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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

Dickenson County	13,582	5,982	15	2	10	58	11	0	5	76	6	11
Virginia (in 000's)	8,893	582	19	6	172	223	326	155	66	1,026	341	252
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Pike County	55,960	12,827	71	15	147	387	8	14	90	279	57	78
Wise County	35,531	8,788	42	11	101	272	42	4	37	1,524	170	128
Russell County	25,464	10,528	11	2	1	118	4	0	42	181	42	43
Buchanan County	19,118	9,396	9	1	87	82	11	3	9	305	157	114

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Dickenson County	29.05	44.04	0.11	0.01	0.07	0.43	0.08	0.00	0.04	0.56	0.04	0.08
Virginia	8.45	6.55	0.21	0.07	1.93	2.51	3.66	1.74	0.74	11.53	3.83	2.83
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Pike County	23.92	22.92	0.13	0.03	0.26	0.69	0.01	0.03	0.16	0.50	0.10	0.14
Wise County	17.33	24.73	0.12	0.03	0.28	0.77	0.12	0.01	0.10	4.29	0.48	0.36
Russell County	28.09	41.34	0.04	0.01	0.00	0.46	0.02	0.00	0.16	0.71	0.16	0.17
Buchanan County	32.77	49.15	0.05	0.01	0.46	0.43	0.06	0.02	0.05	1.60	0.82	0.60

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		672.46	51.76	21.24	3.81	17.03	2.21	0.00	4.95	4.85	1.15	2.86
Virginia		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		61.78	302.22	263.16	170.85	451.71	49.15	77.70	144.42	65.41	59.74	73.90
Pike County		349.97	59.47	38.66	13.60	27.58	0.39	1.44	21.62	4.32	2.66	4.93
Wise County		377.63	55.41	44.65	14.72	30.53	3.23	0.65	14.00	37.19	12.49	12.74
Russell County		631.25	20.25	11.33	0.20	18.48	0.43	0.00	22.18	6.16	4.31	5.97
Buchanan County		750.38	22.07	7.54	23.56	17.11	1.57	0.90	6.33	13.83	21.45	21.08

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		1,088.39	17.13	8.07	2.23	3.77	4.50	0.00	3.43	7.42	1.93	3.87
Virginia		161.85	33.09	38.00	58.53	22.14	203.46	128.70	69.24	152.88	167.39	135.32
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Pike County		566.43	19.68	14.69	7.96	6.11	0.79	1.85	14.97	6.61	4.45	6.67
Wise County		611.20	18.33	16.97	8.61	6.76	6.56	0.83	9.70	56.86	20.92	17.24
Russell County		1,021.70	6.70	4.30	0.12	4.09	0.87	0.00	15.36	9.42	7.21	8.08
Buchanan County		1,214.52	7.30	2.87	13.79	3.79	3.20	1.16	4.38	21.15	35.90	28.53

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

Dickenson County	13,582	5	1,005	73	33	297	52	39	20	1,039	0	126
Virginia (in 000's)	8,893	21	591	30	62	457	162	69	77	533	24	218
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Pike County	55,960	23	5,000	232	266	2,428	449	108	119	5,276	0	425
Wise County	35,531	0	3,317	207	220	1,755	375	91	298	4,406	8	431
Russell County	25,464	2	2,080	52	96	845	81	47	41	1,450	60	183
Buchanan County	19,118	29	1,035	32	63	437	128	3	41	643	6	89

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Dickenson County	29.05	0.04	7.40	0.54	0.24	2.19	0.38	0.29	0.15	7.65	0.00	0.93
Virginia	8.45	0.23	6.64	0.33	0.70	5.14	1.82	0.77	0.87	6.00	0.27	2.45
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Pike County	23.92	0.04	8.93	0.41	0.48	4.34	0.80	0.19	0.21	9.43	0.00	0.76
Wise County	17.33	0.00	9.34	0.58	0.62	4.94	1.06	0.26	0.84	12.40	0.02	1.21
Russell County	28.09	0.01	8.17	0.20	0.38	3.32	0.32	0.18	0.16	5.69	0.24	0.72
Buchanan County	32.77	0.15	5.41	0.17	0.33	2.29	0.67	0.02	0.21	3.36	0.03	0.47

