St. Charles is a census-designated place and former town in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 72 at the 2020 census, The town was incorporated by the Lee County, Virginia Circuit Court on January 10, 1914. The community was named for Charles Bondurant, a coal mining official.
Historically, the town served about ten nearby coal mines, however as of 2025 only one remained open at Bonny Blue, and all the town's stores and bars had closed.
Disincorporation
In 2022, the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill to terminate the town's charter, citing that nobody had run for town office in the past two elections.
Geography
St. Charles is located in northern Lee County at (36.803858, −83.057208). The town straddles a narrow hollow along Straight Creek (part of the Powell River watershed), just east of the Kentucky–Virginia state line. It is surrounded on all sides by rugged hills, including Lone Mountain to the northeast, and Little Black Mountain to the northwest. State Route 352 connects St. Charles to U.S. Route 421 near Pennington Gap to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
The United States Census Bureau redesignated St. Charles as a census designated place in 2023.
As of the census