Upshur County, West Virginia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Upshur County
U.S. county
The Upshur County Courthouse, designed by architect Harrison Albright pictured in Buckhannon in 2006
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	March 26, 1851
Named for	Abel Parker Upshur
Seat	Buckhannon
Largest city	Buckhannon
Area
• Total	355 sq mi (920 km2)
• Land	355 sq mi (920 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.03%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,816
• Estimate  (2021)	23,791
• Density	67.09/sq mi (25.90/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Upshur County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,816. Its county seat is Buckhannon. The county was formed in 1851 from Randolph, Barbour, and Lewis counties and named for Abel Parker Upshur, a distinguished statesman and jurist of Virginia. Upshur served as United States Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy under President John Tyler.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 355 square miles (920 km²), of which 354.9 square miles (919 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.03%) is water. The county falls within the United States National Radio Quiet Zone. The highest elevation in Upshur County is 3,160 feet, near Sugar Run on the Randolph and Upshur County lines just outside Palace Valley and Hemlock. It is reported there as an elevation marker at the site.

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. Upshur County was divided into six districts: Banks, Buckhannon, Meade, Union, Warren, and Washington. In the 1990s, the six historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new districts: First, Second, and Third.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 33
• U.S. Highway 48
• U.S. Highway 119
• West Virginia Route 4
• West Virginia Route 20

Adjacent counties

• Harrison County (north)
• Barbour County (northeast)
• Randolph County (southeast)
• Webster County (south)
• Lewis County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 23,816 people and 9,599 households residing in the county. There were 11,178 housing units in Upshur County. The racial makeup of the city was 94.4% White, 0.9% African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 26,143 households, of which 44.8% were married couples living together, 28% had a female householder with no spouse present,19.5% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 2.94. The median age in the county was 41.9 years with 20.8% of the population under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $44,470 and the poverty rate was 20%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 24,254 people, 9,619 households, and 6,528 families living in the county. The population density was 68.4 inhabitants per square mile (26.4/km²). There were 11,099 housing units at an average density of 31.3 units per square mile (12.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.1% were German, 13.8% were American, 10.6% were Irish, and 8.6% were English.

Of the 9,619 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.1% were non-families, and 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 40.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,114 and the median income for a family was $44,937. Males had a median income of $36,517 versus $25,420 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,823. About 14.1% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Buckhannon (county seat)

Magisterial districts

Current

• First
• Second
• Third

Historic

Upshur County was divided into six townships on July 31, 1863. They were replaced in the 1990s.

• Banks District, named for Nathaniel Prentiss Banks
• Buckhannon District, named for the county seat, the City of Buckhannon
• Meade District, named for General George Gordon Meade
• Union District, named for military soldiers serving the Union cause
• Warren District, named for Gouverneur Kemble Warren
• Washington District, named for President George Washington

Unincorporated communities

Economy

Economy includes coal mining and timber, as well as higher education—the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon is home to the small, private, liberal arts institution West Virginia Wesleyan College. The West Virginia State Wildlife Center in French Creek also generates some income as a popular tourist attraction. Upshur County also gained international attention during the Sago Mine disaster in 2006; the blast and ensuing aftermath trapped 13 coal miners for nearly two days, only one of whom survived.

See also

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