Ritchie County, West Virginia

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Ritchie County, West Virginia
Ritchie County Courthouse.jpg
Map of West Virginia highlighting Ritchie County
Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded February 18, 1843
Named for Thomas Ritchie
Seat Harrisville
Largest town Harrisville
Area
 • Total 454 sq mi (1,176 km2)
 • Land 452 sq mi (1,171 km2)
 • Water 1.7 sq mi (4 km2), 0.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 10,011
 • Density 22/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.ritchiecounty.wv.gov

Ritchie County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,449.[1] Its county seat is Harrisville.[2] The county was created in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Richmond newspaper publisher Thomas Ritchie.[3]

History

In 1911, historian Minnie Kendall Lowther published "The History of Ritchie County." Her book is still regarded as one of the most comprehensive histories of any county in West Virginia.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 454 square miles (1,180 km2), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (0.4%) is water.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 3,902
1860 6,847 75.5%
1870 9,055 32.2%
1880 13,474 48.8%
1890 16,621 23.4%
1900 18,901 13.7%
1910 17,875 −5.4%
1920 16,506 −7.7%
1930 15,594 −5.5%
1940 15,389 −1.3%
1950 12,535 −18.5%
1960 10,877 −13.2%
1970 10,145 −6.7%
1980 11,442 12.8%
1990 10,233 −10.6%
2000 10,343 1.1%
2010 10,449 1.0%
Est. 2014 10,011 [6] −4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 10,343 people, 4,184 households, and 2,999 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 5,513 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.68% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,184 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,332, and the median income for a family was $34,809. Males had a median income of $28,147 versus $18,149 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,175. About 14.30% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.

Notable sights

Communities

City

Towns

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/ritchie.html
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.