| Fayette County, West Virginia | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of West Virginia |
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 West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1831 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Fayetteville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
668 sq mi (1,730 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.66% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
47,579 73/sq mi (28/km²) |
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 47,579. Its county seat is Fayetteville[1].
Contents |
History
Fayette County was created by Act of the Virginia General Assembly, passed February 28, 1831, from parts of Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, and Logan counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette, who had played a key role assisting the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
A substantial portion was subdivided from Fayette County to form Raleigh County in 1850. Fayette was one of 50 counties that broke off from the rest of Virginia and formed the new state of West Virginia during the American Civil War. In 1871, an Act of the West Virginia Legislature severed a small portion was taken to form part of Summers County. [2]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 668 square miles (1,731 km²), of which, 664 square miles (1,720 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 64/Interstate 77
U.S. Highway 19
U.S. Highway 60
West Virginia Route 16
West Virginia Route 41
West Virginia Route 61
Adjacent counties
- Nicholas County (north)
- Greenbrier County (east)
- Summers County (southeast)
- Raleigh County (south)
- Kanawha County (west)
National protected areas
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.74% White, 5.57% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,945 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,788, and the median income for a family was $30,243. Males had a median income of $28,554 versus $18,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,809. About 18.20% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Incorporated cities and towns
Unincorporated communities
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Politics
The county had traditionally been Democratic in the Presidential election, but had been shifting Republican since at least 2000. In 2008 John McCain became the first Republican to win the county since Richard Nixon in 1972.[4][5]
See also
- Babcock State Park
- Beury Mountain Wildlife Management Area
- Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area
- Hawks Nest State Park
- Bridge Day
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://burgesslegacy.org/fayette/chapter_i.htm
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ St. Petersburg Times Project site
- ^ Dave Leip's Atlas
External links
- Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
- Fayette County Schools
- Fayette County Public Libraries
- WVGenWeb Fayette County
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Nicholas County |
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| Kanawha County |  |
Greenbrier County | |||||
 Fayette County, West Virginia  |
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| Raleigh County | Summers County |
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