Carroll County, Virginia

Carroll County, Virginia
Carroll County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1842
Named for	Charles Carroll
Seat	Hillsville
Largest town	Hillsville
Area
• Total	478 sq mi (1,238 km2)
• Land	475 sq mi (1,230 km2)
• Water	3 sq mi (8 km2), 0.6%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	29,724
• Density	62/sq mi (24/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.carrollcountyva.org

Carroll County is a United States county located in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Roughly one fifth of the county lies in the Virginia Piedmont region, while the rest is part of the Appalachian Mountains. The Carroll county seat and largest town is Hillsville.

The county was established in 1842 from part of Grayson County, and was officially named in honor of Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The borders of Carroll County were later expanded by including land from Patrick County.

The total size of the county is 478 square miles (1,238 km2), and, as of the 2010 census, the population was 30,042. Carroll, along with other Appalachian counties, is among the poorest parts of Virginia.

The first European settlers arrived in the region in the mid 18th century. These were primarily Scotch-Irish pioneers, who were used to high mountain altitudes. However, early settlement was slow, mostly due to the poor agricultural soil of the area. As a result, lead mining was one of the first economic activities in the region.

As the area's population density increased, Carroll County was created in 1842 from part of Grayson County. The new county was officially named for Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, from Maryland. However, other accounts assert that John Carroll, a Virginia state legislator, had named the county in his own honor, but was blocked by a political rival who had it officially named for Charles Carroll instead.