Boone County, West Virginia
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Boone County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,809.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Madison.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Boone County is part of the Charleston, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Leading industries and chief agricultural products in Boone County include coal, lumber, natural gas, tobacco, and strawberries.
History
[edit]The county was formed in 1847 with territories annexed from Kanawha, Cabell, and Logan counties. It was named for frontiersman Daniel Boone, who lived in the Great Kanawha Valley from 1789 until 1795.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Otis K. Rice & Stephen W. Brown, West Virginia: A History, 2nd ed., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington (1993), p. 240.</ref> Boone County was divided into five districts: Crook, Peytona, Scott, Sherman, and Washington. Between 1980 and 1990, the county was redivided into three magisterial districts: District 1, District 2, and District 3.<ref>United States Census Bureau, U.S. Decennial Census, Tables of Minor Civil Divisions in West Virginia, 1870–2010.</ref>
On February 1, 2006, two fatal mining accidents occurred in the communities of Uneeda and Wharton in Boone County. These two deaths with the addition of January's Sago Mine disaster and the Aracoma Alma Mine disaster caused West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin to close all of West Virginia's mines in a "mine safety stand-down."
Geography
[edit]Boone County lies in the central southwestern part of West Virginia. Its terrain consists of low wooded mountains, carved with drainages.<ref name="BCWV">Boone County WV Google Maps (accessed April 15, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the north and west, with its highest point at its south corner, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.3%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
[edit]- File:US 119.svg U.S. Highway 119
- File:WV-3.svg West Virginia Route 3
- File:WV-17.svg West Virginia Route 17
- File:WV-85.svg West Virginia Route 85
- File:WV-94.svg West Virginia Route 94
- File:WV-99.svg West Virginia Route 99
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Kanawha County - northeast
- Raleigh County - east
- Wyoming County - south
- Logan County - west
- Lincoln County - northwest
Demographics
[edit]2010 census
[edit]As of the census of 2010, there were 24,629 people, 9,928 households, and 7,014 families in the county.<ref name="DC">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 11,070 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 98.5% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population.<ref name=DC/> In terms of ancestry, 15.4% were German, 13.3% were American, 12.9% were Irish, and 8.3% were English.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the 9,928 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 40.7 years.<ref name=DC/>
The median income for a household in the county was $39,783 and the median income for a family was $47,981. Males had a median income of $51,740 versus $32,110 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,457. About 15.6% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000 census
[edit]As of the census of 2000, there were 25,535 people, 10,291 households, and 7,460 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 11,575 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 98.53% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The largest ancestry groups in Boone County are English (13%), Irish (12%) and German (11%).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There were 10,291 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92.
The county contained 23.20% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,669, and the median income for a family was $31,999. Males had a median income of $34,931 versus $19,607 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,453. About 18.30% of families and 22.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.90% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
[edit]With the exception of the 1972 Nixon landslide, Boone County voted Democratic in every presidential election from 1924 until 2012. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won over sixty percent of the vote in the process of becoming the first presidential candidate to sweep every county in the state. Also in 2012, in the state's Democratic primaries, Boone County was one of the West Virginia counties that voted for eccentric perennial candidate Keith Russell Judd, who at the time was still in prison on felony charges, over incumbent president Barack Obama. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Education
[edit]Madison
[edit]- Brookview Elementary School
- Madison Elementary School
- Ramage Elementary School
- Madison Middle School
- Scott High School
Van
[edit]- Van Elementary School
- Van Jr./Sr. High School
Seth
[edit]- Ashford-Rumble Elementary School
- Sherman Elementary School
- Whitesville Elementary School
- Sherman Junior High School
- Sherman Senior High School
Communities
[edit]City
[edit]- Madison (county seat)
Towns
[edit]Magisterial districts
[edit]- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
Census-designated places
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]- Adams
- Altman
- Andrew
- Ashford
- Bald Knob
- Bandytown
- Barrett
- Bigson
- Bim
- Bloomingrose
- Blue Pennant
- Bob White
- Bradley
- Brushton
- Cameo
- Cazy
- Clinton
- Clothier
- Coopertown
- Dartmont
- Drawdy<ref name=BCWV/>
- Easly
- Eden
- Elk Run Junction
- Emmons (part)
- Foch
- Foster
- Fosterville
- Garrison
- Gordon
- Grippe
- Havana
- Hewett
- Hopkins Fork
- Janie
- Jeffrey
- Julian
- Keith
- Kirbyton
- Kohlsaat
- Lanta
- Lick Creek
- Lindytown
- Low Gap
- Manila
- Marnie
- Marthatown
- Maxine
- Milltown
- Morrisvale
- Nellis
- Nelson
- Onego
- Orgas
- Ottawa
- Peytona
- Pondco
- Powell Creek
- Prenter
- Price Hill
- Quinland
- Ramage
- Ridgeview
- Rumble
- Secoal
- Seth
- Sharlow
- South Madison
- Turtle Creek
- Uneeda
- Washington Heights
- West Junction
- Wharton
- Williams Mountain
Surnames
[edit]Most common surnames in Boone County as of 2014:<ref name="boonewv2014">Template:Cite web</ref>
| Rank | Surname | Persons | Origin(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miller | 405 | English / German / Irish / Scottish |
| 2 | Jarrell | 354 | English |
| 3 | Smith | 348 | English |
| 4 | Adkins | 329 | English |
| 5 | Hager | 295 | German |
| 6 | Ball | 292 | English |
| 7 | White | 275 | English / Irish / Scottish |
| 8 | Price | 270 | Welsh |
| 9 | Cook | 240 | English |
| 10 | Barker | 226 | English |
Notable people
[edit]- Hasil Adkins, musician
- Billy Edd Wheeler, songwriter
- D. Ray White, mountain dancer, father of Jesco White
- Jesco White, "the Dancing Outlaw", mountain dancer, son of D. Ray White.
See also
[edit]- Hobet Coal Mine
- Fork Creek Wildlife Management Area
- The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, a documentary film set in Boone County
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Boone County, West Virginia
- Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial, a roadside memorial in Whitesville to honor the 29 men killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine on April 5, 2010.
- Boone County Grasshopper, A fellow Cryptid local to Boone County. Annual Boone County Grasshopper Festival is February 30th.