Mingo County, West Virginia

Mingo County, West Virginia
Location in the state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1895
Seat	Williamson
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	424 sq mi (1,098 km²) 423 sq mi (1,096 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.24%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	28,253 67/sq mi (26/km²)
Website	www.mingocountywv.com/

Mingo County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,839.[1] Its county seat is Williamson^[1]. Created in 1895, Mingo is West Virginia's newest county. It is named for the historic Iroquoian Mingo people.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 424 square miles (1,097 km²), of which 423 square miles (1,095 km²) is land and 1 square mile (3 km²) (0.24%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 52
• U.S. Highway 119
• West Virginia Route 49
• West Virginia Route 65
• West Virginia Route 80

Adjacent counties

• Lincoln County (north)
• Logan County (northeast)
• Wyoming County (east)
• McDowell County (southeast)
• Pike County, Kentucky (west)
• Martin County, Kentucky (west)
• Wayne County (northwest)
• Buchanan County, Virginia (southeast)

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 28,253 people, 11,303 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 12,898 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.39% White, 2.34% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,303 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 25.20% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,347, and the median income for a family was $26,581. Males had a median income of $31,660 versus $18,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,445. About 25.90% of families and 29.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.90% of those under age 18 and 18.60% of those age 65 or over.

History

Mingo County is the newest county in the state, formed by an act of the state legislature in 1895 from parts of Logan County. Its founding was related to a legal protest by a moonshiner, who claimed that the Logan County Court that had found him guilty did not have jurisdiction over his case, because his still was actually located in Lincoln County. A land survey was taken and discovered that the defendant was correct. The charges were then refiled in Lincoln County court. Although the moonshiner was ultimately found guilty of his crime, the state legislature was made aware of the situation and determined that Logan County was too large for the expeditious administration of justice and decided to create a new county, called Mingo. The county was named in honor of the Mingo Native American tribe, which had been the earliest known settlers of the region.

The attempt to unionize coal miners in the county in the 1920s led to the Battle of Blair Mountain in neighboring Logan County.

Politically, Mingo County is well-known for its opposition to current President Barack Obama; in 2008, Obama netted only 8 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, one of his worst performances. In 2012, despite Obama being the presumptive nominee, Democrats in Mingo County voted for Keith Russell Judd, a convicted felon who was the only other candidate on the ballot, over Obama.^[3]

Notable residents

• Don Blankenship, president and CEO of Massey Energy
• H. Truman Chafin, state senator
• Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong
• James H. "Buck" Harless, a timber and coal operator via International Industries

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities and towns

• Town of Delbarton
• Town of Gilbert
• Town of Kermit
• Town of Matewan
• City of Williamson

Unincorporated communities

See also

• Elk Creek Wildlife Management Area
• Laurel Lake Wildlife Management Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mingo County, West Virginia

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Mathesian, Charles. How the felon won. The Politico. Retrieved May 9, 2012.

External links

• Mingo County official website
• Mingo County Board of Education
• Mingo County History
• East Fork VFD at Dingess, WV

	Wayne County	Lincoln County	Logan County
	Martin County, Kentucky and Pike County, Kentucky		Wyoming County
		Mingo County, West Virginia
			McDowell County and Buchanan County, Virginia

v t e Municipalities and communities of Mingo County, West Virginia, United States County seat: Williamson City Williamson Towns Delbarton Gilbert Kermit Matewan CDPs Chattaroy Gilbert Creek Justice Red Jacket Other communities Baisden Blackberry City Borderland Breeden Delorme Dingess Hampden Isaban‡ Kirk Lenore Lobata Meador Musick Myrtle Naugatuck Newtown Nolan North Matewan Pie Ragland Rawl Sprigg Thacker Varney Verner Vulcan Wharncliffe Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e  State of West Virginia Charleston (capital) Topics Cities Towns Villages Census-designated places History Geography People Governors Delegations Colleges and universities Visitor Attractions Regions Allegheny Mountains Allegheny Plateau Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Blue Ridge Charleston Metropolitan Area Cumberland Plateau Cumberland Mountains Eastern Panhandle Huntington Metropolitan Area North-Central West Virginia Northern Panhandle Potomac Highlands Ridge-and-valley Appalachians Shenandoah Valley Southern West Virginia Western West Virginia Major cities Charleston Huntington Parkersburg Morgantown Wheeling Smaller cities Beckley Bluefield Clarksburg Elkins Fairmont Martinsburg Weirton Counties Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan Marion Marshall Mason McDowell Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming

Coordinates: 37°44′N 82°08′W / 37.73°N 82.14°W / 37.73; -82.14