Wise County, Virginia

Wise County is a located in the  &mdash; officially, "" &mdash; of. In 1856, the county was formed from land taken from, , and Counties. It was named after, who was the at the time. As of 2000, the population was 40,123. Its is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,050 (405 ). 1,046 km² (404 mi²) of it is land and 3 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.29%) is water. The county is part of the Appalachians and has many mountainous features, including the peak of  and.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 40,123 people, 16,013 households, and 11,513 families residing in the county. The was 38/km² (99/mi²). There were 17,792 housing units at an average density of 17/km² (44/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.88%, 1.78% or , 0.16% , 0.30% , 0.01% , 0.26% from , and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 16,013 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,149, and the median income for a family was $32,898. Males had a median income of $28,983 versus $21,029 for females. The for the county was $14,271. About 16.10% of families and 20.00% of the population were below the, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns
The of, which lies within the confines of Wise County, is not a part of the county.

Public schools
operates seventeen school facilities in the county for over 7,000 students. 

Private schools
Wise County Christian School operates as a private school in the county. 

Periodicals

 * The  is a weekly newspaper serving and  and the surrounding areas.
 * The Coalfield Progress is a biweekly newspaper covering news through the county.
 * The Post is a weekly newspaper serving and the surrounding areas.

Natural and Outdoor Recreation
A large portion of the is contained within Wise County, and the  winds through the county. These two factors, combined with Wise County's location in the, mean that Wise County offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

In addition to many trails connecting to and surrounding the system, Wise county is home to many parks, including Miners' Park in Big Stone Gap and the Louis E. Henegar Miners' Memorial Park in Appalachia.

Among the unique features of Wise County are, a mountain with one of the last remaining Appalachian Fire Towers, and , an Applachian Wetland and part fo the Clinch River Watershed.

Theater and the Arts

 * Outdoor Drama is performed in throughout the summer.  It is the Commonwealth of Virginia's official outdoor drama.
 * The Pro-Art Association offers a variety of theatrical, musical, and fine-arts events throughout the school year. It is headquartered in.
 * The Wise County Summer Academy of Art, sponsored by Wise County Public Schools and funded in part by the Virginia Commission of Arts, provides fine arts programming for children throughout the summer months, including large scale productions and touring performance opportunities.
 * The Appalachian Children's Theater (ACT) promotes performing arts and fine arts education for children in, Eastern Kentucky, and Northeast Tennessee. In 2006, the organization opened it's newly renovated facility in Downtown.
 * The Charles W. Harris Art Gallery is located on the site of the Wise County Public Library in.

Festivals and Fairs

 * takes place in each spring.
 * The is held each summer in Wise.
 * The is an annual event held in Downtown.
 * holds its annual over the  weekend in September.

Historical

 * Lookout Tower
 * Lookout Tower
 * Lookout Tower

Sports

 * Lonesome Pine Raceway