Fayette County, West Virginia
Fayette County, West Virginia | |
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Fayette County courthouse, Fayetteville
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Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia |
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West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | February 28, 1831 |
Named for | Marquis de la Fayette |
Seat | Fayetteville |
Largest city | Oak Hill |
Area | |
• Total | 668 sq mi (1,730 km2) |
• Land | 662 sq mi (1,715 km2) |
• Water | 6.8 sq mi (18 km2), 1.0% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2014) | 45,132 |
• Density | 68/sq mi (26/km²) |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Website | www |
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,039.[1] Its county seat is Fayetteville.[2]
Fayette County is a part of the Beckley, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3]
Contents
History
Fayette County was created by Act of the Virginia General Assembly, passed February 28, 1831,[4] from parts of Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, and Logan counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette, who had played a key role assisting the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[5] Virginia previously had a Fayette County, which was lost to form the new state of Kentucky. Accordingly, in the State records of Virginia, there will be listings for Fayette County from 1780–1792 and Fayette County from 1831-1863. Neither location is still located in Virginia and despite naming a county after him twice, Virginia no longer has a county named for the Marquis de la Fayette.
A substantial portion was subdivided from Fayette County to form Raleigh County in 1850. Fayette was one of 50 counties that broke off from the rest of Virginia and formed the new state of West Virginia during the American Civil War. In 1871, an Act of the West Virginia Legislature severed a small portion to form part of Summers County.[6]
Fayette County was home to a disastrous mine explosion at Red Ash in March 1900, in which 46 miners were killed.[7]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 668 square miles (1,730 km2), of which 662 square miles (1,710 km2) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km2) (1.0%) is water.[8] Plum Orchard Lake, a reservoir southwest of Oak Hill, is the second largest lake in West Virginia.
Major highways
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Adjacent counties
- Nicholas County (north)
- Greenbrier County (east)
- Summers County (southeast)
- Raleigh County (south)
- Kanawha County (west)
National protected areas
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1840 | 3,924 | — | |
1850 | 3,955 | 0.8% | |
1860 | 5,997 | 51.6% | |
1870 | 6,647 | 10.8% | |
1880 | 11,560 | 73.9% | |
1890 | 20,542 | 77.7% | |
1900 | 31,987 | 55.7% | |
1910 | 51,903 | 62.3% | |
1920 | 60,377 | 16.3% | |
1930 | 72,050 | 19.3% | |
1940 | 80,628 | 11.9% | |
1950 | 82,443 | 2.3% | |
1960 | 61,731 | −25.1% | |
1970 | 49,332 | −20.1% | |
1980 | 57,863 | 17.3% | |
1990 | 47,952 | −17.1% | |
2000 | 47,579 | −0.8% | |
2010 | 46,039 | −3.2% | |
Est. 2014 | 45,132 | [9] | −2.0% |
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010–2014[1] |
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.74% White, 5.57% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,945 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,788, and the median income for a family was $30,243. Males had a median income of $28,554 versus $18,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,809. About 18.20% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The county has a tradition of coal mining, which still serves as a primary source of employment in the area. A Georgia Pacific lumber mill has its home to the west of Mt. Hope, adjacent to U.S. Route 19. There exists a large metal alloy plant in Alloy. The Mount Olive Correctional Complex, West Virginia's only maximum security state prison, is also located in Fayette County.[citation needed]
Notable people
- DJ Cheese, First World Champion of the DMC World DJ Championship in 1986
- Walt Craddock, Former Professional Baseball Player
- Bob Elkins, American character actor<
- Randy Gilkey, Singer, songwriter, and music producer,
- Jason Kincaid, professional wrestler, former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
- George Cafego, All-American Football player at University of Tennessee, He was a Heisman candidate, finishing seventh in 1938 and fourth in 1939. First player selected in the 1940 NFL Draft, professional football player.
- Monte Durham, Stylist on popular TV show "Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta"[15]
- John McClung, Musician and performer of old-time music
- Julia Neale Jackson, Mother of Stonewall Jackson
- Charlie McCoy, Musician and singer
- Tom Pridemore, A former safety from Ansted, West Virginia who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and served one term as a legislator.
- Harley M. Kilgore, A former member of the United States Senate
- MacGillivray Milne, A former Governor of America Samoa
- Tunney Hunsaker, Professional boxer and former police chief
- Timothy Truman, Writer, artist, musician
- Lonnie Warwick, A former professional football player
- Kristi Atha-Rader, Mrs. West Virginia United States 2010 and Mrs. West Virginia International 2011
Communities
Cities
- Montgomery (part)
- Mount Hope
- Oak Hill
- Smithers (part)
Towns
- Ansted
- Fayetteville (county seat)
- Gauley Bridge
- Meadow Bridge
- Town of Pax
- Thurmond
Census-designated places
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Unincorporated communities
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- Agnew
- Alloy
- Alta
- Beckwith
- Boonesborough
- Brooklyn
- Brown
- Cannelton
- Carlisle
- Chimney Corner
- Clifftop
- Columbia
- Corliss
- Cunard
- Danese
- Dempsey
- Dothan
- Eagle
- Edmond
- Elkridge
- Fayette
- Greenstown
- Hamilton
- Harvey
- Hilton Village
- Hopewell
- Jodie
- Kanawha Falls
- Kingston
- Landisburg
- Lansing
- Layland
- Lochgelly
- Lookout
- McDunn
- Mahan
- Marvel
- Maywood
- Montgomery Heights
- Mossy
- Nallen
- North Page
- Nuttall
- Nuttalburg
- Oak Ridge
- Pine Grove
- Red Star
- Robson
- Russellville
- Sanger
- Smithers
- Toney Creek
- Victor
- Whipple
- Winona
- Wriston
See also
- Babcock State Park
- Beury Mountain Wildlife Management Area
- Bridge Day
- Hawks Nest State Park
- Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, West Virginia
References
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- ↑ http://www.register-herald.com/local/x503822301/Fayette-Raleigh-MPO-expands-to-include-entirety-of-both-counties
- ↑ http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/fayette.html
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- ↑ http://burgesslegacy.org/fayette/chapter_i.htm
- ↑ http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/29
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- ↑ http://www.visitwv.com/vacation/mount-hope-jubilee/
External links
- Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
- Fayette County Schools
- Fayette County Public Libraries
- WVGenWeb Fayette County
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Nicholas County | |||
Kanawha County | Greenbrier County | |||
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Raleigh County | Summers County |
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