Tucker County, West Virginia

Infobox U.S. County
county = Tucker County
state = West Virginia




map size = 225
founded = 1856
seat = Parsons | area_total_sq_mi =421
area_water_sq_mi =2
area percentage = 0.53%
census yr = 2000
pop = 7321
density_km2 =7
web =
|

Tucker County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population is 7,321. Its county seat is ParsonsGR|6. Tucker County was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, West Virginia, was transferred to Tucker County. [ [http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvtucker/hist.htm Tucker County WVGenWeb Page, accessed August 25, 2006.] ] The county was named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia. [ [http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/tucker.html West Virginia Division of Culture and History - Tucker County History web page, accessed August 25, 2006] ]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 421 square miles (1,091 km²), of which, 419 square miles (1,085 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (0.53%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

*Preston County (north)
*Grant County (east)
*Randolph County (south)
*Barbour County (west)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,321 people, 3,052 households, and 2,121 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 4,634 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.85% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.01% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,052 households out of which 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $32,574. Males had a median income of $24,149 versus $17,642 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,349. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over.

History

The highly profitable Babcock Lumber and Boom Company, operating out of Davis, West Virginia from 1907, was responsible for devastating environmental damage to much of surrounding Tucker County, including Canaan Valley, Dolly Sods and the Blackwater Canyon. These areas were clear-cut and the landscape converted into a tinderbox by the residual slashings. By 1910, fires swept over the wasteland, often burning continuously from spring until the first snows. In 1914, with the county virtually denuded of standing trees, the ground burned continually for 6 months. When the fires subsided, thin mineral soil and bare rock were all that remained. Uncontrollable soil erosion and flooding further degraded and depopulated the region, which bears the scars of the conflagration to the present day [ Brooks, Maurice (1965), "The Appalachians" (Series: The Naturalist's America), Illustrated by Lois Darling and Lo Brooks, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, pp 127-128.] .

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities and towns

*Town of Davis
*Town of Hambleton
*Town of Hendricks
*City of Parsons
*City of Thomas

Unincorporated communities

Points of Interest

State Parks

* Blackwater Falls State Park
* Canaan Valley Resort State Park
* Fairfax Stone State Park

Federal Lands

* Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge [http://www.fws.gov/canaanvalley/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site]
* Fernow Experimental Forest [http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/parsons/fefhome.htm U.S. Department of Agriculture web site]
* Dolly Sods Wilderness [http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/parsons/fefhome.htm U.S. Forest Service web site]
* Monongahela National Forest [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/ U.S. Forest Service web site]

National Natural Landmarks

*Big Run Bog
*Canaan Valley
*Fisher Spring Run Bog

Citations

References

*Maxwell, Hu, "History of Tucker County, West Virginia, from the Earliest Explorations and Settlements to the Present Time; with Biographical Sketches of more than Two Hundred and Fifty of the Leading Men, and a Full Appendix of Official and Electoral History; Also, an Account of the Rivers, Forests and Caves of the County", Preston Publishing Company: Kingwood, West Virginia, 1884. (Reprinted by McClain Printing Company, Parsons, W.Va., 1971 and 1993.)