The county is named after Alexander Smyth, a general during the War of 1812 who was elected to the state Senate, House of Delegates, and as a Representative to the United States Congress.

[3] Smyth County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,[4] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county.

26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The Smyth County Tourism Association was formed in April 2006 to promote sustainable tourism development and manages the operation of the state-certified H.L.