Giles County is the location of Mountain Lake, one of only two natural fresh water lakes in Virginia. The lake drains into Little Stony Creek, which passes over a waterfall known as The Cascades before reaching the New River.
History
William Branch Giles, for whom the county was named
Giles County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 17,286 people, 7,215 households, and 4,899 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile (19 people/km2). There were 8,319 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% White, 1.51% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,215 households, out of which 29.27% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.46% were married couples living together, 10.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.86% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.56% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 4.89% from 20 to 24, 23.85% from 25 to 44, 29.43% from 45 to 64, and 18.03% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.14 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.55 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,231, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $41,521 versus $36,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,766. About 6.60% of families (2000 census) and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line[14](2012), including 17.70% of those under age 18 (2012)and 10.50% of those age 65 or over (2000 census).
Government
Board of Supervisors
At-Large District: Paul W. "Chappy" Baker (I)
At-Large District: Richard "Ricky" McCoy (I)
Central District: Jeffrey Morris (I)
Eastern District: Perry Martin (I)
Western District: John Lawson (I)
Constitutional officers
Clerk of the Circuit Court: Sherry E Gautier (I)
Commissioner of the Revenue: Lisa Corell (I)
Commonwealth's Attorney: Robert M. Lilly, Jr. (I)
Sheriff: W. Morgan Millirons (I)
Treasurer: Angela L. Higginbotham (I)
Giles is represented by Democrat John S. Edwards in the Virginia Senate, Republican Jason Ballard in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican H. Morgan Griffith in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Law enforcement
The Giles County Sheriff's Department patrols and investigates crimes in the county. It also serves process, provides security for the county court, and operates the county's E-911 service.[15] Since the establishment of the Sheriff's Office, 1 officer has died in the line of duty, in 1954.[16]
Presidential election results
United States presidential election results for Giles County, Virginia[17]
Giles County has five incorporated towns. Only nine other counties have more towns than Giles. Of the 190 towns in Virginia, Glen Lyn is the fifth smallest in population.[18]