Rockbridge County, Virginia

Rockbridge County: http://www.co.rockbridge.va.us/directory.htm

Created in 1778 from portions of Augusta and Botetourt counties, Rockbridge County has been the home of military strategists Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee, inventor Cyrus McCormick, and pioneer Sam Houston. Rockbridge County is centrally located in the historic and scenic Shenandoah Valley in west-central Virginia. Rockbridge County was named for the distinctive geological landmark, Natural Bridge, located in the southern portion of the County. The County is bounded on the west by the lower elevations of the Allegheny Mountains and on the east by the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is surrounded by the counties of Augusta, Nelson, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Alleghany, and Bath, and lies at the headwaters of the James and Maury rivers. Two major interstates, 81 and 64, service the Rockbridge County area.

Today, Rockbridge County encompasses 607 square miles of diverse, rolling terrain. Within its borders are two incorporated towns, Glasgow and Goshen, and two independent cities, Lexington and Buena Vista. Lexington, the county seat, is an important educational, retail, commercial, and governmental center. Buena Vista, situated 6 miles east of lexington and adjacent to the Maury River, is the industrial and manufacturing nucleus of the area.