Editing Hampshire County, West Virginia

{{Short description|County in West Virginia, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Hampshire County
 | state                = West Virginia
 | seal                 = Seal of Hampshire County, West Virginia.png
 | founded date         = December 13
 | founded year         = 1754
 | seat wl              = Romney
 | largest city wl      = Romney
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 645
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 640
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 4.4
 | area percentage      = 0.7%
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 23093
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 23649 {{increase}}
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | footnotes            = <ref>[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/hampshirecountywestvirginia/PST045224 Profile] on quickfacts.census.gov</ref>
 | web                  = http://www.hampshirewv.com/
 | named for            = [[Hampshire|Hampshire, England]]
 | ex image             = Hampshire County Courthouse Romney WV 2014 10 05 05.JPG
 | ex image cap         = [[Hampshire County Courthouse (West Virginia)|Hampshire County Courthouse]]
 | district             = 2nd
}}

'''Hampshire County''' is a [[List of counties in West Virginia|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[West Virginia]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 23,093.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/hampshirecountywestvirginia/PST045221 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 19, 2022}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]],<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> West Virginia's oldest town (1762). The county was created by the [[Virginia General Assembly]] in 1754, from parts of [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick]] and [[Augusta County, Virginia|Augusta]] Counties ([[Virginia]]) and is the state's oldest county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/hampshire.html |title=Hampshire County history sources |access-date=January 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529125751/http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/hampshire.html |archive-date=May 29, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/WV_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=West Virginia: Individual County Chronologies|website=West Virginia Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=[[Newberry Library|The Newberry Library]]|date=2003|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120035149/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/WV_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The county lies in West Virginia's [[Potomac Highlands]] region.

Hampshire County is part of the [[Winchester, Virginia|Winchester]], [[Virginia|VA]]-WV [[Winchester, VA-WV MSA|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==Name==
[[File:HampshireCounty1880.gif|thumb|right|250px|Hampshire County, 1888]]

Although its creation was authorized in 1754, Hampshire County was not actually organized until 1757<ref name="WV County Founding Dates and Etymology">{{cite book |title= History and Government of West Virginia|last= Lewis |first= Virgil |year= 1896|publisher= Werner School Book Company |edition= 1st|location= New York NY|page= 58}} (WV County Founding Dates and Etymology). Other editions available at [[ASIN]] [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009CI6FRI B009CI6FRI] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=xrgUAAAAYAAJ Internet Archive].</ref> because the area was not considered safe due to the outbreak of the [[French and Indian War]] (1754–1763). According to [[Samuel Kercheval]]'s ''A History of the Valley of Virginia'' (1833), the county was named in honor of its several prize hogs. The story goes that [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]] (1693–1781), who owned the Royal Grant to the area, came upon some very large hogs in [[Winchester, Virginia|Winchester]] and asked where they had been raised. He was told that they were from the [[Potomac River#South Branch Potomac River|South Branch Potomac River]] Valley (now Hampshire County). He remarked that when a county was formed west of [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick]] that he would name it in honor of the county [[Hampshire]], [[England]], famous for its very fat hogs.

==History==

===Earliest European settlers===
[[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]] was initially settled by hunters and traders around 1725. In 1738, [[John Pearsall]] (or Pearsoll) and his brother [[Job Pearsall|Job]] built homes and in 1758 a fort ([[Fort Pearsall]]) for defense against [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] in present-day Romney. Their settlement was then known as '''Pearsall's Flats'''. In 1748, [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]] sent a surveying party, including 16-year-old [[George Washington]], to survey his lands along the [[Potomac River|Potomac]] and [[Potomac River#South Branch Potomac River|South Branch Potomac]] [[river]]s. Washington spent three summers and falls surveying Lord Fairfax's [[Northern Neck]] estate, which included all of the present-day [[Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia]]. In April 1748, he laid off several lots in an area known as [[the Trough]], about {{convert|10|mi|km|spell=in}} south of Romney, and he is known to have been in present-day Romney on October 19, 1749. Oral traditions claimed that Washington laid present-day Romney out into lots at that time, but written records from that era indicate that Romney was surveyed and laid out into lots by James Genn prior to Washington's arrival. Genn was also employed by Lord Fairfax.

