearer Dry Fork. The county is surrounded clockwise by Campbell and Halifax counties and North Carolina and the City of Danville and Henry, Franklin, and Bedford counties.
The area of the county is 978 square miles. It is 1 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 31 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 61.9 persons per square mile making it 91 out of 133 in the state. Pittsylvania County has 6.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 29 crosses north to south in the county from Campbell County to North Carolina. United States Highway 58 goes east to west from Halifax County to Henry County. United States Highway 360 is joined with United States Highway 58 from Halifax County and terminates. The county is a leaning tower. Chatham is located near the center of the county. Gretna is in the northern third of the county. Chatham is the county seat and Gretna is the largest city. Chatham is 2.0% of the county population while Gretna is 2.2% of the county population. This county is in the Danville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Chatham
Gretna
Hurt
