Explore Big Stone Gap, Virginia, with this interactive street and satellite map.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Virginia or beyond.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Big Stone Gap.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | Big Stone Gap |
| State | Virginia (VA) |
| County | Wise County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (America/New_York) |
| Latitude | 36.862082 |
| Longitude | -82.776905 |
| Population | 5,254 |
| Density | 411.1 /km² |
| Incorporated | Yes |
| ZIP Code | 24219 |
| Area Code | 276 |
| County Seat | Wise |
| School District | Wise County Public Schools |
Big Stone Gap emerges from the earth as a singular point of focus where the terrain shifts toward the horizon. It lies 36.7 miles west-northwest of Bristol, VA (from Bristol, VA: bearing 303°T), and is situated 7.4 miles west-southwest of Norton. The landscape surrounding Big Stone Gap is defined by the deep, verdant expanse of the Jefferson National Forest, which offers a vast and quiet presence at the edge of the property line. Only a mile away, the South Fork Powell River carves a deliberate path through the land, its waters moving with a steady, cooling influence that settles over the low ground. Travelers seeking the stillness of open water often visit Rimrock Lake, located just four miles from the center of activity. The air here holds a distinctive clarity, especially as the late afternoon light elongates the shadows across the floor of the Powell Valley. While the distant peaks of the Appalachian Mountains remain far away on the horizon, they provide a constant, muted boundary to the world.
Big Stone Gap carries the weight of a long industrial narrative, having grown through the extraction of energy resources that once fueled the growth of the nation. The local economy transitioned from these early extractive foundations into a diverse mix of small-scale commerce and public services that support the daily needs of those who reside here. Generations of laborers worked the veins of the earth, leaving behind a resilient spirit and a practical approach to modern development. The influence of the mining era remains visible in the architecture and the sturdy, unadorned infrastructure that defines the local streetscape. Today, the focus has shifted toward maintaining a sustainable pace of life that balances traditional values with the necessity of careful, deliberate growth. This continuity of purpose creates a sense of endurance that persists despite the changing demands of the broader national market.
Big Stone Gap serves as the setting for the celebrated novels of Adriana Trigiani, whose vivid depictions have brought a distinct literary recognition to the local culture. The town celebrates its heritage through the June Tolliver House, a landmark that stands as a physical link to the regional history and the creative output of its residents. Annual events draw those who appreciate the quiet intensity of regional traditions, where music and storytelling act as the primary currency of social gathering. The atmosphere remains grounded, defined by a courtesy that feels both reflexive and deeply rooted in the habits of the people. Life here moves in accordance with the turning of the seasons, marked by the changing colors of the hardwoods and the shifting temperatures of the inland climate. It is a place where the focus remains on the immediate, tangible connections between neighbors and the preservation of a singular, well-defined way of existence.
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This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Coordinates: 36.862082, -82.776905. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.
Detailed location data for Big Stone Gap includes the ZIP code (24219), telephone area code (276), county seat of Wise County (Wise), and school district assignment (Wise County Public Schools).
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. |