===18th century Hampshire County===
In 1756, [[Fort Pearsall]] was constructed on [[Job Pearsall]]'s plantation for protection against [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] raids and George Washington provisioned and garrisoned the Fort at various times until 1758. At that time, there were at least 100 people living in the general area. Following the end of hostilities in the area, Lord Fairfax recognized that more settlers would be interested in moving into the area and that he could earn some extra revenue by selling plots in the town. He sent a survey party to Romney in 1762 to formally lay out the town into 100 lots. At that time, he renamed the town Romney, in honor of the [[Cinque Ports]] city on the [[English Channel]] in [[Kent]].

Confusion ensued for several decades concerning land ownership within the town, as counterclaims were made by the original settlers, and those who purchased lots laid out by Lord Fairfax's surveyors.

The first meeting of the Hampshire County Court was held in 1757, at [[Fort Pleasant]], now [[Old Fields, West Virginia|Old Fields]] in Hardy County, and was presided by the Right Honorable [[Thomas Bryan Martin]], Lord Fairfax's nephew. By that time, Hampshire County's population had fallen dramatically as most of the settlers had fled the county in fear of the Native Americans. The only families remaining lived near Fort Pearsall, near present-day Romney, and [[Frot Edward (disambiguation)|Fort Edwards]], at present-day [[Capon Bridge, West Virginia|Capon Bridge]] on the [[Cacapon River]]. The vast majority of the remaining settlers, however, were in the vicinity of present Old Fields-Moorefield-Petersburg and were protected by the several forts in the area, including Fort Pleasant

Once the Native Americans were defeated at the [[Battle of Point Pleasant]] in 1774 settlers, once again, returned to the county. Additionally, with the end of the American Revolution, the Virginia Legislature nullified the English grant to Lord Fairfax in the region. The legislature gave fee simple grants to settlers who already had contracts with Lord Fairfax, and opened up the remaining lands as public domain open to settlement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Calvin|first=Claude|title=The Calvin Families|publisher=University of Wisconsin|date=1945|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89062866439;view=1up;seq=1|page=67}}</ref> By 1790, when the first national census was taken, Hampshire County had 7,346 residents, making it the second most populous county in the present state of West Virginia at that time. [[Berkeley County, West Virginia|Berkeley]] was the most populous county, with 19,713 people. There were nine counties that comprised the present state, with a total population of 55,873 people.

During the [[Whiskey Rebellion]] in 1794, many Hampshire County men volunteered to serve under Major General [[Daniel Morgan]] to put down the insurrection. The men most likely volunteered at [[Moorefield, West Virginia|Moorefield]] in [[Hardy County, West Virginia|Hardy County]] and then marched north to [[Cumberland, Maryland]]. Approximately 1,200 of the 12,950 men under Morgan's command came from the area that would later become West Virginia.

===Early churches===
[[File:Mount Bethel Church Three Churches WV 2004.JPG|thumb|right|Mount Bethel Church at Three Churches, WV.]]
Many early settlers of the Cacapon area were [[Schwarzenau Brethren|German Baptist Brethren]] (or Dunkers), pacifist farmers who often befriended local natives in frontier areas.<ref>Bittinger, Emmert F., Allegheny Passage, Churches and Families West Marva District Church of the Brethren 1752-1990, Penobscot Press, Camden, Maine, 1990.</ref>
Other early missionaries helped to sustain the religious faith of the early European inhabitants. In 1775, two [[Baptist]] missionaries among a group of settlers moved to the [[Cacapon River|Cacapon]] and organized the first European church in the county. In 1771, the work of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] was begun, in which later developments led to the formation of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church, South]]. In 1753, Hampshire County had been formed into a parish by the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Protestant Episcopal Church]], and from 1772 until his death in 1777, Rev. Nathaniel Manning served on the Glebe near present-day Moorefield. In 1787, a [[Primitive Baptist]] church was established at [[North River (Cacapon River tributary)|North River]]. Soon after the [[American Revolution]], there was preaching by the [[Presbyterians]] at different points in the county. In 1792, a Presbyterian church was organized at Romney and another, [[Mount Bethel Church]], at [[Three Churches, West Virginia|Three Churches]].

