Chilhowie, Virginia
Chilhowie is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States, on the Middle Fork of the Holston River. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. The name Chilhowie is said to come from a Cherokee word meaning "valley of many deer". It is also notable for having only one traffic light in the entire city. I-81 runs through Chilhowie. It is located at exit 35. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km), all of it land. History Chilhowie was often the starting point of longhunter expeditions in the 1700s. In 1748 the area was visited by Colonel James Patton and Dr. Thomas Walker. They constructed a small fort, likely just a blockhouse. An early settler was Samuel Stalnaker (1715-1769) who converted Patton's fort into a tavern known as the Town House, and lived there until the late 1760s. The town sustained severe damage from an EF-2 tornado during the 2011 Super Outbreak. A.C. Beatie House, H.L. Bonham House, Chilhowie Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Downtown Chilhowie Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Demographics As of the 2000 census, there were 1,827