Calhoun County, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Calhoun County
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The Calhoun County Courthouse in Grantsville
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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 | March 5, 1856 | |
| Named for | John C. Calhoun | |
| Seat | Grantsville | |
| Largest town | Grantsville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 281 sq mi (730 km2) | |
| • Land | 279 sq mi (720 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.4 sq mi (4 km2) 0.5%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,229 | |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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6,176  |
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| • Density | 22.17/sq mi (8.559/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,229, making it the third-least populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is Grantsville. The county was founded in 1856 and named for South Carolina politician John C. Calhoun.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 281 square miles (730 km2), of which 279 square miles (720 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.5%) is water.
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. Calhoun County was divided into five districts: Centre, Lee, Sheridan, Sherman, and Washington. Between 1980 and 1990, the county was reorganized into five new magisterial districts: District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, and District 5.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 33/U.S. Highway 119
West Virginia Route 5
West Virginia Route 16
Adjacent counties
- Ritchie County (north)
- Gilmer County (east)
- Braxton County (southeast)
- Clay County (south)
- Roane County (west)
- Wirt County (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,502 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,939 | 17.5% | |
| 1880 | 6,072 | 106.6% | |
| 1890 | 8,155 | 34.3% | |
| 1900 | 10,266 | 25.9% | |
| 1910 | 11,258 | 9.7% | |
| 1920 | 10,268 | −8.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,866 | 5.8% | |
| 1940 | 12,455 | 14.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,259 | −17.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,948 | −22.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,046 | −11.3% | |
| 1980 | 8,250 | 17.1% | |
| 1990 | 7,885 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 7,582 | −3.8% | |
| 2010 | 7,627 | 0.6% | |
| 2020 | 6,229 | −18.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 6,176 | −19.0% | |
| 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 7,627 people, 3,268 households, and 2,178 families living in the county. The population density was 27.3 inhabitants per square mile (10.5/km2). There were 3,963 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.4% were German, 21.3% were Irish, 7.7% were American, 7.3% were English, and 5.7% were Dutch.
Of the 3,268 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 45.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,922 and the median income for a family was $34,897. Males had a median income of $32,229 versus $20,707 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,121. About 13.2% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
Calhoun County is home to four public parks: The Upper West Fork Park in Chloe on West Virginia Route 16, the West Fork Park in Arnoldsburg on U.S. Route 33, Mt. Zion Park on West Virginia Route 16, and Calhoun County Park on West Virginia Route 16.
Calhoun is home to the annual West Virginia Wood Festival, the West Virginia Molasses Festival in September.
Calhoun County was home to one of the last 500 drive-in theaters in the nation, now closed. Calhoun also has one of the largest genealogy collections in the state, housed at Calhoun County Library. The library is also home to the "West Virginia Room" which includes books on West Virginia and by West Virginians.
Communities
Town
- Grantsville (county seat)
Magisterial districts
- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
Unincorporated communities
- Adam
- Altizer
- Annamoriah
- Arnoldsburg
- Ayers
- Beech
- Big Springs
- Bigbend
- Cabot Station
- Chloe
- Cremo
- Dodrill
- Douglas
- Euclid
- Five Forks
- Freed
- Hathaway
- Hattie
- Henrietta
- Hur
- Joker
- Leatherbark
- Liberty Hill
- Millstone
- Milo
- Minnora
- Mount Zion
- Mudfork
- Nicut
- Nobe
- Oka
- Orma
- Pink
- Pleasant Hill
- Purdy
- Rhoda
- Richardson
- Russet
- Sand Ridge
- Stinson
- Sycamore
- White Pine
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Calhoun (Virginia Occidental) para niños
