Greene County, Virginia

Greene County is a county in Virginia in the eastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,552. Its county seat is Stanardsville.

Greene County is part of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In recent years, Greene County has become a tourist destination for metropolitan areas to escape to the Shenandoah National Park and Virginia's scenic foothills.

Greene County was established in 1838 from Orange County. The county is named for American Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), who was a general in the Continental Army.

A major incident occurred on October 24, 1979, when a natural gas main ruptured, causing an explosion. The resulting fire destroyed the bell tower of the county courthouse and county office building. However, quick action by the firefighters on the scene saved the county records secured in the vault.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 156.8 square miles (406.1 km²), of which 156.1 square miles (404.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (0.4%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Virginia by total area.

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,552. The median age was 41.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.4% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.