===Early industry===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:BloomeryIronFurnaceWV127.jpg|thumb|right|Old Bloomery Iron Furnace along WV 127.]] -->
The wide lowlands of Hampshire County certainly invited [[agriculture]], and fields of [[wheat]] and [[tobacco]] surrounded the important truck-patch of the settler. The rolling uplands offered pasturage for horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, which were driven across country to market at [[Winchester, Virginia|Winchester]]. The streams abounded in fish and the mountains contained not only game but timber and stone for early settlers' homes. The limestone was burned for lime at Bloomery Gap, where remains of old lime-kilns give evidence of an early industry. Soon it was discovered that some of the strata contained [[iron ore]]. Much of it was transported to present-day [[Keyser, West Virginia|Keyser]], from an area along South Branch Potomac River south of the present limits of the county. In Bloomery Gap, a ruined furnace still stands, mute evidence of another former industry. In the early days the increasing population stimulated not only farming and grazing but every industry of a new country. Hampshire County was also known for its many gunmakers, located on or near the main road from Winchester to Romney. Among them were, Henry Topper, Jacob Kline, George Young, Benjamin Shane, George Glaze, William Britton and the Sheetz Family.

===19th century Hampshire County===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Hampshire1832.JPG|thumb|right|Hampshire County, 1832.]] -->
The building of the [[Northwestern Turnpike]] ([[U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia|U.S. Route 50]]) was an integral part of the development of Hampshire County. General Daniel Morgan first suggested the road be built in 1748, but his recommendations were not acted upon until the 1830s. Colonel [[Claudius Crozet]], a Frenchman who had previously worked for [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], engineered the road which connected [[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]] with Winchester, Virginia. The turnpike traversed Hampshire County stretching through the communities of Capon Bridge, [[Loom, West Virginia|Loom]], [[Hanging Rock, West Virginia|Hanging Rock]], [[Pleasant Dale, West Virginia|Pleasant Dale]], [[Augusta, West Virginia|Augusta]], [[Frenchburg, West Virginia|Frenchburg]], [[Shanks, West Virginia|Shanks]], and [[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]]. Through the years, Romney became an important rest stop for travelers on the turnpike. This aided the local economy as hotels and taverns began to appear in the area.

During the [[American Civil War]], the Hampshire Guards and Frontier Riflemen joined the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate Army]]. Although there were no major battles in Hampshire County, Romney changed hands at least fifty-six times during the war. It was often a case of one army evacuating the area allowing the opposing army to move into the town. This places Romney second behind Winchester as the town that changed hands the most during the American Civil War. On June 11, 1861, it changed hands twice in the same day. Some local Hampshire County historians speculate that Romney actually changed hands more than Winchester, but there are no surviving records to support the claim.

In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into [[civil township]]s, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into [[minor civil division|magisterial districts]].<ref>Otis K. Rice & Stephen W. Brown, ''West Virginia: A History'', 2nd ed., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington (1993), p. 240.</ref>  Between 1866, when [[Mineral County, West Virginia|Mineral County]] was formed from the western portion of Hampshire County, and 1871, when part of southern Mineral County was returned to Hampshire, the county was divided into six townships: Bloomery, Capon,{{efn-lr|Also called "Capon Springs" in early records.}} Gore, Romney, Sherman, and Springfield. These became magisterial districts in 1872, and a seventh district, Mill Creek, was formed in part from the land that had been in Mineral County from 1866 to 1871.<ref>[[United States Census Bureau]], [[United States Census|U.S. Decennial Census]], Tables of Minor Civil Divisions in West Virginia, 1870–2010.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:CaudysCastleRockWV.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Caudy's Castle]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|645|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|640|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|4.4|sqmi}} (0.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_54.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 24, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Major highways===
*[[File:US 50.svg|23px]] [[U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia|U.S. Route 50]]
*[[File:US 220.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 220 in West Virginia|U.S. Route 220]]
*[[File:WV-9.svg|23px]] [[West Virginia Route 9]]
*[[File:WV-28.svg|23px]] [[West Virginia Route 28]]
*[[File:WV-29.svg|23px]] [[West Virginia Route 29]]
*[[File:WV-127.svg|25px]] [[West Virginia Route 127]]
*[[File:WV-259.svg|25px]] [[West Virginia Route 259]]

