Tucker County, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tucker County
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Tucker County Courthouse in Parsons
Fernow Experimental Forest
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Location of Tucker County in 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 | March 7, 1856 | |
| Named for | Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. | |
| Seat | Parsons | |
| and largest city | ||
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,090 km2 (421 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 1,090 km2 (419 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 5 km2 (2.1 sq mi) 0.5% | |
| Area rank | 28th | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,762 | |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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6,672  |
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| • Rank | 52nd | |
| • Density | 6.201/km2 (16.062/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Area code(s) | 304, 681 | |
| Congressional district | 2nd | |
| Senate district | 14th | |
| House of Delegates district | 85th | |
| Website | https://tuckercountycommission.com/ | |
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Tucker County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,762, making it West Virginia's fourth-least populous county. Its county seat is Parsons. The county was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, was transferred to Tucker County. The county was named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia.
Contents
History
Tucker County was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1861, as a result of the Wheeling Convention, Tucker County joined the rest of West Virginia in breaking away from Virginia to remain a part of the Union.
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. Tucker County was initially divided into three townships: Black Fork, Hannahsville, and St. George, which became magisterial districts in 1872. The following year, Hannahsville became Licking District, and in 1876, two new magisterial districts were formed: Clover from part of St. George, and Dry Fork from part of Black Fork. A sixth district, Fairfax, was organized in the 1880s, followed by a seventh, Davis, formed in the 1890s from parts of Dry Fork and Fairfax Districts.
Between 1889 and '93, a dispute known as the Tucker County Seat War took place between the people in the town of Parsons and that of St. George, over the location of the county seat. Although nobody was killed in the "war", the situation came to a climax when a mob of armed men from Parsons marched on St. George and took the county records by force.
Beginning in 1907, the Babcock Lumber Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while operating out of Davis, West Virginia, clear cut the mountain ridges throughout Tucker Country. This clear cutting, with its residual slashings, converted the landscape into a "tinderbox". By 1910, fires burned continuously — in some areas for years on end, from spring until the first snows — leaving little other than thin mineral soil and bare rock. In 1914, with the county virtually denuded of standing trees, the ground burned continually for 6 months. As a result, top soils that once produced huge timbers on the mountainsides — including the largest tree ever harvested in West Virginia, a white oak some 13 feet in diameter just 10 feet from the ground — washed down into the narrow valleys and bottom lands, which had always been too narrow for harvesting productive crops or livestock. Uncontrollable soil erosion and flooding further degraded and depopulated the region. To this day, Tucker County and surrounding regions bear the scars of this remarkable conflagration.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 421 square miles (1,090 km2), of which 419 square miles (1,090 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.5%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 219
West Virginia Route 32
West Virginia Route 38
West Virginia Route 72
West Virginia Route 90
West Virginia Route 93
WV 48
Adjacent counties
- Preston County (north)
- Grant County (east)
- Randolph County (south)
- Barbour County (west)
State parks
- Blackwater Falls State Park
- Canaan Valley Resort State Park
- Fairfax Stone State Park
Federal lands
- Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
- Dolly Sods Wilderness
- Fernow Experimental Forest
- Monongahela National Forest
National Natural Landmarks
- Big Run Bog
- Canaan Valley
- Fisher Spring Run Bog
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,428 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,907 | 33.5% | |
| 1880 | 3,151 | 65.2% | |
| 1890 | 6,459 | 105.0% | |
| 1900 | 13,433 | 108.0% | |
| 1910 | 18,675 | 39.0% | |
| 1920 | 16,791 | −10.1% | |
| 1930 | 13,374 | −20.4% | |
| 1940 | 13,173 | −1.5% | |
| 1950 | 10,600 | −19.5% | |
| 1960 | 7,750 | −26.9% | |
| 1970 | 7,447 | −3.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,675 | 16.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,728 | −10.9% | |
| 2000 | 7,231 | −6.4% | |
| 2010 | 7,141 | −1.2% | |
| 2020 | 6,762 | −5.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 6,672 | −6.6% | |
| 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 6,762 people and 2,790 households residing in the county. There were 4,650 housing units in Preston. The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.8% of the population.
Of the 2,790 households, 46.9% were married couples living together, 27.6% 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 3.09. The median age in the county was 51 years with 14.9% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $49,808 and the poverty rate was 9.9%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,141 people, 3,057 households, and 2,052 families living in the county. The population density was 17.0 inhabitants per square mile (6.6/km2). There were 5,346 housing units at an average density of 12.8 units per square mile (4.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.7% white, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.3% were German, 15.7% were Irish, 8.1% were American, 7.9% were English, and 5.8% were Dutch.
Of the 3,057 households, 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.9% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age was 46.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,712 and the median income for a family was $43,307. Males had a median income of $34,321 versus $22,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,020. About 12.9% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Towns
Magisterial districts
- Black Fork
- Clover
- Davis
- Dry Fork
- Fairfax
- Licking
- St. George
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
Notable residents
- Tony Tonelli, football player. Tonelli, who was shunned by the West Virginia University football program because of his Italian heritage, became a three-time letterman for the USC Trojans. In his final season Tonelli blocked a punt deep in Duke territory that led to the winning touchdown in the 1939 Rose Bowl. The first player ever to be drafted into the NFL from USC, Tonelli completed one season with the Detroit Lions in 1939. He earned his nickname, "Two Ton" Tonelli, while growing up in Thomas, West Virginia.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Tucker para niños
