- Upshur County, West Virginia
Infobox U.S. County
county = Upshur County
state = West Virginia
map size = 225
founded = 1851
seat = Buckhannon | area_total_sq_mi =355
area_water_sq_mi =0
area percentage = 0.03%
census yr = 2000
pop = 23404
density_km2 =25
web =
|Upshur County is a
county located in theU.S. state ofWest Virginia . As of 2000, the population was 23,404. Itscounty seat is the City ofBuckhannon GR|6. Upshur County was formed in 1851 from Randolph, Barbour, and Lewis Counties and named forAbel Parker Upshur , a distinguishedstatesman andjurist ofVirginia . Upshur served asUnited States Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy under PresidentJohn Tyler .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.
Major highways
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*Magisterial districts
Upshur County's six districts were formed on July 31, 1863:
* Banks District, named forNathaniel Prentiss Banks .
* Buckhannon District, named for the county seat, the City of Buckhannon.
* Meade District, named for GeneralGeorge Gordon Meade .
* Union District, named for military soldiers serving the Union cause.
* Warren District, named forGouverneur Kemble Warren .
* Washington District, named for PresidentGeorge Washington .Adjacent counties
*Harrison County (north)
*Barbour County (northeast)
*Randolph County (southeast)
*Webster County (south)
*Lewis County (west)Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 23,404 people, 8,972 households, and 6,352 families residing in the county. Thepopulation 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 thepoverty line , including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.Economy
Economy includes
coal mining . TheSago Mine disaster was acoal mine explosion onJanuary 2 ,2006 , in the Sago Mine in Sago, near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and ensuing aftermath trapped 13 miners for nearly two days, only one of whom survived. It was the worst mining disaster in the US since a 2001 disaster inAlabama killed 13 people, and the worst disaster in West Virginia since a 1968 incident that killed 78 people.Cities and towns
Incorporated communities
Unincorporated communities
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 andshort story writer, born in Buckhannon"*
Stephen Coonts (born July 19 , 1946) "novelist . American thriller and suspense novelist; born and grew up in Buckhannon"See also
*
Sago Mine disaster References
External links
* [http://www.buchamber.com/ Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://boe.upsh.k12.wv.us/ Upshur County Board of Education]
* [http://www.upshurda.com/ Upshur County Development Authority]
* [http://upshurcounty.lib.wv.us/ Upshur County Public Library]
* [http://www.upshurcountyhistoricalsociety.com/ Upshur County Historical Society]
* [http://www.therecorddelta.com/ The Record Delta newspaper]
* [http://www.wvstrawberryfestival.com/strawberry/strawberryhome.nsf/ West Virginia Strawberry Festival]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvupshur/ Upshur County WVGenWeb]
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