===Adjacent counties===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Modmapsm.gif|thumb|right|250px|Communities of Hampshire County]] -->

*[[Allegany County, Maryland]] (north)
*[[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan County]] (northeast)
*[[Frederick County, Virginia]] (east)
*[[Hardy County, West Virginia|Hardy County]] (south)
*[[Mineral County, West Virginia|Mineral County]] (west)

===Rivers and streams===
[[File:South Branch Potomac River South Branch Depot WV 2004.JPG|thumb|right|250px|South Branch Potomac River near South Branch Depot]]

*[[Potomac River]]
**[[Cacapon River]]
***[[Capon Springs Run]]
***[[Dillons Run]]
***[[Edwards Run]]
***[[Mill Branch (Cacapon River)|Mill Branch]]
***[[North River (Cacapon River)|North River]]
****[[Grassy Lick Run]]
****[[Tearcoat Creek]]
*****[[Bearwallow Creek]]
**[[Little Cacapon River]]
***[[Little Cacapon River#North Fork Little Cacapon River|North Fork Little Cacapon River]]
***[[Little Cacapon River#South Fork Little Cacapon River|South Fork Little Cacapon River]]
**[[North Branch Potomac River]]
***[[Green Spring Run]]
**[[Potomac River#South Branch Potomac River|South Branch Potomac River]]
***[[Big Run (South Branch Potomac River)|Big Run]]
***[[Buffalo Creek (South Branch Potomac River)|Buffalo Creek]]
***[[Mill Creek (South Branch Potomac River)|Mill Creek]]
***[[Mill Run (South Branch Potomac River)|Mill Run]]

====Mountains====
[[File:Capon Springs Historical Marker Capon Lake WV 2014 10 05 01.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Capon Springs]]

*[[South Branch Mountain]], {{convert|3028|ft|m}}
*[[Pinnacle Ridge]], {{convert|2844|ft|m}}
*[[Nathaniel Mountain]], {{convert|2739|ft|m}}
*[[Mill Creek Mountain]], {{convert|2648|ft|m}}
*[[Cacapon Mountain]], {{convert|2618|ft|m}}
*[[Spring Mountain]], {{convert|2436|ft|m}}
*[[Spring Gap Mountain]], {{convert|2237|ft|m}}
*[[North River Mountain]], {{convert|2149|ft|m}}
*[[Cooper Mountain (West Virginia)|Cooper Mountain]], {{convert|2028|ft|m}}
*[[Baker Mountain (West Virginia)|Baker Mountain]], {{convert|2024|ft|m}}
*[[Patterson Creek Mountain]], {{convert|2005|ft|m}}
*[[Sideling Hill]], {{convert|1930|ft|m}}
*[[Little Cacapon Mountain]], {{convert|1575|ft|m}}
*[[Ice Mountain]], {{convert|1489|ft|m}}
*[[The Devil's Nose]], {{convert|1121|ft|m}}

====Other geological formations====
*[[Caudy's Castle]]
*[[Hanging Rocks]]
*[[Mechanicsburg Gap]]
*[[The Trough]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 7346
|1800= 8348
|1810= 9784
|1820= 10889
|1830= 11279
|1840= 12295
|1850= 14036
|1860= 13913
|1870= 7643
|1880= 10366
|1890= 11419
|1900= 11806
|1910= 11694
|1920= 11713
|1930= 11836
|1940= 12974
|1950= 12577
|1960= 11705
|1970= 11710
|1980= 14867
|1990= 16498
|2000= 20203
|2010= 23964
|2020= 23093
|estyear=2023
|estimate=23649
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021|access-date=October 19, 2022}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/wv190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name="QF"/>
}}

=== 2020 census ===
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 23,093 people and 9,912 households residing in the county. There were 12,416 housing units in Hampshire. The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% [[White American|White]], 0.8% [[African American]], 0.3% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.2% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.7% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 3.8% from [[Multiracial American|two or more races]]. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race were 1.5% of the population.

