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Roane County, West Virginia facts for kids

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Roane County
Robey Theatre in Spencer
Robey Theatre in Spencer
Flag of Roane County
Flag
Official seal of Roane County
Seal
Map of West Virginia highlighting Roane County
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  West Virginia
Founded March 11, 1856
Named for Spencer Roane
Seat Spencer
Largest city Spencer
Area
 • Total 484 sq mi (1,250 km2)
 • Land 484 sq mi (1,250 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.03%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 14,028
 • Estimate 
(2021)
13,898
 • Density 28.983/sq mi (11.191/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Roane County is a county located in the state of West Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 count, about 14,028 people lived there. Its main town, or county seat, is Spencer. The county was started in 1856 and is named after a person named Spencer Roane.

History of Roane County

Roane County was officially created on March 11, 1856. This happened because of a decision by the Virginia General Assembly, which was like the state's law-making group. The county was named after Spencer Roane, who was an important judge from Virginia. He was born on April 4, 1762. The county's main town, Spencer, was also named after Judge Roane.

During the American Civil War, on June 20, 1863, Roane County became part of the new state of West Virginia. West Virginia was formed from fifty counties that left Virginia to join the Union. After this, counties were divided into smaller areas called civil townships. This was done to help local governments work better. But it was hard to make this work in West Virginia because it had many rural areas. So, in 1872, these townships were changed into magisterial districts.

Roane County was first split into seven districts: Curtis, Geary, Harper, Reedy, Smithfield, Spencer, and Walton. These districts stayed mostly the same for over 100 years. In the 1980s, they were combined into three new districts: Northern, Eastern, and Western. A fourth district, Southern, was added in the 1990s.

Geography of Roane County

Roane County covers a total area of about 484 square miles. Almost all of this area is land, with only a tiny bit (0.2 square miles) being water.

Main Roads in Roane County

  • I-79 (WV).svg Interstate 79
  • US 33.svg U.S. Highway 33
  • US 119.svg U.S. Highway 119
  • WV-14.svg West Virginia Route 14
  • WV-36.svg West Virginia Route 36

Neighboring Counties

Roane County shares borders with these other counties:

People of Roane County

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 5,381
1870 7,232 34.4%
1880 12,184 68.5%
1890 15,303 25.6%
1900 19,852 29.7%
1910 21,543 8.5%
1920 20,129 −6.6%
1930 19,478 −3.2%
1940 20,787 6.7%
1950 18,408 −11.4%
1960 15,720 −14.6%
1970 14,111 −10.2%
1980 15,952 13.0%
1990 15,120 −5.2%
2000 15,446 2.2%
2010 14,926 −3.4%
2020 14,028 −6.0%
2021 (est.) 13,898 −6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

What the 2010 Census Showed

In 2010, there were 14,926 people living in Roane County. There were 6,195 households and 4,193 families. On average, there were about 31 people per square mile.

Most people in the county were white (98.4%). A small number were Asian (0.3%), American Indian (0.2%), or Black (0.1%). About 0.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background. Many people had ancestors from America (20.7%), Ireland (17.9%), Germany (15.3%), or England (9.1%).

About 28.9% of households had children under 18 living with them. More than half (53.2%) were married couples. The average age of people in the county was 43.5 years old.

The average yearly income for a household was $27,428, and for a family, it was $35,289. About 27.6% of all people, and 41.5% of those under 18, lived below the poverty line.

Communities in Roane County

City

  • Spencer (This is the main town, or county seat)

Town

Magisterial Districts

Current Districts

  • Northern
  • Southern
  • Eastern
  • Western

Historic Districts

  • Curtis
  • Geary
  • Harper
  • Reedy
  • Smithfield
  • Spencer
  • Walton

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or towns:

Famous People from Roane County

  • William Franklin "Frank" George (1928-2017), a well-known old-time fiddler and expert in local traditions.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Roane (Virginia Occidental) para niños

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