The mountainside city of Covington is an independent city within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The city of Covington lies within the confines of Alleghany County that lies along the East coast of Virginia.
The unique location of Covington at the union of the Dunlap creek and the Jackson River lends it picturesque locales which contribute to making the place extremely tourist friendly.The region around Alleghany County was initially home to abundant greenery and wildlife which made the place extremely suitable for native Americans to settle in. European civilization infiltrated the region around Covington in around 1745 A.D. and the areas of Monroe and Bath counties were also included within the confines of Alleghany County. Covington town derived its name in the years of 1817-1818, from the American patriot, General Leonard Covington of the War of 1812.
Even many years after its formation, the town of Covington primarily remained an agricultural community, and industry was long in the coming. In fact, industry did not arrive in Covington until 1891, when the Covington Iron Furnace started operating in the area. After the iron furnace company, it was the turn of the Deford Tannery to start business in the area, in 1892. However, Meadwestvaco, the leading industry of the Covington region did not arrive in the place until the beginning of the 20th century. Meadwestvaco has now emerged as the largest employer in the small city of Covington. Around the 1890’s industrial revolution in the Covington city changed the economic scenario of the place and the town was designated the status of the county seat of Alleghany county in 1902. This resulted in making Covington one of the largest cities in USA and resulted in the increase of population in the city.
