Lewis County, West Virginia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lewis County
U.S. county
Lewis County Courthouse
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	December 18, 1816
Seat	Weston
Largest city	Weston
Area
• Total	390 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Land	385 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Water	4.8 sq mi (12 km2)  1.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,033
• Estimate  (2021)	16,892
• Density	43.7/sq mi (16.86/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,033. Its county seat is Weston. The county was formed in 1816 from Harrison County and named for Col. Charles Lewis (1733–1774), a Virginian killed in the Battle of Point Pleasant.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 390 square miles (1,000 km²), of which 385 square miles (1,000 km²) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km²) (1.2%) is water.

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. Lewis County was initially divided into five townships: Battelle, Jane Lew, Lincoln, Sheridan, and Willey. Between 1870 and '80, these were renamed "Collins Settlement", "Court House", "Freemans Creek", "Hackers Creek", and "Skin Creek". In the 1990s, Collins Settlement and Court House Districts were consolidated into one district, known as "Courthouse-Collins Settlement"; Hackers Creek and Skin Creek were also consolidated, forming "Hackers Creek-Skin Creek".

Major highways

• Interstate 79
• U.S. Highway 19
• U.S. Highway 48
• U.S. Highway 33/119
• West Virginia Route 4

Adjacent counties

• Harrison County (north)
• Upshur County (east)
• Webster County (south)
• Braxton County (southwest)
• Gilmer County (west)
• Doddridge County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,033 people and 6,662 households residing in the county. There were 8,204 housing units in Lewis County. The racial makeup of the city was 94.5% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 26,143 households, of which 48.6% were married couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, 20.8% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.13. The median age in the city was 43.6 years with 21.2% of the population was under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $45,345 and the poverty rate was 17.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,372 people, 6,863 households, and 4,570 families living in the county. The population density was 42.5 inhabitants per square mile (16.4/km²). There were 7,958 housing units at an average density of 20.7 units per square mile (8.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.9% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were American, 15.0% were German, 9.9% were Irish, and 7.2% were English.

Of the 6,863 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 43.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,293 and the median income for a family was $42,281. Males had a median income of $31,950 versus $25,945 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,240. About 13.6% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Weston (county seat)

Town

• Jane Lew

Magisterial districts

• Courthouse-Collins Settlement
• Freemans Creek
• Hackers Creek-Skin Creek

Unincorporated communities

See also

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