Scott

Formed November 24, 1814 (79^th county)

Scott County (21,568), Gate City (2,045)                

The Colonial Revival courthouse was built in 1829 and remodeled in 1920 and 1968.  It was enlarged in 1890 and 1968.  It is located at the intersection on Jackson Street at Manville Avenue.  Jackson Street is Virginia State Highway 71 in this part of the town.  James Toncray provided the red brick building designs.  The courthouse features a tower and columns.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1817 courthouse previously in Gate City, the only county seat.  The county was created on November 24, 1814 as the 79^th county.  The county is named for Revolutionary War General Winfield Scott.  Gate City is a geographical term for its location in the coalfields. 

Scott County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Supervisors.  Three Circuit Court Judges and Four District Court Judges serve Scott, Lee, and Wise counties and Norton City and Fifty-three Magistrate Court Judges serve Scott, Lee, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe counties and Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford cities.  The county is located on the southwest border with Tennessee.  Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Charleston, West Virginia is northwest of the county.  The county center is 6.2 miles North-Northwest of Gate City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wise, Russell, and Washington counties and Tennessee and Lee County. 

The area of the county is 537 square miles.  It is 16 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 79 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 40.2 persons per square mile making it 111 out of 133 in the state.  Scott County has 18.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 23 enters the county from the northwest, Lee County, and exits to the south, Tennessee.  United States Highways 58/421 cross east to west from Washington County to Lee County.  The county resembles a snow sled.  Gate City is located near the southern border of the county.  Gate City is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 9.5% of the county population.  This county is in the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area.