Russell County, Virginia

Russell County, Virginia
Russell County Courthouse in Lebanon
Location in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 2, 1786
Named for	William Russell
Seat	Lebanon
Largest town	Lebanon
Area
• Total	477 sq mi (1,235 km2)
• Land	474 sq mi (1,228 km2)
• Water	2.9 sq mi (8 km2), 0.6%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	27,891
• Density	58/sq mi (22/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.russellcountyva.us

Russell County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,897. Its county seat is Lebanon.

On January 2, 1786, Russell County was established from a section of Washington County. L.P. Summers, a Washington County historian later wrote, "Washington County lost a great extent of country and many valuable citizens when Russell County was formed." The county was named for Culpeper County native Colonel William Russell. The first court met in May 1786 in the Castle's Woods settlement (present-day Castlewood) in the house of William Robinson. Later, a new place was built to house the County Seat. The structure used as a courthouse still stands, and is referred to as "The Old Courthouse." The present Courthouse, located in Lebanon, has been in use since 1874.

The County has been home for many well known persons such as Daniel Boone, Governor H.C. Stuart, State Representative Boyd C. Fugate and State Senator M.M. Long. Russell County was also the birthplace of other counties. The counties of Wise, Lee, Tazewell, and Scott were formed from parts of Russell County.

The largest cattle farm East of the Mississippi River, and one of the oldest corporations in the country, Stuart Land & Cattle, is headquartered at Rosedale in Russell County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 477 square miles (1,240 km²), of which 474 square miles (1,230 km²) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) (0.6%) is water.