Whitewood | |
Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
Pushpin Map: | Virginia#USA |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Virginia |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Buchanan |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population As Of: | 2000 |
Population Total: | 485 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Timezone Dst: | EDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
Coordinates: | 37.2356°N -81.8569°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
Postal Code: | 24657 |
Area Code: | (276) |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Whitewood is an unincorporated community in Buchanan County, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the Whitewood area had a population of 485.[1] It is located along the Dismal River, which is part of the watershed of the Big Sandy River.
The community was initially settled in the early 1900s by lumber companies that arrived to log the forests of the surrounding hills. The settlement was named Whitewood, supposedly after the color of the lumber, shortly after the first lumber mill was established in 1905.[2] The Whitewood post office was established in 1906.[3]
In September 2008, Whitewood High School, built in 1940, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] It was demolished in early 2010.
On July 12, 2022, the community was heavily damaged by a catastrophic flood.[5]