Of the 9,912 households, 51.5% were married couples living together, 21.5% 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 3.57. The median age in the county was 47.3 years with 20.2% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $50,890 and the poverty rate was 17.9%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Hampshire_County,_West_Virginia?g=050XX00US54027 |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census]], there were 23,964 people, 9,595 households, and 6,606 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">{{cite web |title=DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US54027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213012741/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US54027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=April 3, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The population density was {{convert|37.4|PD/sqmi}}. There were 13,688 housing units at an average density of {{convert|21.4|/sqmi}}.<ref name="census-density">{{cite web |title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US54027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213161856/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US54027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=April 3, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 97.2% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1" /> In terms of ancestry, 29.0% were [[Germans|German]], 12.9% were [[Americans|American]], 11.9% were [[Irish people|Irish]], and 8.0% were [[English people|English]].<ref name="census-dp2">{{cite web |title=DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US54027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213033655/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US54027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=April 3, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

Of the 9,595 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 42.6 years.<ref name="census-dp1" />

The median income for a household in the county was $31,792 and the median income for a family was $45,447. Males had a median income of $36,828 versus $25,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,752. About 11.0% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">{{cite web |title=DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US54027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213025407/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US54027 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=April 3, 2016 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2000, there were 20,203 people, 7,955 households, and 5,640 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|32|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 11,185 housing units at an average density of {{convert|17|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 98.04% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.83% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.24% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.16% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.12% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 7,955 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,666, and the median income for a family was $37,616. Males had a median income of $28,884 versus $19,945 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $14,851. About 12.90% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics==
During [[Virginia Secession Convention of 1861|the Virginia Secession Convention]], Hampshire County voted against secession, but much of this vote was within what is now part of heavily Unionist and Republican [[Mineral County, West Virginia|Mineral County]], which was detached from it after the war. Following the detachment of Mineral – which was not to give a Democratic majority before 1936 or after 1976 – Hampshire County became solidly Democratic, not voting for any Republican candidate between 1868 and 1952 inclusive.<ref>Menendez, Albert J.; ''The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004'', pp. 334-335 {{ISBN|0786422173}}</ref> However, since 1968 Hampshire County has not voted for any Democratic presidential candidate apart from [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, and since 2000 it has suffered the same drastic declines in Democratic support as the rest of socially conservative West Virginia.<ref>Cohn, Nate; [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/southern-whites-loyalty-to-gop-nearing-that-of-blacks-to-democrats.html ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’], ''[[New York Times]]'', April 24, 2014</ref> [[Donald Trump]] won the county by an overwhelming margin in 2016.
{{PresHead|place=Hampshire County, West Virginia|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|8,464|1,890|166|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|8,033|1,939|114|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|6,692|1,580|407|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|5,523|2,299|197|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|5,222|2,983|142|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|5,489|2,455|52|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|3,879|2,069|149|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|2,814|2,335|632|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|2,767|2,365|1,039|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|3,253|2,085|25|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,065|2,102|20|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|2,879|2,522|184|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,097|3,104|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,084|1,637|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|1,959|1,791|694|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,473|3,381|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|2,541|2,849|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|2,676|2,356|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|2,173|2,391|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,351|2,357|10|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,638|2,485|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,751|3,277|0|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,512|3,792|21|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,258|3,681|49|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|1,779|2,132|15|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,172|2,993|39|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,214|2,221|32|West Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|745|2,181|10|West Virginia}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|406|1,777|270|West Virginia}}

==Education==

===Public schools===
*[[Hampshire County Schools]]
*[[West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind]]

===Private schools===
*Maranatha Christian Academy
*Slanesville Christian School

==Parks and recreation==

===County parks===
*Central Hampshire Park, Augusta
*Green Spring Recreational Park, Green Spring
*Hampshire Park & 4-H Camp, Romney
*Romney Recreation Center, Romney
*Shanks Roadside Park, Shanks

===Wildlife management areas===
[[File:Edwards Run at Edwards Run WMA.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Edwards Run]] at [[Edwards Run Wildlife Management Area]] near [[Cold Stream, West Virginia|Cold Stream]].]]

