Area Information

Independence came into being in 1850 as the settlement of a dispute about where to locate the county seat. At that time, a controversy arose between the residents of Old Town and people of the Elk Creek area. Each group wanted the seat in its area. The final decision, made by 3 commissioners from adjacent counties, was to locate on the site favored by a group of independents and to call the town Independence. These commissioners hiked to the top of Point Lookout Mountain and looked down into a grove of trees where 5 streams met and decided that would be the site for the new town.

On average, there are 185 sunny days per year in Independence. The July high temperature is around 82 degrees, and the January low is 22 degrees. The comfort index is 47 out of 100. The area also receives about 41 inches of rain per year, with an average snowfall of 20 inches. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 89. For more than 200 years music has been a part of life and living for the people who reside in our mountainous region. Our unique style of music known as "old time" or as referred to by local folks as "mountain music," grew from several different cultural styles as settlers migrated from other parts of the world became rooted in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 20th century result is "old time" and "bluegrass," as we know it today. The Crooked Road is Virginia's music heritage trail, a driving trail that primarily follows US Highway 58 from the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge to the coal fields region of the state connecting major music venues along the way. Grayson County hosts the longest stretch of the road and is at its highest point. Events and festivals around Independence include the Fall Festival and Grand Privy Race, the 4th of July Parade and Celebration, the Fall Mountain Foliage Festival and Grand Privy Race and the Annual ATV Mud Bog and Sled Pull. Festivals all around Grayson County include the Annual Mountain Foliage Festival, Old Fiddler's Convention, Annual Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival, Baywood Pumpkin Festival, Grayson Highlands Fall Festival and others. Public primary, middle and high schools in Independence include Independence Elementary, Briddle Creek Elementary, Independence Middle School, Grayson County High and Grayson County High Career and Technical Education. Nearby colleges and universities include Bluefield State College, New River Community College, Appalachian State University, Radford University, Southwest Virginia Community College, Concord College and Catawba Valley Community College. Hospitals and medical centers near Independence include Alleghany County Memorial, Twin County Regional and Wythe County Community. The New River (ironically one of the oldest rivers in the world) offers canoeing, tubing and fishing, and has been designated as one of America's Heritage Rivers. It runs through Grayson County for about 30 miles. Independence itself offers great fishing nearby with many mountain streams stocked with trout. Independence also has a big game (deer) archery season. In the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area you will find the 5,792-ft Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia. You'll enjoy the Virginia Creeper Trail, a former railroad that is now a popular biking, hiking and horse riding trail plus the Appalachian Trail, numerous campgrounds and 3 wilderness areas. The George Washington National Forest and Jefferson National Forest together contain nearly 1.8 million acres, representing one of the largest blocks of public land in the eastern United States. The Jefferson National Forest itself is comprised of lands in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. 690,106 acres of the Jefferson National Forest are in Virginia, a large part of which is located in Grayson County, including the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The Jefferson National Forest offers 950 miles of hiking and riding trails, including 300 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the 68-mile Virginia Highlands Horse Trail. Matthews State Forest also provides an excellent representation of forests of Southwest Virginia. The Grayson County Recreation Park offers a swimming pool, 2 baseball diamonds, a paved walking trail, 1.2-mile nature walking trail and picnic area. This is truly the place to find your independence and freedom! Come check out Independence and Grayson County soon, and stop by our United Country office.

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