About Wise County

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About Wise County

Historical Notes & References

1768 A treaty was signed by John Stuart, an agent for Indian Affairs for Great Britain and Virginia, and the Cherokee Chiefs occupying what is now Wise County, which opened up southwest Virginia to settlement.
1790 Benjamin Bolling and family, from Wilkes County, North Carolina settled in what is now known as the Flat Gap area of Wise County.
1856 Wise County is formed from lands taken from Lee, Scott and Russell Counties.
1896 Virginia Coal & Iron Company organizes the first interstate railroad to reach Wise County.

A Brief History of Wise, Virginia
by Edward L. "Buck" Henson

 2005 

WISE

COUNTY PROFILE

Total County Population:

2002:

41,710
2000:

40,123
1990:

39,573
1980:

43,863
1970:

35,947

County Population Projections:

2010 46,316

Incorporated Towns:

Appalachia: 1,839
Big Stone Gap: 4,856
Coeburn: 1,996
Pound: 1,089
St. Paul: 1,000
Wise: 3,255


Population Age Breakdown: (2000)

0-17: 9,228
18-24: 4,093
25-44: 11,234
45-64: 9,951
65+: 5,577
Median age: 37.8


Housing Units (2000). . . . . . . . . . . 17,792

County Area (Square Miles). . . . . . . 407.5

2002 Population Density                                
(Per Sq. Mile). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  98

    Population of immediate 
    surrounding counties. . . . . . . . . . 157,571

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Average January Temperature

 32 ºF
Average July Temperature 70 ºF
Average Annual Rainfall 46 "
Average Annual Snowfall 37 "

Wise County is considered to be an attainment area for all national air quality standards.

Current local weather brought to you by...

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   Assessment Ratio  Tax Rate
 Real Estate 100%

0.57
 Machinery & Tools  57%

1.15
 Personal Property 100% 1.49

Utility Taxes

 Electric 20% of first $75.00
 Gas 20% of first $75.00
 Telephone 20% of first $35.00

Local Retail Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1%

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FY 2004 - 2005 Total Budget  
County  
Public Schools  
 
FY 2003 - 2004 Total Budget $102,696,000
County $ 43,693,000
Public Schools $ 59,003,000
 
FY 2004 - 2008 Capital Improvements Budget $ 49,093,000
 
County Employees 259
Part-time 81
Full-time 178

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Blackwood Industrial Park

   Water:  City of Norton
   Sewer:  C-N-W Regional Waste Water Authority
   Gas:     Equitable Resources

Lonesome Pine Regional Business and Technology Park

   Water:  Town of Wise
   Sewer:  Town of Wise 
   Gas:     Equitable Resources

Wise County Industrial Park

   Water:  Wise Co. PSA
    Sewer:  City of Norton
   Oil & Gas:   Glamorgan Natural Gas

 

Serving All Sites:

Electric

   Old Dominion Power Company
   220/440 3 Phase service
   1000Kw@400,000/kwHr/M=$.04234

Telephone

   Verizon Communications, Inc.

Both conventional and fiber-optic cable facilities are available.

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Blackwood Industrial Park 101 acres
Lonesome Pine Business & Technology Park
85,000 sq. ft. Technology Building		 195 acres
Wise County Industrial Park
35,000 sq. ft. Shell Building and
93,800 sq. ft. Manufacturing Building		 62 acres

Wise County has adopted Zoning and Subdivision ordinances and land use plan.

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2002 Enrollment

9 Elementary & Middle (K-7)               4,124
6 High Schools (8-12)               2,550

The Wise County School System is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges and offers programs for gifted students and special education for handicapped students.

Vocational/technical training is offered at the Wise County Career and Technology Center located in the Town of Wise.  A wide variety of course programs are offered including:  welding, sheet-metal work, electronics, carpentry, mechanics, nursing, food services, sewing, cosmetology, as well as, drafting, graphic communications and electronics technology.

Wise County Christian School, located in the Town of Wise, offers K-12 classes. 

Higher Education

The University of Virginia's College at Wise is a four year liberal arts college. UVa-Wise offers baccalaureate degrees in 24 liberal arts and professional programs of study. 

Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, offers two-year degree programs in technical and occupational subjects, and the first two years of college level subjects in the arts and sciences. Day and evening classes are available on and off campus.

Both colleges contract with new and existing industry to train employees and have personnel on staff to work with business and industry.

