Calhoun County, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
 The Calhoun County Courthouse in Grantsville | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWest Virginia | |
| Coordinates:38°50′N81°07′W / 38.84°N 81.12°W /38.84; -81.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  West Virginia |
| Founded | March 5, 1856 |
| Named after | John C. Calhoun |
| Seat | Grantsville |
| Largest town | Grantsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 281 sq mi (730 km2) |
| • Land | 279 sq mi (720 km2) |
| • Water | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,229 |
• Estimate (2021) | 6,176 |
| • Density | 22.3/sq mi (8.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Calhoun County is acounty in theU.S. state ofWest Virginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 6,229,[1] making it the third-least populous county in West Virginia. Itscounty seat isGrantsville.[2] The county was founded in 1856 and named forSouth Carolina politicianJohn C. Calhoun.[3][4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 281 square miles (730 km2), of which 279 square miles (720 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.5%) is water.[5]
In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided intocivil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted intomagisterial districts.[6] Calhoun County was divided into five districts: Centre, Lee, Sheridan, Sherman, and Washington. Between 1980 and 1990, the county was reorganized into five new magisterial districts: District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, and District 5.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,502 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,939 | 17.5% | |
| 1880 | 6,072 | 106.6% | |
| 1890 | 8,155 | 34.3% | |
| 1900 | 10,266 | 25.9% | |
| 1910 | 11,258 | 9.7% | |
| 1920 | 10,268 | −8.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,866 | 5.8% | |
| 1940 | 12,455 | 14.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,259 | −17.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,948 | −22.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,046 | −11.3% | |
| 1980 | 8,250 | 17.1% | |
| 1990 | 7,885 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 7,582 | −3.8% | |
| 2010 | 7,627 | 0.6% | |
| 2020 | 6,229 | −18.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 6,229. Of the residents, 19.6% were under the age of 18 and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 48.4 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males.[12][13]
The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% White, 0.2%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, none from some other race, and 3.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.8% of the population.[13]
There were 2,699 households in the county, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 3,181 housing units, of which 15.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.2% were owner-occupied and 20.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%.[12]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 7,473 | 7,465 | 5,976 | 98.56% | 97.87% | 95.93% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6 | 15 | 13 | 0.07% | 0.19% | 0.20% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 19 | 21 | 12 | 0.25% | 0.27% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 8 | 12 | 12 | 0.10% | 0.15% | 0.19% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 32 | 53 | 164 | 0.42% | 0.69% | 2.63% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 42 | 57 | 48 | 0.55% | 0.74% | 0.77% |
| Total | 7,582 | 7,627 | 6,229 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 7,627 people, 3,268 households, and 2,178 families living in the county.[17] The population density was 27.3 inhabitants per square mile (10.5/km2). There were 3,963 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km2).[18] The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population.[17] In terms of ancestry, 22.4% wereGerman, 21.3% wereIrish, 7.7% wereAmerican, 7.3% wereEnglish, and 5.7% wereDutch.[19]
Of the 3,268 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 45.1 years.[17]
The median income for a household in the county was $26,922 and the median income for a family was $34,897. Males had a median income of $32,229 versus $20,707 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,121. About 13.2% of families and 20.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.[20]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 7,582 people, 3,071 households, and 2,201 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 27 people per square mile (10 people/km2). There were 3,848 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.91%White, 0.11%Black orAfrican American, 0.30%Native American, 0.11%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.13% fromother races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,071 households, out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% weremarried couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.40% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,578, and the median income for a family was $26,701. Males had a median income of $25,609 versus $14,304 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $11,491. About 19.10% of families and 25.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.40% of those under age 18 and 24.90% of those age 65 or over.
Calhoun County is a historicallysecessionist and Democratic county, which never voted Republican between the firstReconstruction election andDwight D. Eisenhower’s landslide win in 1956.[21] Since then it has consistently followed the statewide results of West Virginia, from Democratic-leaning to Republican bastion in the twenty-first century.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 575 | 23.84% | 1,349 | 55.93% | 488 | 20.23% |
| 1916 | 936 | 41.31% | 1,317 | 58.12% | 13 | 0.57% |
| 1920 | 1,671 | 48.48% | 1,773 | 51.44% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1924 | 1,399 | 38.51% | 2,231 | 61.41% | 3 | 0.08% |
| 1928 | 1,745 | 44.27% | 2,179 | 55.28% | 18 | 0.46% |
| 1932 | 1,564 | 33.11% | 3,139 | 66.45% | 21 | 0.44% |
| 1936 | 1,733 | 33.88% | 3,369 | 65.87% | 13 | 0.25% |
| 1940 | 1,891 | 39.70% | 2,872 | 60.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,687 | 42.81% | 2,254 | 57.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,549 | 42.08% | 2,126 | 57.76% | 6 | 0.16% |
| 1952 | 2,101 | 49.56% | 2,138 | 50.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,094 | 52.06% | 1,928 | 47.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,946 | 49.63% | 1,975 | 50.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,275 | 32.68% | 2,626 | 67.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,612 | 44.63% | 1,682 | 46.57% | 318 | 8.80% |
| 1972 | 1,992 | 56.59% | 1,528 | 43.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,283 | 37.12% | 2,173 | 62.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,606 | 46.67% | 1,717 | 49.90% | 118 | 3.43% |
| 1984 | 1,765 | 53.88% | 1,473 | 44.96% | 38 | 1.16% |
| 1988 | 1,395 | 45.63% | 1,644 | 53.78% | 18 | 0.59% |
| 1992 | 1,095 | 33.51% | 1,627 | 49.79% | 546 | 16.71% |
| 1996 | 1,000 | 36.70% | 1,402 | 51.45% | 323 | 11.85% |
| 2000 | 1,425 | 54.49% | 1,112 | 42.52% | 78 | 2.98% |
| 2004 | 1,588 | 54.97% | 1,266 | 43.82% | 35 | 1.21% |
| 2008 | 1,366 | 56.24% | 993 | 40.88% | 70 | 2.88% |
| 2012 | 1,319 | 59.68% | 818 | 37.01% | 73 | 3.30% |
| 2016 | 2,035 | 77.14% | 456 | 17.29% | 147 | 5.57% |
| 2020 | 2,364 | 79.57% | 568 | 19.12% | 39 | 1.31% |
| 2024 | 2,391 | 81.44% | 488 | 16.62% | 57 | 1.94% |
Calhoun County is home to four public parks: The Upper West Fork Park inChloe onWest Virginia Route 16, the West Fork Park inArnoldsburg onU.S. Route 33,Mt. Zion Park on West Virginia Route 16, and Calhoun County Park on West Virginia Route 16.
Calhoun is home to the annualWest Virginia Wood Festival, the West Virginia Molasses Festival in September.
Calhoun County was home to one of the last 500 drive-in theaters in the nation, now closed. Calhoun also has one of the largest genealogy collections in the state, housed at Calhoun County Library. The library is also home to the "West Virginia Room" which includes books on West Virginia and by West Virginians.
Places adjacent to Calhoun County, West Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofCalhoun County, West Virginia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
38°50′N81°07′W / 38.84°N 81.12°W /38.84; -81.12
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