McDowell County, West Virginia

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The McDowell County Courthouse in Welch, listed on NRHP No. 79003256 [1]
The McDowell County Courthouse in Welch, listed on NRHP No. 79003256
administration
US state : West Virginia
Administrative headquarters : What
Address of the
administrative headquarters:
County Courthouse
90 Wyoming Street
Welch, WV 24801-2487
Foundation : February 20, 1858
Made up from: Tazewell County , Virginia
Area code : 001 304
Demographics
Residents : 22,113  (2010)
Population density : 16 inhabitants / km 2
geography
Total area : 1385 km²
Water surface : 0 km²
map
Map of McDowell County within West Virginia

McDowell County is a county in the state of West Virginia in the United States . The county seat is Welch .

geography

The county is located in southern West Virginia, bordering Virginia, and covers an area of ​​1,385 square kilometers with no significant body of water. It is bordered by counties in a clockwise direction: Wyoming County , Mercer County , Tazewell County, Virginia, and Buchanan County, Virginia.

history

McDowell County was formed on February 20, 1858 from parts of Tazewell County in Virginia. It was named after James McDowell , a member of the US Congress and governor of Virginia.

In the first half of the 20th century, coal mining was the main industry in the county, it was considered the most productive in the United States, the County Seat Welch called itself The Heart of the Nation's Coal Bin (about: the heart of the nation's coal tower ). At the beginning of the 1950s, coal was increasingly being replaced as an energy supplier by oil, and mining was mechanized. In the course of time, the surrounding steel manufacturers failed as customers due to their own difficulties and many coal mines had to close. The population, almost 100,000 at its peak in the 1950s, lost their jobs, became increasingly impoverished and emigrated. At the 2010 census, only 22,100 inhabitants were registered. In a speech in May 1963, John F. Kennedy mentioned 20-25% long-term unemployed residents in the county.

The Ashland Company Store is one of 17 listings for the county on the National Register of Historic Places .

A total of 17 buildings and sites in the county are registered in the National Register of Historic Places (as of March 11, 2018).

Demographic data

Population development
Census Residents ± in%
1860 1535 -
1870 1952 27.2%
1880 3074 57.5%
1890 7300 137.5%
1900 18,747 156.8%
1910 47,856 155.3%
1920 68,571 43.3%
1930 90,479 31.9%
1940 94.354 4.3%
1950 98,887 4.8%
1960 71,359 -27.8%
1970 50,666 -29%
1980 49,899 -1.5%
1990 35,233 -29.4%
2000 27,329 -22.4%
2010 22,113 -19.1%
Before 1900

1900-1990

McDowell County's
Age Pyramid

As of the 2000 census , McDowell County had 27,329 people in 11,169 households and 7,840 families. The population density was 20 people per square kilometer. The racial the population was composed of 87.06 percent white, 11.89 percent African American, 0.17 percent Native American, 0.06 percent Asian, 0.01 percent of residents from the Pacific island area and 0.07 percent from other ethnic groups Groups; 0.74 percent were descended from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 0.48 percent of the population.

Of the 11,169 households, 29.2 percent had children and young people under the age of 18 living with them. 51.1 percent were married couples living together, 14.9 percent were single mothers, 29.8 percent were non-families, 27.3 percent were single households and 13.1 percent had people aged 65 years or over. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92 people.

For the entire county, the population was composed of 23.2 percent of residents under the age of 18, 7.9 percent between 18 and 24 years of age, 26.8 percent between 25 and 44 years of age, and 26.1 percent between 45 and 64 years of age 16.1 percent were 65 years of age or over. The average age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 women aged 18 or over there were statistically 86.2 men.

The median income for a household in the county is $ 16,931 , and the median income for a family is $ 20,496. Males had a median income of $ 25,994 versus $ 18,685 for females. The per capita income was $ 10,174. 33.8 percent of families and 37.7 percent of the population were below the poverty line. Of these, 52.5 percent were children or adolescents under 18 years of age and 21.6 percent were people over 65 years of age.

In 2010, men in McDowell County had an average life expectancy of only 63.9 years. This is the lowest of any counties in the country. Women achieved a life expectancy of 72.9 years.

Cities in McDowell County

See also

Individual evidence

  1. Extract from the National Register of Historic Places - No. 79003256. Retrieved May 14, 2019
  2. McDowell County in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System . Retrieved February 22, 2011
  3. Charles Curry Aiken, Joseph Nathan Kane: The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, Area, and Population Data, 1950-2010 . 6th edition. Scarecrow Press, Lanham 2013, ISBN 978-0-8108-8762-6 , p. 199 .
  4. Census 2010 for West Virginia, p. 42 (PDF)
  5. ^ John F. Kennedy: Remarks at the 75th Anniversary Banquet of the International Association of Machinists, May 5, 1963 In: Public Papers of the President , 1963, p.366
  6. Search mask database in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed March 11, 2018.
  7. ^ US Census Bureau _ Census of Population and Housing . Retrieved February 28, 2011
  8. Extract from Census.gov . Retrieved February 28, 2011
  9. McDowell County, West Virginia , 2000 census data sheet at factfinder.census.gov .
  10. US Data for Download | Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Retrieved September 27, 2018 (English).

Radio broadcasts

  • Tom Noga: American Hollow - How America's poorest community struggles to survive. BR / DLF, September 21, 2019.
  • Tom Noga: McDowell County - No Coal, No Hope. WDR 5, October 14, 2015.
  • Tom Noga: Poverty in the US - Abandoned in West Virginia. Bavaria 2, March 28, 2015.
  • Tom Noga: Suspended in West Virginia . About people with vision in the poorest community in the United States. Deutschlandradio Kultur, December 7, 2014.

Web links

Commons : McDowell County, West Virginia  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Coordinates: 37 ° 22 ′  N , 81 ° 39 ′  W