Grant County, West Virginia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grant County
County
Old Grant County Courthouse in Petersburg Smoke Hole Caverns Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park Rolling countryside in southern Grant County
Seal Logo
Location of Grant County in West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	February 6, 1866
Named for	Ulysses S. Grant
Seat	Petersburg
and largest city
Area
• Total	1,200 km2 (480 sq mi)
• Land	1,240 km2 (477 sq mi)
• Water	8 km2 (2.9 sq mi)  0.6%
Area rank	19th
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,976
• Estimate  (2021)	10,983
• Rank	42nd
• Density	8.83/km2 (22.87/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code(s)	304, 681
Congressional district	2nd
Senate district	14th
House of Delegates district	85th
Website	https://www.grantcountywv.org

Grant County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,976. Its county seat is Petersburg. The county was created from Hardy County in 1866 and named for Civil War General and the 18th president of the United States Ulysses S. Grant.

History

The territory that became Grant County in 1866 was originally part of Hampshire County, the oldest county formed within the present boundaries of West Virginia, in 1754. In 1786, Hardy County was formed from the southern portion of Hampshire County. The county's boundaries were relatively stable from 1788 until 1866, when Grant County was formed from the western portion of Hardy. The first counties formed in the state following the admission of West Virginia to the Union were Grant and Mineral in 1866, the latter formed from the western portion of Hampshire County, and thus adjoining Grant. They were the fifty-first and fifty-second counties in West Virginia, and only Lincoln, Summers, and Mingo were created after them.

Beginning 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. Between its establishment and 1870, Grant County was divided into three townships: Grant, Milroy, and Union, which became magisterial districts in 1872.

Grant County Bank, Petersburg

Most of the 47 people killed in the 1985 Election day floods were in Pendleton and Grant counties, according to the National Weather Service. At Franklin, the Pendleton County seat, the South Branch of the Potomac River crested at 22.6 feet during the incident. Flood stage in the shallow riverbed was only 7 feet.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 480 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 477 square miles (1,240 km²) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

US 48 in Grant County

• U.S. Route 48
• U.S. Route 50
• U.S. Route 220
• West Virginia Route 28
• West Virginia Route 42
• West Virginia Route 55
• West Virginia Route 93

Adjacent counties

• Mineral County (northeast)
• Hardy County (east)
• Pendleton County (south)
• Randolph County (southwest)
• Tucker County (west)
• Preston County (northwest)
• Garrett County, Maryland (northwest)

National protected areas

• Monongahela National Forest (part)
• Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,976 people and 4,147 households residing in the county. There were 5,598 housing units in Preston. The racial makeup of the county was 95.6% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.8% of the population.

Of the 12,510 households, 48.9% were married couples living together, 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse present, 23.1% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.49. The median age in the county was 46.3 years with 19.6% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $47,224 and the poverty rate was 12.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 11,937 people, 4,941 households, and 3,435 families living in the county. The population density was 25.0 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km²). There were 6,366 housing units at an average density of 13.3 units per square mile (5.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.9% were German, 15.0% were American, 9.3% were Irish, and 5.3% were English.

Of the 4,941 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.5% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 44.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,593 and the median income for a family was $46,193. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $24,643 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,358. About 10.6% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Petersburg (county seat)

Town

• Bayard

Magisterial districts

• Grant
• Milroy
• Union

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Grant (Virginia Occidental) para niños