Marion County, West Virginia

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Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,205[1] and its county seat is Fairmont.[2] 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 part of the larger Morgantown–Fairmont, WV Combined Statistical Area.

History

The Adena and successor Hopewell cultures flourished in the 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 on the Monongahela River or its branches (including one which gave its name to Dunkard Creek) are known prior to the French and Indian War. It was not until 1772 that any permanent settlements were made in this region.[3]

Marion County was created by an act of the Virginia Assembly on January 14, 1842, from parts of Monongalia and Harrison counties. It was named after General Francis Marion, of American Revolutionary War fame, known to history as "The Swamp Fox".[4]

Starting with the great flood on Monday, April 5, 1852 was an eventful year in Marion County's history. 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.[5] The flood damaged the railroad, which was in the final stages of being completed. By June 23 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. That was achieved by building a massive iron bridge spanning 650 feet and lifted 35 feet above the water.[5]

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.[5]

Marion was one of fifty Virginia counties which were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. In the months which followed, 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.[6] Marion County was divided into seven districts: Fairmont, Grant, Lincoln, Mannington, Paw Paw,Template:Efn-lr Union, and Winfield. In the 1980s, the historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new districts: Middletown, Palatine, and West Augusta.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (0.9%) is water.[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Template:Sronly%±
185010,552—
186012,722Script error: No such module "String".%
187012,107Script error: No such module "String".%
188017,198Script error: No such module "String".%
189020,721Script error: No such module "String".%
190032,430Script error: No such module "String".%
191042,794Script error: No such module "String".%
192054,571Script error: No such module "String".%
193066,655Script error: No such module "String".%
194068,683Script error: No such module "String".%
195071,521Script error: No such module "String".%
196063,717Script error: No such module "String".%
197061,356Script error: No such module "String".%
198065,789Script error: No such module "String".%
199057,249Script error: No such module "String".%
200056,598Script error: No such module "String".%
201056,418Script error: No such module "String".%
202056,205Script error: No such module "String".%
2021 (est.)56,001[9]Script error: No such module "String".%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[1]

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 56,205. Of the residents, 20.1% were under the age of 18 and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.2 males.[14][15]

The racial makeup of the county was 90.0% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from some other race, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.[15]

Of the 23,223 households, 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of those households, 48.3% were married couples living together and 19.5% had a male householder with no spouse present; the average household and family size was 2.89.[14]

There were 26,280 housing units, of which 11.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.0% were owner-occupied and 25.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.[14]

Income and poverty

According to the United States Census Bureau's QuickFacts, the median income for a household was $55,094 and the poverty rate was 14.6%.[16]

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 56,418 people, 23,786 households, and 15,271 families living in the county.[17] The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 26,463 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert"..[18]

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.[17] 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.[19]

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.[17]

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.[20]

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families living in the county. The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert".. The racial makeup of the county was 95.10% White, 3.22% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 23,652 households, out of which 26.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.60% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,626, and the median income for a family was $37,182. Males had a median income of $29,005 versus $21,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,246. About 11.70% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Marion County, like most counties in West Virginia, was historically Democratic, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century. From 1932 to 2008, the county only voted Republican in a presidential election once: for Richard Nixon in 1972 amidst a national landslide. However, like the rest of West Virginia, Marion County has trended heavily Republican in the 21st century, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than most of the state. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney flipped the county for the first time since Nixon's victory, and it has voted Republican in each election since. In 2016, 2020, and 2024, Republican Donald Trump carried Marion County with more than 60% of the vote, with all performances the best ever for any Republican in the county. 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:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Communities

Cities

Towns

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Magisterial districts

  • Middletown
  • Palatine
  • West Augusta

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

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Notable people

Literary presence

In the 1632 series of science fiction novels, the fictional town of Grantville (closely modeled after real-life Mannington) and its environs were part of Marion County until a spacetime anomaly caused by aliens which sent it to 17th-century Thuringia. The county and its institutions are frequently mentioned in the course of the series, and writers interested in the series have held a number of "mini-cons" (miniature science fiction conventions) in Mannington.[22][23][24] Flint has said, "The town of Grantville is very closely modeled on the actual town of Mannington. There are rules that I require everyone to follow when they write in the series. One of them is that it if it wasn’t in the town of Mannington in 2000, you can’t have it in Grantville. The one cheat I had to do was that I needed a power plant. The power plant is about 15 miles away, in a town called Granttown, so I just sorta moved it over. That’s the only real cheat.”[25]

See also

Footnotes

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References

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Dunnington, George A. History and Progress of the County of Marion, West Virginia Fairmont, West Virginia: George A. Dunnington, Publisher, 1880; Chap. II: First Settlements
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Otis K. Rice & Stephen W. Brown, West Virginia: A History, 2nd ed., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington (1993), p. 240.
  7. ↑ United States Census Bureau, U.S. Decennial Census, Tables of Minor Civil Divisions in West Virginia, 1870–2010.
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  14. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  17. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ "Author's Afterword" in Flint, Eric. 1632
  23. ↑ Marion County VB. "Eric Flint's Best-Selling Sci-Fi Novel Takes Place in Marion County: Grantville Gets Transported Back To 1632" July 31, 2020 Marion County Visitors Bureau website
  24. ↑ Baen Interviews: Virginia DeMarce March 2006. Baen.com
  25. ↑ "Eric Flint: Remaking History" December 4, 2016 Locus magazine website

External links

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