Brooke County, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brooke County
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Old Main, Bethany College
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Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
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 West Virginia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  West Virginia |
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| Founded | November 30, 1797 | |
| Named for | Robert Brooke | |
| Seat | Wellsburg | |
| Largest city | Follansbee | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 92.57 sq mi (239.8 km2) | |
| • Land | 89.20 sq mi (231.0 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.37 sq mi (8.7 km2) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 22,559 | |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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22,140  |
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| • Density | 252.90/sq mi (97.65/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
Brooke County is a county in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,559. Its county seat is Wellsburg. The county was created in 1797 from part of Ohio County and named in honor of Robert Brooke, Governor of Virginia from 1794 to 1796. Brooke County is part of the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-WV-OH Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The Ohio Company of Virginia petitioned the British King for 500,000 acres of land in the Ohio River Valley in 1747, but the first settlers to this area, in what later became known as West Virginia's Northern Panhandle, were brothers Jonathan, Israel and Friend Cox. They staked a "tomahawk claim" to 1200 acres (400 acres for each brother) at the mouth of Buffalo Creek and extending along the Ohio River. Their cousin George Cox staked an adjacent claim a few years later.
In 1788 Charles Prather purchased 481 acres from Friend Cox's heir, John Cox; by that year's end Alexander Wells, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland and later of Cross Creek Township, Pennsylvania, established a trading post (together with his Baltimore cousin Richard Owings). In 1791 the Ohio County Court incorporated the town around the post as "Charlestown" (after Prather's first name). On November 30, 1796, the Virginia General Assembly formed Brooke County, from parts of Ohio County, and designated "Charlestown" as the county seat. Across the Appalachian Continental Divide to the east in Jefferson County, another Charlestown had previously been incorporated (it is now known as Charles Town). In addition, Charleston had been established at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers in 1788.
Addressing this confusion, the Virginia General Assembly on December 28, 1816, changed the Brooke county seat's name from "Charlestown" to Wellsburg, supposedly to honor Charles Wells, Prather's son-in-law. The first Masonic Lodge west of the Allegheny Mountains was established in Wellsburg on March 4, 1799. It was under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania for six years, but since December 17, 1817, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia and later of West Virginia.
The first glass factory in Wellsburg was built in 1813, taking advantage of the relatively easy transportation on the Ohio River. When the National Road was built about five years later, its first crossing of the Ohio River was via a ferry further west. In 1818 Alexander Campbell founded the first Virginia school west of the Appalachians, which the Virginia General Assembly chartered in 1840 as Bethany College.
During the American Civil War, Brooke County's elected officials helped found the new state of West Virginia, after their efforts to block secession failed at the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861. Wellsburg received a new charter in 1866 from the newly established West Virginia legislature, and Samuel Marks became Wellsburg's first elected mayor.
In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. Brooke County was divided into three districts: Buffalo, Cross Creek, and Wellsburg. Wellsburg District was co-extensive with the city of Wellsburg. The districts of Follansbee and Weirton were created between 1970 and 1980. Buffalo and Cross Creek Districts were discontinued in 2008.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 93 square miles (240 km2), of which 89 square miles (230 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (3.6%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in West Virginia by area. The highest point of elevation in Brooke County is approximately 1372 ft. and located about 1.5 miles south of Franklin.
Major highways
US 22
WV 2
WV 27
WV 27 Alt.
WV 67
WV 88
WV 105
Adjacent counties
- Hancock County (north)
- Washington County, Pennsylvania (east)
- Ohio County (south)
- Jefferson County, Ohio (west)
National protected area
- Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 4,706 | — | |
| 1810 | 5,843 | 24.2% | |
| 1820 | 6,631 | 13.5% | |
| 1830 | 7,041 | 6.2% | |
| 1840 | 7,948 | 12.9% | |
| 1850 | 5,054 | −36.4% | |
| 1860 | 5,494 | 8.7% | |
| 1870 | 5,464 | −0.5% | |
| 1880 | 6,013 | 10.0% | |
| 1890 | 6,660 | 10.8% | |
| 1900 | 7,219 | 8.4% | |
| 1910 | 11,098 | 53.7% | |
| 1920 | 16,527 | 48.9% | |
| 1930 | 24,663 | 49.2% | |
| 1940 | 25,513 | 3.4% | |
| 1950 | 26,904 | 5.5% | |
| 1960 | 28,940 | 7.6% | |
| 1970 | 29,685 | 2.6% | |
| 1980 | 31,117 | 4.8% | |
| 1990 | 26,992 | −13.3% | |
| 2000 | 25,447 | −5.7% | |
| 2010 | 24,069 | −5.4% | |
| 2020 | 22,559 | −6.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 22,140 | −8.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 24,069 people, 10,020 households, and 6,636 families living in the county. The population density was 269.8 inhabitants per square mile (104.2/km2). There were 10,967 housing units at an average density of 122.9 units per square mile (47.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.0% white, 1.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.5% were German, 17.5% were Irish, 16.4% were Italian, 11.5% were English, 7.2% were American, 5.9% were Scotch-Irish, and 5.7% were Polish.
Of the 10,020 households, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 44.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,475 and the median income for a family was $52,528. Males had a median income of $39,065 versus $29,824 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,377. About 7.9% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Brooke County is the home of Bethany College which is the oldest private college in the state.
Communities
Cities
- Follansbee
- Weirton (part)
- Wellsburg (county seat)
Town
Villages
Magisterial districts
Current
- Follansbee
- Weirton
- Wellsburg
Historic
- Buffalo
- Cross Creek
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Brooke para niños
