Bedford County, Virginia
| Bedford County, Virginia | ||
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Bedford County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Virginia |
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 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1754 | |
| Named for | John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford | |
| Seat | Bedford | |
| Largest town | Bedford | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 769 sq mi (1,992 km2) | |
| • Land | 753 sq mi (1,950 km2) | |
| • Water | 16 sq mi (41 km2), 2.1% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 77,724 | |
| • Density | 101/sq mi (39/km²) | |
| Congressional districts | 5th, 6th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Bedford County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Bedford, which was an independent city from 1968 until rejoining the county in 2013.
Bedford County was created in 1753 from parts of Lunenburg County, and several changes in alignment were made until the present borders were established in 1786. The county was named in honor of John Russell, an English statesman and fourth Duke of Bedford.
Bedford County is part of the Lynchburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, Bedford's population was 68,676. The county population has nearly doubled since 1980.
The Piedmont area had long been inhabited by indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, mostly Siouan-speaking tribes lived in this area.
Bedford County was established by European Americans on December 13, 1753 from parts of Lunenburg County. Later in 1756, a portion of Albemarle County lying south of the James River was added. The county is named for John Russell, the fourth Duke of Bedford, who was a Secretary of State of Great Britain. In 1782, Campbell County was formed from eastern Bedford County and the county seat was moved from New London to Liberty (now Bedford). Also in 1786, the portion of Bedford County south of the Staunton (Roanoke) River was taken with part of Henry County to form Franklin County.
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