Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia on the West Virginia state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,787. Its county seat is Pearisburg.
Giles County is included in the Blacksburg–Christiansburg metropolitan area.
Giles County is the location of Mountain Lake, one of only two natural fresh water lakes in Virginia. The lake drains into Little Stony Creek, which passes over a waterfall known as The Cascades before reaching the New River.
History
thumb|[[William Branch Giles, for whom the county was named]]
Giles County was established in 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe, Wythe, and Tazewell counties. The county is named for William Branch Giles who was born in Amelia County in 1762. Giles became a lawyer and from there was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served from 1790 to 1815. He also served in the Virginia General Assembly from 1816 to 1822. In 1827, he was elected Governor. In all, he served his nation and state around a total of forty years.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. Giles County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
It is the site of two of the highest mountain peaks of Virginia.
Adjacent counties
- Summers County, West Virginia – north
- Monroe County, West Virginia – north
- Craig County – east
- Montgomery County – southeast
- Pulaski County – south
- Bland County – west
- Mercer County, West Virginia – northwest
National protected area
- Jefferson National Forest (part)
Major highways
- (disconnected; one piece comes in from Bland County to VA 100 while the other goes from U.S. 460 into Craig County)
Railroads
- Norfolk Southern (Virginia Division)