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Nelson County Real Estate

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Residential Listings

LAND LISTINGS

 

About nelson County

History

Nelson County was formed in 1807 from Amherst County, and named in honor of Thomas Nelson, Jr., third governor of Virginia. Originally English colonists established the home of the Monocan tribe of Native Americans, a settlement along the James River in the early 1700's. Another stream of settlers, of Scotch-Irish and German descent, came into the western sections of the county from the Shenandoah Valley. By the end of the 1800's, Nelson's agricultural products included tobacco, apples and chestnut trees; the produce and lumber were carried to market by canal and railroad.

During the 1930's Earl Hamner, Jr. began writing of his experiences growing up in Nelson County during the Depression. Those writings eventually provided the substance for the The Waltons TV series. In 1969, Hurricane Camille caused a flood, devastating Nelson County. Since Camille, Nelson County has slowly recovered its land, its infrastructure and the will to grow and prosper again. Events that have aided in this recovery include: the 1972 development of Wintergreen Resort, the restoration in progress at Oak Ridge Estate, development of Walton's Mountain Museum, the resurgence of the apple industry, the maturation of vineyards and winery industry, and the steady growth in Nelson County's tourism industry.

Location

Nelson County is located in the central part of Virginia midway between the metropolitan areas of Charlottesville and Lynchburg. The county has a total area of 471 square miles. It is bordered on the east by the James River and on the west by the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A large portion of the western section of the county is in the George Washington National Forest. Elevation range from about 500 feet above sea level near the James River to as high as 4,000 feet in the Blue Ridge. Our climate is moderately warm in the summers, with temperatures averaging about 77 degrees in July. Winters are moderately cool, with temperatures in January averaging about 38 degrees. Average annual precipitation is about 42 inches. 

The county is almost in the geographic center of Virginia and by car, is about two hours from Richmond, three hours from Washington, D.C. and four hours from Charlotte, North Carolina. Recreation Recreational assets in Nelson include hiking along the Appalachian Trail or to the top of Crabtree Falls (the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River) and excellent canoeing or fishing on the James or Tye Rivers.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 12/km (31/mi). There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 7/km (18/mi). The racial makeup of the county was 82.65% White, 14.89% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,887 households out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 29.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,769, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $29,684 versus $24,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,230. 12.10% of the population and 8.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.40% are under the age of 18 and 14.60% are 65 or older.