Doddridge County, West Virginia

Doddridge County, West Virginia
Location in the state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1845
Seat	West Union
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	320 sq mi (829 km²) 320 sq mi (829 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.02%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	7,403 23/sq mi (9/km²)
Website	www.doddridgecounty.wv.gov/

The Doddridge County Courthouse in West Union

Doddridge County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,202. [1] Its county seat is West Union. Doddridge County was created in 1845 from parts of Harrison, Tyler, Ritchie, and Lewis Counties, and named for Philip Doddridge (1773–1832), a distinguished statesman of Western Virginia, who spent the greater part of his life in Brooke County, West Virginia.

Doddridge County is part of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 320 square miles (828.8 km²), of which 0.02% is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 50
• West Virginia Route 18
• West Virginia Route 23

Adjacent counties

• Wetzel County (north)
• Harrison County (east)
• Lewis County (southeast)
• Gilmer County (south)
• Ritchie County (west)
• Tyler County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	2,750		—
1860	5,203		89.2%
1870	7,076		36.0%
1880	10,552		49.1%
1890	12,183		15.5%
1900	13,689		12.4%
1910	12,672		−7.4%
1920	11,976		−5.5%
1930	10,488		−12.4%
1940	10,923		4.1%
1950	9,026		−17.4%
1960	6,970		−22.8%
1970	6,389		−8.3%
1980	7,433		16.3%
1990	6,994		−5.9%
2000	7,403		5.8%

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,403 people, 2,845 households, and 2,102 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,661 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.31% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,845 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,744, and the median income for a family was $30,502. Males had a median income of $26,902 versus $20,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,507. About 15.30% of families and 19.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

• West Union

Other communities

• Center Point
• New Milton
• Smithburg
• Ashley, West Virginia

Notable natives

• Matthew M. Neely, only West Virginian to serve in both houses of the United States Congress and as Governor.
• J. H. Diss DeBar, designed the Great Seal and Coat of Arms of West Virginia.

References

Other sources

• Corathers, Lily Smith (1927), History of Nutter's Fork Community; Doddridge County Agricultural Extension Division.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Doddridge County, West Virginia
• North Bend Rail Trail

External links

• Doddridge County Public Library
• Doddridge County Fair Commission, Inc.
• Doddridge County Community Foundation
• WVGenWeb Doddridge County
• WVU Doddridge County Extension Service