Norton is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 3,958, making it the least populous city in Virginia, along with the esternmost. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.
Norton, in Wise County, was first known as Prince's Flats, probably for William Prince, who settled in the area about 1787. The present name honors Eckstein Norton, president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1891 when the Clinch Valley branch of the railroad was finished.
County QuickFacts: City of Norton
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Norton, Virginia incorporated as a town in 1894 and incorporated as a city in 1954. First known as Prince's Flats. Located in Wise County, Virginia. [Virginia Genealogy, Sources & Resources, by Carol McGinnis, Genealogical Publishing Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1993.]
As reported by the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19.5 km2), all of it
land.
Bordering counties are as follows: