Monongalia County, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monongalia County
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Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
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 West Virginia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  West Virginia |
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| Founded | October 9, 1776 | ||
| Named for | Latin name for the Monongahela River | ||
| Seat | Morgantown | ||
| Largest city | Morgantown | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 366 sq mi (950 km2) | ||
| • Land | 360 sq mi (900 km2) | ||
| • Water | 5.8 sq mi (15 km2) 1.6%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 105,822 | ||
| • Estimate
(2021)
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106,387  |
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| • Density | 296/sq mi (114/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 1st | ||
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Morgantown. The county was founded in 1776. Monongalia County is included in the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the largest county in North-Central West Virginia. It is part of the Pittsburgh media market.
Contents
History
Monongalia County takes its name from the Monongahela River. The name Monongalia may be a misspelling of Monongahela. Alternatively, the conventional Latinate ending "-ia" (designating "land of..." or "country of..." — as in Arabia, Bolivia or Colombia) may have been added to Monongahela (i.e., "Land of the Monongahela").
Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when Virginia's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. Ohio County then encompassed most of the western region of the district bordering the Ohio River, including parts of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania. Yohogania County consisted of much of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania and the present counties of Hancock and the northern part of Brooke in West Virginia. Monongalia County also encompassed what are now the counties of Tucker, Randolph, Marion, Harrison and Barbour in north-central West Virginia, as well as parts of what are now Washington, Greene and Fayette Counties in Pennsylvania. In 1780, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson gave the militia enrollment of what was then the vast Monongalia County at 1,000 troops.
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. Monongalia County was divided into seven districts: Battelle, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Grant, Morgan, and Union. After a century of relative stability, in the 1970s Monongalia's seven historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new Districts: Central, Eastern, and Western.
Geography
Adjacent counties
- Fayette County, Pennsylvania (northeast)
- Greene County, Pennsylvania (north)
- Marion County (south)
- Preston County (east)
- Taylor County (southeast)
- Wetzel County (west)
Major highways
Rivers, streams, and lakes
- Aarons Creek
- Cam Harker Spring
- Cheat Lake
- Cheat River
- Deckers Creek
- Dunkard Creek
- Jakes Run
- Monongahela River
Ridges
- Henderson Ridge
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 4,768 | — | |
| 1800 | 8,540 | 79.1% | |
| 1810 | 12,793 | 49.8% | |
| 1820 | 11,060 | −13.5% | |
| 1830 | 14,056 | 27.1% | |
| 1840 | 17,368 | 23.6% | |
| 1850 | 12,387 | −28.7% | |
| 1860 | 13,048 | 5.3% | |
| 1870 | 13,547 | 3.8% | |
| 1880 | 14,985 | 10.6% | |
| 1890 | 15,705 | 4.8% | |
| 1900 | 19,049 | 21.3% | |
| 1910 | 24,334 | 27.7% | |
| 1920 | 33,618 | 38.2% | |
| 1930 | 50,083 | 49.0% | |
| 1940 | 51,252 | 2.3% | |
| 1950 | 60,797 | 18.6% | |
| 1960 | 55,617 | −8.5% | |
| 1970 | 63,714 | 14.6% | |
| 1980 | 75,024 | 17.8% | |
| 1990 | 75,509 | 0.6% | |
| 2000 | 81,866 | 8.4% | |
| 2010 | 96,189 | 17.5% | |
| 2020 | 105,822 | 10.0% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 106,387 | 10.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 105,882 people and 42,710 households residing in the city. There were 49,881 housing units in Monongalia County. The racial makeup of the county was 85% White, 3.9% African American, 3.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% from other races, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 42,710 households, of which 41% were married couples living together, 25.4% had a male householder with no spouse present, 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse present.The average household and family size was 3.06. The median age in the county was 33 years. The median income for a household in the county was $56,374.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 96,189 people, 39,777 households, and 20,032 families living in the county. The population density was 267.1 inhabitants per square mile (103.1/km2). There were 43,238 housing units at an average density of 120.1 per square mile (46.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.0% white, 3.6% black or African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.7% were German, 17.1% were Irish, 13.0% were English, 11.0% were Italian, 7.5% were American, and 5.0% were Polish.
Of the 39,777 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 49.6% were non-families, and 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 29.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,167 and the median income for a family was $62,966. Males had a median income of $43,383 versus $32,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,116. About 8.6% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The county's public schools are operated by Monongalia County Schools. The county is also home to West Virginia's largest university, West Virginia University, located in Morgantown.
Communities
Cities
- Morgantown (county seat)
- Westover
Towns
Magisterial districts
- Central
- Eastern
- Western
Census-designated places
- Brookhaven
- Cassville
- Cheat Lake
- Pentress
Unincorporated communities
- Arnettsville
- Baker Ridge
- Behler
- Bertha Hill
- Booth
- Bowlby
- Brewer Hill
- Browns Chapel
- Bula
- Canyon
- Cheat Neck
- Chestnut Ridge
- Clinton Furnace
- Core
- Crossroads
- Crown
- Daybrook
- Dellslow
- Delmar
- Easton
- Edna
- Everettville
- Fieldcrest
- Flaggy Meadow
- Fort Grand
- Fort Martin
- Georgetown
- Greer
- Greystone
- Gum Spring
- Hagans
- Halleck
- Harmony Grove
- Hilderbrand
- Hoard
- Hog Eye
- Holman
- Hunting Hills
- Jaco
- Jakes Run
- Jere
- Kimberly
- Klondike
- Laurel Point
- Little Falls
- Lowsville
- Macdale
- Maidsville
- Maple
- McCurdyville
- McMellin
- Miracle Run
- Mooresville
- Morgan Heights
- National
- New Hill
- Opekiska
- Osage
- Osgood
- Pedlar
- Pierpont
- Pioneer Rocks
- Price
- Price Hill
- Pursglove
- Ragtown
- Randall
- Richard
- Ridgedale
- Ringgold
- Rock Forge
- Rosedale
- Sabraton
- Saint Cloud
- Saint Leo
- Sandy
- Smithtown
- Stewartstown
- Suncrest Lake
- Sunset Beach
- Sturgisson
- The Mileground
- Triune
- Tyrone
- Uffington
- Van Voorhis
- Wadestown
- Wana
- West Sabraton
- West Van Voorhis
- Worley
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Monongalia (Virginia Occidental) para niños
