|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tucker County, West Virginia |
| Tucker County, West Virginia | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of West Virginia |
|
 West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1856 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Parsons |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
421 sq mi (1,090 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.53% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
7,321 18/sq mi (7/km²) |
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 Parsons1. 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.2 The county was named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia.3
Contents |
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.
As of the census4 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.
 |
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (June 2008) |
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 day5.
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
