McDowell is an unincorporated community in Highland County, Virginia, United States. McDowell is southeast of Monterey, Virginia on U.S. Route 250. It is in the Bullpasture Valley near the mouth of Crab Run on the Bullpasture River. The community was named after James McDowell, governor of Virginia from 1843 to 1846. McDowell is the location of the May 8, 1862 Battle of McDowell during the American Civil War. The community has a post office with ZIP code 24458 that was established in 1828.