Feb 20, 2026 - News

Virginia's Pound town won't disappear — for now

Sabrina Moreno

A car is shown crossing over a bridge surrounded by greenery. To the right is a sign that says "Pound, Virginia" — The Pound name came from either a family name or a pounding mill, per the sign pictured above. Photo: Earl Neikirk for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Pound town nearly got de-Pounded this week.

Why it matters: A council vote in the Southwest Virginia locality — which has one of the state's best town names — could have put Pound on a path to dissolve its charter and cease to exist.

State of play: That didn't happen on Tuesday. One council member, who once voted to start disincorporation talks with Wise County, where Pound is located, flipped to a "no," reports Cardinal News.

The tiebreaker vote on the five-person council could stall the effort to have the county take over control until next January.

The backstory: The town has weathered years of financial trouble, management scandals and a state threat in 2022 to erase it altogether.

The bottom line: The town of Pound, for now, gets to stay as Virginia's Pound town.

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Virginia's Pound town won't disappear — for now

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