Big Stone Gap, Virginia
| Town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia | ||
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| Town | ||
Central Big Stone Gap. Little Stone Mountain is visible in the background.
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 Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia |
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| Coordinates: 36°52′54″N 82°44′50″W / 36.88167°N 82.74722°WCoordinates: 36°52′54″N 82°44′50″W / 36.88167°N 82.74722°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Virginia | |
| County | Wise | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Leonard Rogers | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2) | |
| • Land | 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | |
| Elevation | 1,535 ft (468 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 5,643 | |
| • Density | 996/sq mi (384.5/km2) | |
| U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Population Estimates | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 24219 | |
| Area code(s) | 276 | |
| FIPS code | 51-07480 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1496805 | |
| Website | Official website | |
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
The community was formerly known as "Mineral City" and "Three Forks." The "Big Stone Gap" refers to the valley which has been created on the Appalachia Straight, located between Big Stone Gap and Appalachia. The town had hoped that its coal and iron ore deposits would make it "the Pittsburgh of the South."
The Big Stone Gap post office was established in 1856.
The Christ Episcopal Church, John Fox, Jr. House, Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, Terrace Park Girl Scout Cabin, June Tolliver House, and C. Bascom Slemp Federal Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Big Stone Gap is home to several museums. The June Tolliver House, located on Jerome Street, is home to the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the official outdoor drama of Virginia.
The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is located in the downtown area. Big Stone Gap also hosts the Coal Museum.
The federal building named for C. Bascom Slemp was built in 1912 and it continues to house a division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
Big Stone Gap is home to Wallens Ridge State Prison, a state prison that has been a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Corrections since 1999. Originally opened as a supermax prison, it has recently been downgraded to a "high level" security facility. Construction and maintenance of the facility generated millions of dollars for the local economy, suppressed from a sagging history of coal mining.
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