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Tyler County, West Virginia facts for kids

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Tyler County
U.S. county
Tyler County Courthouse in Middlebourne
Tyler County Courthouse in Middlebourne
Map of West Virginia highlighting Tyler County
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  West Virginia
Founded December 6, 1814
Named for John Tyler Sr.
Seat Middlebourne
Largest city Paden City
Area
 • Total 261 sq mi (680 km2)
 • Land 256 sq mi (660 km2)
 • Water 4.4 sq mi (11 km2)  1.7%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,313
 • Estimate 
(2021)
 8,155 Decrease
 • Density 31.85/sq mi (12.298/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Tyler County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,313. Its county seat is Middlebourne. The county was founded in 1814 and is named after John Tyler, Sr., father of President John Tyler.

History

The earliest white hunters (mainly of Scotch-Irish, English, and German descent) settled in what later became Tyler County in 1792 near the present town of Friendly. This area on the banks of the Ohio River was former Indian hunting grounds.

Tyler County was officially formed from a portion of what was then Ohio County, Virginia, on December 6, 1814. The following year, Middlebourne (founded 1798) became the county seat. This vast area was diminished over the years: in 1845 a small portion went the newly established Doddridge County; in 1846 the northern half went to make up the new Wetzel County; and in 1851 the southern third went to Pleasants County.

On June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Tyler was one of fifty Virginia counties that entered the Union as the state of West Virginia. Later that year, the 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. Tyler County was divided into six districts: Centreville, Ellsworth, Lincoln, McElroy, Meade, and Union. Except for minor adjustments, these districts were largely unchanged until the 1980s, when they were consolidated into four new magisterial districts: Central, North, South, and West. The names and boundaries of the historic magisterial districts continued to exist in the form of tax and assessment districts.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 261 square miles (680 km2), of which 256 square miles (660 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

  • WV 2
  • WV 18
  • WV 23
  • WV 74
  • WV 180

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1820 2,314 —
1830 4,104 77.4%
1840 6,954 69.4%
1850 5,498 −20.9%
1860 6,517 18.5%
1870 7,832 20.2%
1880 11,073 41.4%
1890 11,962 8.0%
1900 18,252 52.6%
1910 16,211 −11.2%
1920 14,186 −12.5%
1930 12,785 −9.9%
1940 12,559 −1.8%
1950 10,535 −16.1%
1960 10,026 −4.8%
1970 9,929 −1.0%
1980 11,320 14.0%
1990 9,796 −13.5%
2000 9,592 −2.1%
2010 9,208 −4.0%
2020 8,313 −9.7%
2021 (est.) 8,155 −11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,313 people and 2,894 households residing in the county. There were 4,119 housing units in Tyler. The racial makeup of the county was 96% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.04% African American, 0.03% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.6% of the population.

Of the 2,894 households, 50.1% were married couples living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse present, 17.6% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.75. The median age in the county was 48.1 years with 19.5% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $50,601 and the poverty rate was 12%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 9,208 people, 3,858 households, and 2,638 families living in the county. The population density was 35.9 inhabitants per square mile (13.9/km2). There were 5,000 housing units at an average density of 19.5 units per square mile (7.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 99.0% white, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.0% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.3% were German, 16.1% were English, 12.7% were Irish, and 11.8% were American.

Of the 3,858 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.6% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 45.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,496 and the median income for a family was $42,209. Males had a median income of $37,414 versus $25,335 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,245. About 12.9% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

Festivals

  • Sisters Fest, Sistersville, mid-March
  • Tyler County Fair, Middlebourne, early August
  • Heroes Day, Sistersville, early September
  • West Virginia Oil & Gas Festival, Sistersville, mid-September
  • Sistersville Marble Festival, Sistersville, late September
  • Middle Island Harvest Festival, Middlebourne, early October

Historical

  • Sistersville Ferry, Sistersville
  • Tyler County Museum, Middlebourne. Previously Tyler County High School, replaced by Tyler Consolidated High School in 1993
  • Wells Inn, Sistersville

Natural

  • Conaway Run Lake Wildlife Management Area, near Centerville (man-made)
  • The Jug Wildlife Management Area, near Middlebourne

Other attractions

Communities

Magisterial districts

Current

  • Central
  • North
  • South
  • West

Historic

  • Centreville
  • Ellsworth
  • Lincoln
  • McElroy
  • Meade
  • Union

Cities, Towns, and Villages

Unincorporated Communities

A
B
C
D
E
F
I
J
K
L
M
P
S
T
V
W

Notable people

  • Wilbur Cooper (1892-1973) — Major League Baseball pitcher (1912–26), who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Born on Davis Run.
  • Arthur I. Boreman (1823–96) — West Virginia's first governor, moved to Middlebourne as an infant. He received his education and was admitted to the bar while resident here in 1845.
  • Cecil H. Underwood (1922-2008) — Twice governor of West Virginia, he was the 25th and 32nd Governor of West Virginia, from 1957 until 1961 and from 1997 until 2001. He was born in Josephs Mills and graduated from Middlebourne High School in 1940.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Tyler (Virginia Occidental) para niños

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