*[[Edwards Run Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[Short Mountain Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[South Branch Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[Wardensville Wildlife Management Area]]

===National forests===
*[[George Washington National Forest]]

==Communities==

===City===
*[[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]]

===Town===
*[[Capon Bridge, West Virginia|Capon Bridge]]

===Magisterial districts===
*Bloomery
*Capon
*Gore
*Mill Creek
*Romney
*Sherman
*Springfield

===Census-designated places===
*[[Green Spring, West Virginia|Green Spring]]
*[[Springfield, West Virginia|Springfield]]

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
*[[Augusta, West Virginia|Augusta]]
*[[Barnes Mill, West Virginia|Barnes Mill]]
*[[Bloomery, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Bloomery]]
*[[Blues Beach, West Virginia|Blues Beach]]
*[[Bubbling Spring, West Virginia|Bubbling Spring]]
*[[Capon Lake, West Virginia|Capon Lake]]
*[[Capon Springs, West Virginia|Capon Springs]]
*[[Capon Springs Station, West Virginia|Capon Springs Station]]
*[[Cold Stream, West Virginia|Cold Stream]]
*[[Concord, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Concord]]
*[[Creekvale, West Virginia|Creekvale]]
*[[Davis Ford, West Virginia|Davis Ford]]
*[[Delray, West Virginia|Delray]]
*[[Dillons Run, West Virginia|Dillons Run]]
*[[Donaldson, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Donaldson]]
*[[Forks of Cacapon, West Virginia|Forks of Cacapon]]
*[[Frenchburg, West Virginia|Frenchburg]]
*[[Glebe, West Virginia|Glebe]]
*[[Good, West Virginia|Good]]
*[[Grace, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Grace]]
*[[Hainesville, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Hainesville]]
*[[Hanging Rock, West Virginia|Hanging Rock]]
*[[Higginsville, West Virginia|Higginsville]]
*[[High View, West Virginia|High View]]
*[[Hooks Mills, West Virginia|Hooks Mills]]
*[[Hoy, West Virginia|Hoy]]
*[[Intermont, West Virginia|Intermont]]
*[[Jericho, West Virginia|Jericho]]
*[[Junction, West Virginia|Junction]]
*[[Kirby, West Virginia|Kirby]]
*[[Largent, West Virginia|Largent]]
*[[Lehew, West Virginia|Lehew]]
*[[Levels, West Virginia|Levels]]
*[[Little Cacapon, West Virginia|Little Cacapon]]
*[[Loom, West Virginia|Loom]]
*[[Mechanicsburg, West Virginia|Mechanicsburg]]
*[[Millbrook, West Virginia|Millbrook]]
*[[Millen, West Virginia|Millen]]
*[[Milleson, West Virginia|Milleson]]
*[[Neals Run, West Virginia|Neals Run]]
*[[Nero, West Virginia|Nero]]
*[[North River Mills, West Virginia|North River Mills]]
*[[Okonoko, West Virginia|Okonoko]]
*[[Pancake, West Virginia|Pancake]]
*[[Pin Oak, West Virginia|Pin Oak]]
*[[Pleasant Dale, West Virginia|Pleasant Dale]]
*[[Points, West Virginia|Points]]
*[[Purgitsville, West Virginia|Purgitsville]]
*[[Rada, West Virginia|Rada]]
*[[Raven Rocks, West Virginia|Raven Rocks]]
*[[Ridgedale, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Ridgedale]]
*[[Rio, West Virginia|Rio]]
*[[Ruckman, West Virginia|Ruckman]]
*[[Sector, West Virginia|Sector]]
*[[Sedan, West Virginia|Sedan]]
*[[Shanks, West Virginia|Shanks]]
*[[Shiloh, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Shiloh]]
*[[Slanesville, West Virginia|Slanesville]]
*[[South Branch Depot, West Virginia|South Branch Depot]]
*[[Three Churches, West Virginia|Three Churches]]
*[[Valley, West Virginia|Valley]]
*[[Vance, West Virginia|Vance]]
*[[Vanderlip, West Virginia|Vanderlip]]
*[[Wappocomo, West Virginia|Wappocomo]]
*[[Woodrow, Hampshire and Morgan Counties, West Virginia|Woodrow]]
*[[Yellow Spring, West Virginia|Yellow Spring]]
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{clear}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*[[Jesse B. Aikin]], [[Shape note]] "singing master"
*[[Stephen Ailes]], [[United States Secretary of the Army|U.S. Secretary of the Army]]
*[[James Dillon Armstrong]], state legislator and circuit court judge
*[[William Armstrong (Virginia)|William Armstrong]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Congressman]] from [[Virginia]]
*[[John Rinehart Blue]], [[West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Delegate]]
*[[James Caudy]], [[wikt:frontiersman|Frontiersman]] and "Indian fighter"
*[[William C. Clayton]], [[West Virginia Senate|West Virginia State Senator]]
