Preston County, West Virginia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Preston County

County

Preston County Courthouse

Arthurdale New Deal Community

Cheat River

Cranesville Swamp Preserve

James Clark McGrew House in Kingwood

Flag

Seal

Location of Preston County in West Virginia

West Virginia's location within the U.S.

Founded

January 19, 1818

Named for

James Patton Preston

Seat

Kingwood

and Largest city

Area

• Total

1,690 km² (651 sq mi)

• Land

1,680 km² (649 sq mi)

• Water

7 km² (2.6 sq mi) 0.4%

Area rank

8th

Population

(2020)

• Total

34,216

• Estimate

(2021)

34,358

• Rank

15th

• Density

20.293/km² (52.56/sq mi)

• Summer (DST)

304, 681

Congressional district

2nd

Senate district

14th

House of Delegates district

83rd, 84th

Website

http://www.prestoncountywv.org/

Preston County is a place in West Virginia, USA. In 2020, about 34,216 people lived there. Its main town, called the county seat, is Kingwood.

The county was created in 1818 from Monongalia County. It was named after James Patton Preston, who was a governor of Virginia. Preston County is near Morgantown and is also part of the Pittsburgh media area. It is famous for The Buckwheat Festival, a county fair known for making delicious buckwheat pancakes.

History of Preston County
- Preston County During the Civil War
Geography of Preston County
People of Preston County
- 2020 Census Information
- 2010 Census Information
Towns and Communities
Images for kids
See also

History of Preston County

Native Americans lived in and traveled through the area that is now Preston County. They moved between the Ohio River and the Chesapeake Bay areas. European traders and explorers started living here around 1736. A special stone, the Fairfax Stone, was placed in 1746 to mark a boundary.

More white settlers began arriving in 1766, especially after the American Revolutionary War. These settlers traveled by foot or horseback and built their own log cabins. The county grew more after 1818 when the National Road was built nearby. When the first railroads arrived in 1851, the population grew by 70% in just ten years, and industries began to develop.

Preston County During the Civil War

During the American Civil War, more men from Preston County joined the Union army than the Confederate army. There were very few slave owners in Preston County, and therefore, very few enslaved people. Records from 1830 show that Preston County had 125 enslaved people and 27 free Black people. This was the highest number of enslaved people ever recorded in the county.

On June 20, 1863, Preston County became part of the new state of West Virginia. West Virginia was formed from 50 counties that separated from Virginia and joined the Union. Later that year, counties were divided into smaller areas called townships to help with local government. This didn't work well in rural West Virginia, so in 1872, townships became "magisterial districts." Preston County had eight districts: Grant, Kingwood, Lyon, Pleasant, Portland, Reno, Union, and Valley. These stayed mostly the same until the 1990s, when they were combined into five new districts.

Geography of Preston County

Preston County covers about 651 square miles. Most of this (649 square miles) is land, and a small part (2.6 square miles) is water.

In January 1977, Terra Alta in Preston County had a record snowfall of 104 inches. This was the most snow recorded in West Virginia during that month.

Main Roads in Preston County

Interstate 68
U.S. Highway 50
U.S. Route 219
West Virginia Route 7
West Virginia Route 24
West Virginia Route 26
West Virginia Route 72
West Virginia Route 92

Neighboring Counties

Preston County shares borders with these other counties:

Protected Natural Areas

Monongahela National Forest (part)
Cathedral State Park (also a National Natural Landmark)
Fairfax Stone State Park

People of Preston County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	3,422	—
1830	5,144	50.3%
1840	6,866	33.5%
1850	11,708	70.5%
1860	13,312	13.7%
1870	14,555	9.3%
1880	19,091	31.2%
1890	20,355	6.6%
1900	22,727	11.7%
1910	26,341	15.9%
1920	27,996	6.3%
1930	29,043	3.7%
1940	30,416	4.7%
1950	31,399	3.2%
1960	27,233	−13.3%
1970	25,455	−6.5%
1980	30,460	19.7%
1990	29,037	−4.7%
2000	29,334	1.0%
2010	33,520	14.3%
2020	34,216	2.1%
2021 (est.)	34,358	2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census Information

In 2020, there were 34,216 people living in Preston County. There were 12,510 households, which are groups of people living together. Most people (90.1%) were White. About 6% were African American, and smaller numbers were Asian or Native American. About 2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had 3.04 people. The average age in the county was 43.5 years old. About 19% of the people were under 18. The average income for a household was $55,755. About 14.4% of the people lived below the poverty line.

2010 Census Information

In 2010, there were 33,520 people in Preston County. Most people (97.6%) were White. About 1.1% were Black or African American. The main backgrounds of people included German (29.4%), Irish (14.3%), American (9.5%), and English (8.9%).

About 29% of households had children under 18. The average age was 42.0 years. The average income for a household was $40,753. About 13.9% of the population lived below the poverty line.