Upshur County, West Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Upshur County, West Virginia | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of West Virginia |
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 West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1851 |
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| Seat | Buckhannon |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
355 sq mi (919 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.03% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
23,404 65/sq mi (25/km²) |
Upshur County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 23,404. Its county seat is the City of Buckhannon[1]. Upshur County was formed in 1851 from Randolph, Barbour, and Lewis Counties and named for Abel Parker Upshur, a distinguished statesman and jurist of Virginia. Upshur served as United States Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy under President John Tyler.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (919 km²), of which, 355 square miles (919 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) of it (0.03%) is water.
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Magisterial districts
Upshur County's six districts were formed on July 31, 1863:
- Banks District, named for Nathaniel Prentiss Banks.
- Buckhannon District, named for the county seat, the City of Buckhannon.
- Meade District, named for General George Gordon Meade.
- Union District, named for military soldiers serving the Union cause.
- Warren District, named for Gouverneur Kemble Warren.
- Washington District, named for President George Washington.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Harrison County (north)
- Barbour County (northeast)
- Randolph County (southeast)
- Webster County (south)
- Lewis County (west)
[edit] Demographics
![The Upshur County Courthouse, designed by architect Harrison Albright,[citation needed] pictured in Buckhannon in 2006](../../../../images/shared/thumb/4/4b/Upshur_County_Courthouse_Buckhannon.jpg/250px-Upshur_County_Courthouse_Buckhannon.jpg)
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 23,404 people, 8,972 households, and 6,352 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 10,751 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.19% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,972 households out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% 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 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.60% under the age of 18, 12.60% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,973, and the median income for a family was $32,399. Males had a median income of $29,020 versus $18,087 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,559. About 16.00% of families and 20.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Incorporated communities
[edit] Unincorporated communities
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[edit] Notable natives
- Professor Maurice Brooks (1900-1993), noted biologist, naturalist and educator; born in, and long-time resident of, French Creek
- Jayne Anne Phillips, (b. July 1952), novelist and short story writer, born in Buckhannon
- Stephen Coonts (born July 19 , 1946) novelist. American thriller and suspense novelist; born and grew up in Buckhannon
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce
- Upshur County Board of Education
- Upshur County Development Authority
- Upshur County Public Library
- Upshur County Historical Society
- The Record Delta newspaper
- West Virginia Strawberry Festival
- Upshur County WVGenWeb
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