*[[Edna Brady Cornwell]], First Lady of West Virginia
*[[John J. Cornwell]], 15th [[List of Governors of West Virginia|Governor of West Virginia]]
*[[Marshall S. Cornwell]], [[Newspaper]] [[publishing|publisher]], [[poet]], and [[author]]
*[[William B. Cornwell]], [[Rail transport|railroad]] and [[lumber|timber]] [[Chief executive officer|executive]]
*[[John Collins Covell]], [[West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind|WVSDB]] principal
*[[Rick Hillenbrand]], West Virginia state representative
*[[Susan Dew Hoff]], physician
*[[Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy (West Virginia senator)|Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy]], [[West Virginia Senate|West Virginia State Senator]]
*[[Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy (West Virginia lawyer)|Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy]], prominent [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] lawyer
*[[William Foreman]], Early American military leader
*[[Henry Bell Gilkeson]], [[West Virginia Legislature|West Virginia State Legislator]]
*[[Henepola Gunaratana]], founder of the Bhavana Society, a monastery and meditation retreat center 
*[[John J. Jacob (West Virginia politician)|John J. Jacob]], 4th [[List of Governors of West Virginia|Governor of West Virginia]]
*[[Howard Hille Johnson]], [[West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind|WVSDB]] founder and educator
*[[Gabriel Jones (Virginia)|Gabriel Jones]], [[House of Burgesses of Virginia|Burgess]] and Hampshire County Clerk of Court
*[[Jonah Edward Kelley]], [[Medal of Honor]] recipient
*[[Herman G. Kump]], 19th [[List of Governors of West Virginia|Governor of West Virginia]]
*[[James Sloan Kuykendall]], [[West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Delegate]] 
*[[Charles S. Lawrence]], [[Institute of Food Technologists|IFT]] Executive Vice President
*[[Thomas Bryan Martin]], [[House of Burgesses of Virginia|Burgess]] and Hampshire County judge
*[[Angus William McDonald]], [[Confederate States Army]] Colonel
*[[Cornelia Peake McDonald]], American [[diarist]]
*[[Marshall McDonald]], [[United States Fish Commission]]er
*[[Jerry Mezzatesta]], [[West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Delegate]]
*[[Alexander W. Monroe]], [[List of Speakers of the West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Speaker]] 
*[[Ann Pancake]], [[Author]]
*[[Chet Pancake]], [[Filmmaker]]
*[[Sam Pancake]], Actor
*[[Isaac Parsons (Virginia politician)|Isaac Parsons]] (1752–1796), [[Virginia House of Delegates|Virginia House Delegate]]
*[[Isaac Parsons (American military officer)|Isaac Parsons]] (1814–1862), [[Virginia House of Delegates|Virginia House Delegate]]
*[[Lee Hawse Patteson]], First Lady of West Virginia
*[[Ruth Rowan]], [[West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Delegate]]
*[[Mary Ann Shaffer]], American writer
*[[Arthur R. M. Spaid]], American educator and writer
*[[Joseph Sprigg (attorney general)|Joseph Sprigg]], West Virginia Attorney General
*[[Richard Stafford (pioneer)|Richard Stafford]], [[wikt:pioneer|Pioneer]] 
*[[Howard Llewellyn Swisher]], American businessperson, real estate developer, and historian
*[[Felix Walker (American politician)|Felix Walker]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Congressman]] from [[North Carolina]]
*[[Alexander White (Virginia)|Alexander White]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Congressman]] from [[Virginia]]
*[[Christian Streit White]], Hampshire County Clerk of Court
*[[Francis White (Virginia politician)|Francis White]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Congressman]] from [[Virginia]]
*[[John Baker White (clerk of court)|John Baker White]], Hampshire County Clerk of Court
*[[John Baker White (West Virginia politician)|John Baker White]], West Virginia Board of Control member
*[[Robert White (attorney general)|Robert White]], [[List of Attorneys General of West Virginia|West Virginia Attorney General]]
*[[Robert White (West Virginia State Senator)|Robert White]], [[West Virginia Senate|West Virginia State Senator]]
*[[Charles M. Williams (American academic)|Charles M. Williams]], [[Harvard Business School]] professor
*[[Andrew Wodrow]], Hampshire County Clerk of Court
*[[Joshua Soule Zimmerman]], [[West Virginia House of Delegates|West Virginia House Delegate]]
}}

