Wise

Formed January 1, 1856 (97^th county)

Wise County (36,118), Wise (2,983), Big Stone Gap (5,251)

The traditional tan brick Renaissance Revival and Italianate courthouse was built in 1896.  It is located on Main Street at Spring Avenue.  Main Street is Virginia State Highway 23 in this part of the town.  Frank Pierce Milburn is the building designer.  The building was enlarged in 1920 and 1980.  It has towers and a working clock.  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.  The county was formed on January 1, 1856 from parts of Lee, Scott, and Russell counties as the 97^th county and Wise has always been the county seat.  Wise County and its county seat are named for Governor Henry A. Wise.  Wise County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, A. Linwood Holton, Jr. 

Wise County government consists of a sheriff and 8 Supervisors.  Three Circuit Court Judges and Four District Court Judges serve Wise, Lee, and Scott counties and Norton City and Fifty-three Magistrate Court Judges serve Wise, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, and Wythe counties and Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford cities.  The county is located on the western border with Kentucky.  Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Charleston, West Virginia is north of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles Northwest of Wise nearer Addington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Dickenson, Russell, Scott, and Lee counties and Kentucky. 

The area of the county is 403 square miles.  It is 44 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 49 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 89.6 persons per square mile making it 73 out of 133 in the state.  Wise County has 35.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 23 enters the county from the north, Kentucky, and exits to the southwest, Lee County.  United States Highway 58 Alternate comes from the east, Russell County, and goes to the southwest, Lee County.  The county shape resembles a dog head pointing east.  The City of Wise is located east and south of the center of the county.  Big Stone Gap is on the southwest border of the county.  Wise is the county seat and Big Stone Gap is the largest city.  Wise is 8.3% of the county population while Big Stone Gap is 14.5% of the county population.