Tucker County, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,321 people, 3,052 households, and 2,121 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 4,634 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.85% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.07% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.19% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.01% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.25% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 3,052 households out of which 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the county, the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $32,574. Males had a median income of $24,149 versus $17,642 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $16,349. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over.
History
The highly profitable Babcock Lumber and Boom CompanyEdward V. Babcock
Edward V. Babcock was a lumber industrialist who served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1918 to 1922.-Early life:Edward Vose Babcock entered the lumber business from an early age...
, operating out of Davis, West Virginia
Davis, West Virginia
Davis is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, along the Blackwater River. The population was 624 at the 2000 census.-History:Davis was named either for Henry Gassaway Davis, or for his family generally....
from 1907, was responsible for devastating environmental damage to much of surrounding Tucker County, including Canaan Valley
Canaan Valley
Canaan Valley is an oval, bowl-like upland valley in northeastern Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Within it are extensive wetlands and the headwaters of the Blackwater River which spills out of the valley at Blackwater Falls...
, Dolly Sods and the Blackwater Canyon
Blackwater Canyon
Blackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily-wooded, eight-mile long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
. These areas were clear-cut and the landscape converted into a tinderbox by the residual slashings. By 1910, fires swept over the wasteland, often burning continuously from spring until the first snows. In 1914, with the county virtually denuded of standing trees, the ground burned continually for 6 months. When the fires subsided, thin mineral soil and bare rock were all that remained. Uncontrollable soil erosion and flooding further degraded and depopulated the region, which bears the scars of the conflagration to the present day.
Incorporated cities and towns
- Town of DavisDavis, West VirginiaDavis is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, along the Blackwater River. The population was 624 at the 2000 census.-History:Davis was named either for Henry Gassaway Davis, or for his family generally....
- Town of HambletonHambleton, West VirginiaHambleton is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 246 at the 2000 census. Hambleton was established in 1889, but not incorporated until 1905. It was named by then United States Senator Stephen B. Elkins in honor of a stockholder by this name in the West Virginia...
- Town of HendricksHendricks, West VirginiaHendricks is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 319 at the 2000 census. The Blackwater River and the Dry Fork join at Hendricks to form the Black Fork, a principal tributary of the Cheat River.-History:...
- City of ParsonsParsons, West VirginiaThe town of Parsons is the county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 1,463 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Parsons is Dorothy Judy and the city administrator is Jason Myers...
- City of ThomasThomas, West VirginiaThomas is a city in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 452 at the 2000 census.-History:The town was named for Thomas Beall Davis....
Unincorporated communities
|
Douglas, Tucker County, West Virginia Douglas is an unincorporated community on the North Fork Blackwater River in Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Originally known as Albert, the community's name was changed to Douglas by an official Board on Geographic Names decision in 1965. Its post office, however, continued to use the name... Elk, Tucker County, West Virginia Elk is an unincorporated community in Tucker County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The community's name is derived from its earlier one, Elklick. Elk is located on West Virginia Route 72.... Gladwin, West Virginia Gladwin is an unincorporated community in Tucker County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is situated at the point where Glady Fork discharges into Dry Fork of Cheat River.... Hannahsville, West Virginia Hannahsville is an unincorporated community on the Cheat River in Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Hannahsville lies along West Virginia Route 72.... |
Laneville, West Virginia Laneville is an unincorporated community in Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. It lies on Red Creek along the southern border of the Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest.-History:... |
|
Red Creek, West Virginia Red Creek is an unincorporated community in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. Red Creek is located on West Virginia Route 72 southeast of Parsons. Red Creek has a post office with ZIP code 26289. Originally called Flanangan Hill after early settler Ebenezer Flanagan, the community was... St. George, West Virginia St. George is the unincorporated original county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia.It is located on Cheat River where it is joined by Minear Run.-History:Originally known as Fort Minear and then as Westernford, St... William, West Virginia William is an unincorporated community in the Monongahela National Forest in Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. William lies south of Fairfax and the Fairfax Stone and north of Thomas. The community is at the intersection of U.S. Route 219 and West Virginia Route 90... |
State Parks
- Blackwater Falls State ParkBlackwater Falls State ParkBlackwater Falls State Park is located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. The centerpiece of the Park is Blackwater Falls, a cascade where the Blackwater River leaves its leisurely course in Canaan Valley and enters rugged Blackwater Canyon...
- Canaan Valley Resort State ParkCanaan Valley Resort State ParkCanaan Valley Resort State Park is a state park within Canaan Valley, Tucker County, West Virginia. Located in the highest valley east of the Mississippi River, the park contains the second-largest inland wetland area in the United States...
- Fairfax Stone State ParkFairfax StoneFairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park is a West Virginia state park commemorating the Fairfax Stone, a surveyor's marker and boundary stone at the source of the North Branch of the Potomac River in West Virginia...
Federal Lands
- Canaan Valley National Wildlife RefugeCanaan Valley National Wildlife RefugeThe Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Tucker County, West Virginia is the 500th National Wildlife Refuge to be established in the USA. The refuge preserves a moist valley with unique wetlands and uplands at a relatively high elevation in the Allegheny Mountains. It is administered by the...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site - Fernow Experimental ForestFernow Experimental ForestFernow Experimental Forest is a research forest in Tucker County, West Virginia. It is operated by the U.S. Forest Service's Northern Research Station. It is named for Bernhard Fernow, a prominent forester in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
U.S. Department of Agriculture web site - Dolly Sods WildernessDolly Sods WildernessThe Dolly Sods Wilderness — originally simply Dolly Sods — is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA, and is part of the Monongahela National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service ....
U.S. Forest Service web site - Monongahela National ForestMonongahela National ForestThe Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
U.S. Forest Service web site
External links
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Tucker County, West Virginia