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		15.79	111.43	160.83	34.77	42.56	21.01	37.05	17.02	127.56	0.00	37.93
Virginia		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		168.72	79.27	159.36	151.84	140.11	144.35	175.45	200.93	100.20	124.06	113.92
Pike County		17.63	134.56	124.06	68.03	84.45	44.04	24.90	24.57	157.22	0.00	31.05
Wise County		0.00	140.59	174.33	88.61	96.14	57.93	33.05	96.91	206.78	8.41	49.60
Russell County		3.37	123.01	61.11	53.95	64.59	17.46	23.82	18.61	94.96	88.00	29.38
Buchanan County		65.06	81.53	50.09	47.16	44.49	36.75	2.02	24.78	56.08	11.72	19.03

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		9.36	140.57	100.92	22.90	30.38	14.56	21.12	8.47	127.31	0.00	33.30
Virginia		59.27	126.14	62.75	65.86	71.37	69.28	57.00	49.77	99.80	80.61	87.78
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Pike County		10.45	169.74	77.85	44.80	60.28	30.51	14.20	12.23	156.91	0.00	27.26
Wise County		0.00	177.34	109.40	58.36	68.62	40.13	18.84	48.23	206.38	6.78	43.54
Russell County		2.00	155.17	38.35	35.53	46.10	12.10	13.58	9.26	94.77	70.93	25.79
Buchanan County		38.56	102.84	31.43	31.06	31.75	25.46	1.15	12.33	55.97	9.45	16.71

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

Dickenson County	13,582	0	15	0	0	0	1	0	4	3	835	3,859
Virginia (in 000's)	8,893	80	79	12	78	67	223	44	41	74	1,377	1,409
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Pike County	55,960	19	59	10	0	0	107	19	103	95	4,861	22,388
Wise County	35,531	18	0	0	8	6	55	14	35	55	3,466	9,647
Russell County	25,464	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	27	42	1,648	7,831
Buchanan County	19,118	0	0	4	7	28	4	0	7	1	1,045	5,342

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Dickenson County	29.05	0.00	0.11	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.03	0.02	6.15	28.41
Virginia	8.45	0.89	0.89	0.13	0.87	0.75	2.51	0.50	0.46	0.83	15.48	15.84
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Pike County	23.92	0.03	0.11	0.02	0.00	0.00	0.19	0.03	0.18	0.17	8.69	40.01
Wise County	17.33	0.05	0.00	0.00	0.02	0.02	0.15	0.04	0.10	0.15	9.75	27.15
Russell County	28.09	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.03	0.00	0.11	0.16	6.47	30.75
Buchanan County	32.77	0.00	0.00	0.02	0.04	0.15	0.02	0.00	0.04	0.01	5.47	27.94

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		0.00	12.42	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.29	0.00	6.35	2.65	39.71	179.34
Virginia		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		145.22	98.63	177.18	51.35	73.84	63.27	96.58	77.26	67.41	89.04	93.79
Pike County		3.79	11.86	13.71	0.00	0.00	7.62	6.85	39.70	20.34	56.10	252.53
Wise County		5.66	0.00	0.00	2.57	2.24	6.17	7.95	21.25	18.55	63.00	171.38
Russell County		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.10	0.00	22.87	19.77	41.80	194.12
Buchanan County		0.00	0.00	16.05	4.19	19.40	0.83	0.00	7.90	0.63	35.30	176.38

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Dickenson County		0.00	12.59	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.46	0.00	8.22	3.93	44.59	191.23
Virginia		68.86	101.39	56.44	194.73	135.43	158.05	103.54	129.44	148.36	112.31	106.63
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Pike County		2.61	12.02	7.74	0.00	0.00	12.04	7.09	51.39	30.18	63.01	269.26
Wise County		3.90	0.00	0.00	5.01	3.03	9.75	8.23	27.50	27.52	70.76	182.74
Russell County		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.73	0.00	29.60	29.32	46.94	206.98
Buchanan County		0.00	0.00	9.06	8.15	26.28	1.32	0.00	10.22	0.93	39.65	188.06

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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