Rockbridge County
| Rockbridge County, Virginia | ||
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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 | 1777 | |
| Named for | Natural Bridge | |
| Seat | Lexington | |
| Largest town | Lexington | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 601 sq mi (1,557 km2) | |
| • Land | 598 sq mi (1,549 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.4 sq mi (9 km2), 0.6% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 22,354 | |
| • Density | 37/sq mi (14/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 6th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Rockbridge County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,307. Its county seat is Lexington. The independent cities of Buena Vista (6,680) and Lexington (7,170) are both enclaved within the county's geographical borders.
Rockbridge County was established in October, 1777 from parts of now neighboring Augusta and Botetourt counties, and the first county elections were held in May 1778. Rockbridge County was named for Natural Bridge, a notable landmark in the southern portion of the county. Rockbridge County was formed during an act of assembly intended to reduce the amount of travel to the nearest courthouse, and to ensure trials were held fairly, and among friends rather than strangers. The first court session in Rockbridge County was held at the home of Samuel Wallace on April 7, 1778. Slaves were far fewer in Rockbridge County than in many parts of Virginia, and, thus, the anti-slavery movement was stronger in Rockbridge than in many other counties of Virginia. For instance, several faculty at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) vigorously opposed slavery. However, many of the wealthiest residents of Rockbridge County owned slaves and passed down those slaves to their widows and children.
Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper near Steele's Tavern at the northern end of the county.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 601 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 598 square miles (1,550 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.6%) is water.
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