kids encyclopedia robot

Marion County, West Virginia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Marion County
U.S. county
Marion County Courthouse in Fairmont
Marion County Courthouse in Fairmont
Official seal of Marion County
Seal
Map of West Virginia highlighting Marion 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 14, 1842
Named for Francis Marion
Seat Fairmont
Largest city Fairmont
Area
 • Total 312 sq mi (810 km2)
 • Land 309 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Water 2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.9%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 56,418
 • Estimate 
(2019)
 56,072
 • Density 180.83/sq mi (69.82/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,418. Its county seat is Fairmont. The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion (ca. 1732–1795), known to history as "The Swamp Fox".

Marion County comprises the Fairmont, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Morgantown-Fairmont, WV Combined Statistical Area.

History

Although the Adena and successor Hopewell cultures had flourished in this area at one time, the region which includes the land now known as Marion County was sparsely occupied by Native Americans, if at all, in the late 18th century; like much of the Ohio Valley, it had been depopulated by the Iroquois during the later Beaver Wars (1670–1700). Only a few abortive attempts to start European settlements upon the Monongahela River or its branches (such as that which gave its name to Dunkard Creek) are known prior to the French and Indian War, and it was not until the year 1772 that any permanent settlements were made in this region.

Marion County proper was created by an act of the Virginia Assembly on January 14, 1842, from parts of Monongalia and Harrison Counties, and was named after General Francis Marion, of American Revolutionary War fame, known to history as "The Swamp Fox".

The year 1852 was an eventful time in Marion County's history, starting with the great flood on Monday, April 5th. Heavy rains the day before caused the Monongahela and West Fork Rivers to rise at rate of 5 feet per hour until Tuesday afternoon, when the water reached 43 feet above its normal level. The greatest damage was sustained on the West Fork, where over 40 houses and buildings were swept away and floated past Fairmont. The flood also damaged the railroad, which was in the final stages of being completed. By June 23rd the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was completed, connecting Fairmont to the west and to large cities in the east like Baltimore. The railroad required the building of a bridge to cross the Monongahela River about 1 mile west of Fairmont. This was achieved by building a massive iron bridge spanning 650 feet and lifted 35 feet above the water. The third major event of the year 1852 was the completion of the Fairmont and Palatine suspension bridge, connecting Fairmont to what was then the town of Palatine. The bridge was built under the direction of James L. Randolph, assistant engineer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; at a cost of about thirty thousand dollars.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 312 square miles (810 km2), of which 309 square miles (800 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (0.9%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850 10,552 —
1860 12,722 20.6%
1870 12,107 −4.8%
1880 17,198 42.1%
1890 20,721 20.5%
1900 32,430 56.5%
1910 42,794 32.0%
1920 54,571 27.5%
1930 66,655 22.1%
1940 68,683 3.0%
1950 71,521 4.1%
1960 63,717 −10.9%
1970 61,356 −3.7%
1980 65,789 7.2%
1990 57,249 −13.0%
2000 56,598 −1.1%
2010 56,418 −0.3%
2019 (est.) 56,072 −0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2019

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 56,418 people, 23,786 households, and 15,271 families living in the county. The population density was 182.7 inhabitants per square mile (70.5/km2). There were 26,463 housing units at an average density of 85.7 per square mile (33.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% white, 3.3% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.5% were German, 17.8% were Irish, 13.7% were American, 12.0% were English, and 10.3% were Italian.

Of the 23,786 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.8% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 41.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,115 and the median income for a family was $49,046. Males had a median income of $38,948 versus $27,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,752. About 11.3% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

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

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Marion County, West Virginia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.