==See also==
*[[Edwards Run Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[List of historical highway markers in Hampshire County, West Virginia]]
*[[List of placenames in Hampshire County, West Virginia]]
*[[Short Mountain Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[South Branch Wildlife Management Area]]
*[[USS Hampshire County (LST-819)|USS ''Hampshire County'' (LST-819)]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, West Virginia]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|group=lower-roman}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book | last=Brannon | first=Selden W. | year=1976 | title=Historic Hampshire: A Symposium of Hampshire County and Its People, Past and Present | publisher= [[McClain Printing Company]] | location = [[Parsons, West Virginia|Parsons]], [[West Virginia]] | isbn= 978-0-87012-236-1 | oclc = 3121468 |  url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPoTPQAACAAJ }}
*{{cite book | author=Federal Writers' Project |author-link=Federal Writers' Project| year=1937 | title=Historic Romney 1762–1937 | publisher= [[Federal Writers' Project]], The Town Council of Romney, West Virginia | location = [[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]], [[West Virginia]] |  oclc = 2006735 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFexpwAACAAJ }}
*{{cite book | last=Hampshire County Extension Homemakers | year=1991| title=Hampshire County, West Virginia: A Pictorial History | publisher= Hampshire County Extension Homemakers, [[Walsworth Publishing Company]] | location = [[Marceline, Missouri|Marceline]], [[Missouri]] | oclc = 51940415 | isbn=  978-1-60354-047-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ehVpHQAACAAJ }}
*{{cite book  |last=Kercheval | first=Samuel | author-link= Samuel Kercheval | year=1833 | title=A History of the Valley of Virginia | publisher=Samuel H. Davis | location = [[Winchester, Virginia|Winchester]], [[Virginia]] |url=https://archive.org/details/ahistoryvalleyv01jacogoog }}
*{{cite book |title=History of Hampshire County, West Virginia From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present |last1=Maxwell |first1=Hu  |author-link1=Hu Maxwell | last2= Swisher | first2 = Howard Llewellyn | author-link2 = Howard Llewellyn Swisher | year= 1897 | publisher=A. Brown Boughner, Printer |location=[[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]], [[West Virginia]] |ol=23304577M | oclc = 680931891 }}
*{{cite book| editor-last1=Munske| editor-first1=Roberta R.| editor-last2 = Kerns | editor-first2 = Wilmer L. | year=2004| title=Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004| publisher=The Hampshire County 250th Anniversary Committee| location = [[Romney, West Virginia]] |  isbn=978-0-9715738-2-6 | oclc = 55983178 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Hampshire County, West Virginia}}
*[http://hampshirewv.com/ Official Hampshire County website]
*[http://www.historichampshire.org/ Historic Hampshire homepage]
*[http://www.hampshirereview.com/ Hampshire Review newspaper]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Hampshire County, West Virginia
|North     = [[Allegany County, Maryland]]
|Northeast = [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan County]]
|East      = [[Frederick County, Virginia]]
|Southeast = 
|South     = [[Hardy County, West Virginia|Hardy County]]
|Southwest = 
|West      = [[Mineral County, West Virginia|Mineral County]]
|Northwest = 
}}

{{Hampshire County, West Virginia}}
{{Eastern_Panhandle_of_West_Virginia}}
{{West Virginia}}

{{coord|39.31|-78.61|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-WV_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Hampshire County, West Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Northwestern Turnpike]]
[[Category:West Virginia counties on the Potomac River]]
[[Category:1754 establishments in the Colony of Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1754]]
[[Category:Winchester, VA–WV MSA]]