Also conveniently located near Wise County:

Southwest VA CC / Richlands, VA
Virginia Highlands CC / Abingdon, VA
Virginia Intermont College / Bristol, VA
King College / Bristol, TN
Emory & Henry College / Emory, VA
Pikeville College, Pikeville, KY
Northeast State Tech CC / Blountville, TN
East TN State University / Johnson City, TN
Milligan College / Elizabethton, TN
Tusculum College / Greenville, TN
Radford University / Radford, VA
Virginia Polytechnic Institute / Blacksburg, VA


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Health Care   
Residents have access to 316 beds in three hospitals within the county. There are 9 community clinics, 65 doctors, and 17 dentists serving the area.

Hotels/Meeting Rooms  
 There are nine hotels and motels located in the county.  The Holiday Inn in Norton has 121 rooms and offers extensive meeting and dining facilities.

Libraries
The Lonesome Pine Regional Library has four branches with over 446,000 volumes.  Residents also have access to libraries at Mountain Empire Community College and the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

Recreation/Culture
Outdoor recreational opportunities abound at the Jefferson National Forest, High Knob Recreation Area, the Breaks Interstate Park and Natural Tunnel State Park.

The Lonesome Pine Country Club offers an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and clubhouse to members.

Organized community recreational programs are available year round for the entire family.

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine - the longest running outdoor drama in the southeast & the "Official Outdoor Drama of Virginia," plays in Big Stone Gap.

The Wise County Fairgrounds host the VA-KY District Fair, the Doc Boggs Music Festival, horse and craft shows.

Religion
There are 97 churches representing most major denominations.

Shopping
Each community has a variety of specialty shops and locally owned businesses. The Town of Wise & the City of Norton serve as the shopping center of the area with several national chain stores.

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EMS
Six stations with 130 volunteer rescue personnel

Fire
Seven stations with  185  volunteer personnel

Sheriff's Office
45 deputies assigned to law enforcement and patrol
20 assigned to corrections
10 dispatchers

9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch
Dispatch receives over 39,650 calls for service each year from law enforcement and emergency service agencies throughout the county

Jail  
The Wise County Sheriff's Office Jail houses over 60 inmates. Staff oversees the R.A.I.D. Program and Inmate Work Release. The Jail also houses a new state of the art Live Fingerprint Imaging System.

Programs and Services
Crime Prevention Unit
Domestic Violence Cellular Phone Program
Domestic Violence Unit
Auxiliary Unit
Neighborhood Watch
Business Watch
Community Policing
Wise County TRIAD
R.A.I.D.
Safety Pup
Class Action
K-9 Unit
Explorer Post #680
Good Morning Wise County
Sheriff's Response Team
School Resource Officers
Dead Beat Dad Program

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Highways
Wise County is served by US 23 and 58 and by State Routes 68, 72, 74, 78, and 160.

Proximity to Interstate Highways
     I-81 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Miles
     I-75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Miles
     I-77 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Miles
     I-64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Miles

Air
Commercial Air Service
Tri-City Regional Airport, in Blountville, Tennessee, is approximately 70 miles from Wise County. Airline service is available through US Air, American Airlines, ComAir (Delta Connection), and Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA).

General Aviation Service
Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise, Virginia, is equipped with a 5,400 ft. runway, medium intensity lighting with VASI-beacon lights, radar coverage from Indianapolis Air Traffic Control, and offers instrument approaches for inclement weather.

Elevation: 2685 feet
36°59'15"N Latitude
82°31'49"W Longitude
Nearest City: Wise, VA
Nearest County: Wise, VA
Sectional Chart: Cincinnati
Navaids, Frequencies, etc.:
     AirNav LNP
Notes: Left Hand

Railroads
CSX Transportation
Norfolk Southern Railway

Trucking
Approximately thirty motor freight companies serve the Wise County area. Sample list includes Overnite, Estes Express, Carolina Freight, and Yellow Freight. Overnight services are provided by UPS and Federal Express.

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Labor Force (November 2004):

County Civilian Labor Force. . . . .15,686

Unemployment Rate. . . . . . . . . . .4.3%

Labor Force of Contiguous 
Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83,062

Employment by Industry 
(Second Quarter 2004):

Agriculture: 34
Mining: 2,141
Construction: 570
Manufacturing: 329
Transportation, Public Utilities: 477
Trade: 2,316
Fin., Ins., Real Estate: 337
Services: 4,020
Government: 4,047

Total:
14,544

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Employees
Mullican Flooring 240
Sykes Enterprises 450
TeleMed 65
Verizon Virginia 61

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