The new county was named in honor of Richard Bland, a Virginia statesman who served in the House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress.

The distances and the difficult mountain trails created a significant hardship for those needing to conduct legal affairs.

In addition, the growing population resented paying taxes for benefits outside of the local area.

This pressure eventually persuaded the Virginia General Assembly to take action to form a new county in the southwestern portion of the state.

The county was named after Richard Bland, a Virginia statesman and political figure who helped lead the struggle for freedom and independence from England.

The North Fork of the Holston River has its head waters in Bland County.

23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The only Democrats who have carried it since 1910 have been Woodrow Wilson in 1912 when the Republican Party was split between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt in each of his four elections, and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, all national Democratic Party landslides.