Lincoln County, West Virginia

Lincoln County, West Virginia
Location in the state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1867
Seat	Hamlin
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	439 sq mi (1,137 km²) 437 sq mi (1,132 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.26%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	21,720
Website	www.lincolncountywv.org

The Lincoln County Courthouse in Hamlin in 2007

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,720. [1] Its county seat is Hamlin. The county was named for Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln County is part of the Charleston, WV metropolitan area, which had an estimated a 2006 Census population estimate of 305,526 people.

History

Lincoln County was created by an act of the West Virginia Legislature on February 23, 1867, from parts of Boone, Cabell, Kanawha and Putnam counties.

Jesse, John, David, William, and Moses McComas were the first English settlers in what is now Lincoln County. They cultivated 20 acres (81,000 m²) of corn, the first ever grown in the area, in 1799. Later that year, they returned to eastern Virginia to get their families. Their families were initially left behind because it was not known if there were any hostile Native Americans in the area, or if the soil would be suitable for cultivation. John Lucas, William Hinch, and John Johnson soon joined the McComas' in the county. They built cabins in the county around 1800.

After the Civil War, there was an effort by former Confederates to rename the area "Davis County" after Confederate president Jefferson Davis, but the effort proved fruitless.^{[citation needed]}

Notable natives

• Charles "Chuck" Yeager (b. 1923) — U.S. Air Force test pilot and retired brigadier general, most notable as the first man to break the sound barrier (1948)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 439 square miles (1,136 km²), of which 437 square miles (1,133 km²) is land and 1 square mile (3 km²) (0.26%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 119
• West Virginia Route 3
• West Virginia Route 10
• West Virginia Route 34
• West Virginia Route 37

Adjacent counties

• Putnam County (north)
• Kanawha County (northeast)
• Boone County (southeast)
• Logan County (south)
• Mingo County (southwest)
• Wayne County (west)
• Cabell County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	5,053		—
1880	8,739		72.9%
1890	11,246		28.7%
1900	15,434		37.2%
1910	20,491		32.8%
1920	19,378		−5.4%
1930	19,156		−1.1%
1940	22,886		19.5%
1950	22,466		−1.8%
1960	20,267		−9.8%
1970	18,912		−6.7%
1980	23,675		25.2%
1990	21,382		−9.7%
2000	22,108		3.4%
2010	21,720		−1.8%

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,108 people, 8,664 households, and 6,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 9,846 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.04% White, 0.06% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,664 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,662, and the median income for a family was $28,297. Males had a median income of $30,810 versus $18,270 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,073. About 22.80% of families and 27.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.60% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

• Hamlin
• West Hamlin
• Sod, West Virginia

Census-designated places

• Alum Creek (part)
• Harts

Other communities

Alkol Atenville Big Ugly Branchland

Dollie Eden Park Ferrellsburg Fourteen

Fry Gill Green Shoal Griffithsville

Leet Midkiff Pleasantview Ranger

Rector Sod Spurlockville Sumerco

Sweetland Warren Wewanta Yawkey

See also

• Big Ugly Wildlife Management Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln County, West Virginia

External links

• Lincoln County Portal