Tucker County, West Virginia

Coordinates: 39°06′N 79°34′W / 39.10°N 79.57°W / 39.10; -79.57

Tucker County, West Virginia

Map of West Virginia highlighting Tucker County
Location in the state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded March 7, 1856
Named for Henry St. George Tucker, Sr.
Seat Parsons
Largest city Parsons
Area
 • Total 421 sq mi (1,090 km2)
 • Land 419 sq mi (1,085 km2)
 • Water 2.1 sq mi (5 km2), 0.5%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 6,966
 • Density 17/sq mi (7/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.tuckerwv.com

Tucker County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,141,[1] making it the second-least populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is Parsons.[2] The county was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, was transferred to Tucker County.[3] The county was named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia.[4][5]

History

Between 1889 and 1893, a dispute known as the Tucker County Seat War took place between the people in the town of Parsons and that of St. George, over the location of the county seat. Although nobody was killed in the "war", the situation came to a climax when a mob of armed men from Parsons marched on St. George and took the county records by force.[6][7]


On their website the Babcock Lumber Company, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, talks about their, "distinguished history dating back to 1864". Beginning in 1907, the "distinguished" Babcock Lumber Company, while operating out of Davis, West Virginia, clear cut mountain ranges as far as the eye could see. The clear cutting caused timberbox fires that burned continuously sometimes for years on end, from spring until the first snows, leaving, when fires subsided, little other then thin mineral soil and bare rock. With top soils that once produced huge timbers on the mountainside -- including the largest tree ever harvested in West Virginia, a White Oak tree thirteen feet in diameter just ten feet from the ground -- washed down to valleys of "bottom land" that while albeit now blessed with an overabundance of fertile soil, unfortunately, were framed by the lumber barons funded railways that ran along rivers and mountain bases, in most cases too narrow for harvesting productive crops or livestock. To this day Tucker County, and surrounding regions, bear these scars of conflagration to the present day.[8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 421 square miles (1,090 km2), of which 419 square miles (1,090 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.5%) is water.[9]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18601,428—
18701,90733.5%
18803,15165.2%
18906,459105.0%
190013,433108.0%
191018,67539.0%
192016,791−10.1%
193013,374−20.4%
194013,173−1.5%
195010,600−19.5%
19607,750−26.9%
19707,447−3.9%
19808,67516.5%
19907,728−10.9%
20007,231−6.4%
20107,141−1.2%
Est. 20156,966[10]−2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2015[1]

2000 census

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 7,321 people, 3,052 households, and 2,121 families residing in the county. The population density 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, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.01% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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 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 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.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,141 people, 3,057 households, and 2,052 families residing in the county.[16] The population density was 17.0 inhabitants per square mile (6.6/km2). There were 5,346 housing units at an average density of 12.8 per square mile (4.9/km2).[17] The racial makeup of the county was 98.7% white, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population.[16] In terms of ancestry, 30.3% were German, 15.7% were Irish, 8.1% were American, 7.9% were English, and 5.8% were Dutch.[18]

Of the 3,057 households, 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.9% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age was 46.3 years.[16]

The median income for a household in the county was $32,712 and the median income for a family was $43,307. Males had a median income of $34,321 versus $22,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,020. About 12.9% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.[19]

Politics

Presidential election results[20]
Year Republican Democrat
2012 69.34% 2,176 28.04% 880
2008 60.54% 2,123 36.73% 1,288
2004 60.53% 2,179 38.89% 1,400
2000 57.83% 1,935 39.42% 1,319

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Tucker County WVGenWeb Page, accessed August 25, 2006.
  4. ↑ West Virginia Division of Culture and History - Tucker County History web page, accessed August 25, 2006
  5. ↑ Origins of West Virginia Place Names web site, accessed August 25, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Tucker County History - The Tucker County Seat". Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  7. ↑ "Living Places - Tucker County Courthouse and Jail". Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  8. ↑ Brooks, Maurice (1965), The Appalachians (Series: The Naturalist's America), Illustrated by Lois Darling and Lo Brooks, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, pp 127-128.
  9. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  16. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  17. ↑ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  18. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  19. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  20. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  21. ↑ USC Football Program http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/usc-m-fb-a-lett-tuv.html
  22. ↑ "Former Trojan Tony Tonelli Dies". Los Angeles Times. February 1, 1987.
  23. ↑ http://dailytrojan.com/2012/02/22/trojans-annually-dominate-nfl-draft/
  24. ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/ToneTo20.htm

Further reading

External links

 Preston County Garrett County, Maryland
Barbour County Grant County
   Tucker County, West Virginia  
Randolph County
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