VA · GEOID 51640

Galax city area

Galax city, Virginia covers 8.3 square miles: 8.2 square miles of land and 0 square miles of water.

Official Census measurements2026 Gazetteer · retrieved September 27, 2026
Land area8.2 mi²
Water area0 mi²
Total area8.3 mi²
National land rank#3212

County outline

Generalized outline of Galax city, Virginia
2025 Census cartographic boundary, fitted to this frame. County maps are not at a common scale. The 2026 area measurements below come from the separate Gazetteer release. Map source and limitations.

Where Galax city is located

Galax city highlighted on a map of all U.S. county equivalents. About the maps

Area breakdown

Land accounts for 99.5% of Galax city’s measured area and water for 0.5%. Its combined area converts to 21.4 square kilometers or approximately 5,297 acres.

Green: land · blue: water

MeasurementSquare milesSquare kilometersAcres
Land8.23621.3315,271
Water0.0410.10626.2
Total8.27721.4375,297.3

How Galax city compares

By original Census land area, Galax city ranks #124 of 133 in Virginia and #3212 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Its land area is 0.027 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0% of the combined county land area in the state.

See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?

What stands out about Galax city?

Galax city has more land than 10 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.

Land area compared with the typical county equivalent
Galax city8.2 mi²
Virginia median310 mi²
National median604.5 mi²

A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.

Does including water change its rank?

Using land plus water places Galax city at #3,212 nationally by total area, the same position as its land rank. Changing the area definition does not change its position in this release.

Its water share is 0.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.

Closest positions in the national land ranking

These entries sit immediately beside Galax city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Land rankCounty equivalentLand mi²Comparison
#3211Franklin city, Virginia8.3Compare
#3212Galax city, Virginia8.2This county
#3213Colonial Heights city, Virginia7.5Compare

Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.

Representative coordinates

The Census internal point is 36.665640, -80.914308. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.

Source and precision

U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 21,332,082 m²; AWATER: 105,290 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.

Download the official county source ZIP ↗ · Methodology

Common questions

How many acres of land are in Galax city?

The land measurement converts to approximately 5,271 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 5,297 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.

Why might another source show a different area?

Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.

Can this establish a property boundary?

No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.

Cite this county

Download the complete CSV or JSON dataset