Nelson County, Virginia
| Nelson County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
|
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 Location in the U.S. state of Virginia |
|
 Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1807 |
| Named for | Thomas Nelson, Jr. |
| Seat | Lovingston |
| Largest community | Nellysford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 474 sq mi (1,228 km2) |
| • Land | 471 sq mi (1,220 km2) |
| • Water | 3.5 sq mi (9 km2), 0.7% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 14,785 |
| • Density | 31/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Nelson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,020. Its county seat is Lovingston.
Nelson County is part of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Nelson County is home to Wintergreen Resort, a local ski area; Swannanoa mansion and is the location of Walton's Mountain made famous by the television show, The Waltons. Nelson County is also home to ten wineries, five craft breweries, two cideries, two distilleries, many fruit orchards and Crabtree Falls.
At the time the English began settling Virginia in the 1600s, the inhabitants of what is now Nelson County were a Siouan-speaking tribe called the Nahyssan. They were probably connected to the Manahoac.
Nelson County was created in 1807 from Amherst County. The government was formed the following year. The county is named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, who served as Governor of Virginia in 1781. An earlier Virginia county, also named in his honor, became part of Kentucky when it separated from Virginia in 1792.
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Wikipedia