Economy

Amelia County has manufacturing, trade, services and construction sectors in its nonagricultural economy. The predominant industries are in office supplies, lumber and wood products. Taxable retail sales in 1994 totaled over $33.9 million.

Agriculture remains an important part of the county's economy with soybeans being the largest cash crop followed by flue-cured tobacco. Corn and small grains are also produced in the county. Livestock production in Amelia includes dairy and beef cattle, sheep, lamb, pork and broilers.

The County supports a small number of industries and manufacturers including the, General Binding Corporation, and Glenwood Farms (an egg production industry). Amelia Springs Bottled Water, renown as some of the purest water in the country is drawn and bottled at a plant off Route 604 and distributed nationally. Saw mills and lumber companies are another primary industry, due to large amounts of timber in the County. There are over 170,000 acres of commercial pulpwood which is Amelia's second largest income-producer. Most small businesses are located in the Court House area and in the Village Square Shopping Center.

Diverse mining industries also are found in the county. Such resources as mica, kaolin, feldspar and quartz have been mined from pegmatite and sold commercially. The igneous rock also yields beryl and various gem and specimen minerals, such as garnet, topaz and amozonite, a green-colored stone unique to Amelia County.