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Wirt County, West Virginia facts for kids

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Wirt County
The Wirt County Courthouse in Elizabeth
The Wirt County Courthouse in Elizabeth
Official seal of Wirt County
Seal
Map of West Virginia highlighting Wirt 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 January 19, 1848
Named for William Wirt
Seat Elizabeth
Largest town Elizabeth
Area
 • Total 235 sq mi (610 km2)
 • Land 233 sq mi (600 km2)
 • Water 2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  1.0%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,194
 • Estimate 
(2021)
5,063 Decrease
 • Density 22.10/sq mi (8.534/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Wirt County is a small area in the state of West Virginia in the United States. In 2020, about 5,194 people lived there. This makes it the county with the fewest people in West Virginia. The main town and government center is Elizabeth.

Wirt County was created in 1848. It was named after William Wirt, who was a U.S. Attorney General and even ran for president. The county is part of the larger Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Students in the county go to Wirt County High School.

History of Wirt County

Wirt County was formed on January 19, 1848. It was made from parts of two other counties, Jackson and Wood. The county got its name from William Wirt (1772–1834).

The first European settler in the area was William Beauchamp. He arrived in 1796. He was a veteran and a minister. Beauchamp claimed 1400 acres of land near the Little Kanawha River. He started a farm and built a mill. He also planned the town of Elizabeth, naming it after his daughter.

Oil Rush and the Civil War

In the 1860s, a place called Burning Springs became very important. There was a big oil rush there. People came to find oil. But in 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers burned the town. They also destroyed about 100,000 gallons of oil.

On June 20, 1863, West Virginia became a new state. Wirt County was one of the fifty counties from Virginia that joined the Union as West Virginia. After this, counties in West Virginia were divided into smaller areas called townships. This was to help local governments. But it was hard to do in rural areas. So, in 1872, townships became "magisterial districts."

Wirt County was first divided into seven districts:

  • Burning Springs
  • Clay
  • Elizabeth
  • Newark
  • Reedy
  • Spring Creek
  • Tucker

These seven districts stayed mostly the same for over 100 years. In the 1980s, they were combined into three new districts: Central, Northeast, and Southwest.

Geography and Roads

Wirt County covers about 235 square miles. Most of this is land (233 square miles). A small part, about 2.3 square miles, is water.

Main Roads in Wirt County

  • WV-5.svg West Virginia Route 5
  • WV-14.svg West Virginia Route 14
  • WV-47.svg West Virginia Route 47
  • WV-53.svg West Virginia Route 53

Neighboring Counties

Wirt County shares borders with several other counties:

Population Information

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 3,353
1860 3,751 11.9%
1870 4,804 28.1%
1880 7,104 47.9%
1890 9,411 32.5%
1900 10,284 9.3%
1910 9,047 −12.0%
1920 7,536 −16.7%
1930 6,358 −15.6%
1940 6,475 1.8%
1950 5,119 −20.9%
1960 4,391 −14.2%
1970 4,154 −5.4%
1980 4,922 18.5%
1990 5,192 5.5%
2000 5,873 13.1%
2010 5,717 −2.7%
2020 5,194 −9.1%
2021 (est.) 5,063 −11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

In 2010, there were 5,717 people living in Wirt County. Most people (97.5%) were white. About 1.5% were Black or African American. A small number of people were Asian or American Indian. About 0.5% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

The average age in the county was 44.4 years old. The average income for a family was about $43,517 per year. About 19.2% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This included 31.6% of children under 18.

Notable People from Wirt County

Towns and Districts

Town

  • Elizabeth (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are.)

Magisterial Districts

These are the local government areas within the county.

Current Districts

  • Central
  • Northeast
  • Southwest

Historic Districts

These were the original districts before they were combined:

  • Burning Springs
  • Clay
  • Elizabeth
  • Newark
  • Reedy
  • Spring Creek
  • Tucker

Other Communities

Many smaller communities are not officially towns. They are called unincorporated communities.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Wirt para niños

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