City of Lexington, Virginia

City of Lexington Education, Geography, and History

Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 7,042.[ It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington (along with nearby Buena Vista) with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes. Lexington is about 57 miles east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.

Etymology - Origin of City of Lexington Name

Lexington, in Rockbridge County, probably was named for the village in Massachusetts where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought. The town

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: City of Lexington

Lexington City History

Lexington, Virginia was established in 1778 as the county seat for Rockbridge County, Virginia. [Virginia Genealogy, Sources & Resources, by Carol McGinnis, Genealogical Publishing Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1993.]

Lexington, Virginia was incorporated as a town in 1874 and became a city on 1 Jan 1966 by court order. Located in Rockbridge County, Virginia and established in 1778. [Virginia Genealogy, Sources & Resources, by Carol McGinnis, Genealogical Publishing Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1993.]

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), all of it land. The Maury River, a tributary of the James River, forms the city's northeastern boundary.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• confines of Rockbridge County

Education

Lexington is the location of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University (W&L).

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