Wood County, West Virginia

History

Wood County was formed on December 21, 1798, from portions of Harrison County. It was named for the then Governor of Virginia (1796–99), James Wood, formerly a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union. The delegates of the 40 western counties who opposed secession formed their own government and seceded from the Confederate state of Virginia. West Virginia was granted statehood in 1863.

Later that year, 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. Wood County was divided into ten districts: Clay, Harris, Lubeck, Parkersburg, Slate, Steele, Tygart, Union, Walker, and Williams.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 sqmi, of which 366 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi (2.8%) is water.

Wood County's northern and western boundary is the Ohio River. The Little Kanawha River flows northwestward through the county to its mouth at the Ohio River in Parkersburg. Tributaries of the Little Kanawha River in Wood County include Worthington Creek, Tygart Creek, and Walker Creek.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Washington County, Ohio (north)
• Pleasants County (northeast)
• Ritchie County (east)
• Wirt County (southeast)
• Jackson County (south)
• Meigs County, Ohio (southwest)
• Athens County, Ohio (west)

National protected area

• Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 84,296. Of the residents, 20.6% were under the age of 18 and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.

There were 36,192 households in the county; 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 28.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 23.1% had a male householder with no spouse present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household and family size was 2.86.

There were 40,304 housing units, of which 10.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.

The median income for a household was $54,750 and the poverty rate was 12.9%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 86,956 people, 36,571 households, and 24,262 families living in the county. The population density was 237.4 PD/sqmi. There were 40,215 housing units at an average density of 109.8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% white, 1.1% 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. In terms of ancestry, 22.3% were German, 19.6% were American, 13.7% were English, and 13.6% were Irish.

Of the 36,571 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.7% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 42.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,146 and the median income for a family was $52,058. Males had a median income of $42,497 versus $27,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,890. About 12.3% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 87,986 people, 36,275 households, and 24,884 families living in the county. The population density was 240 PD/sqmi. There were 39,785 housing units at an average density of 108 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.32% White, 1.01% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 36,275 households, out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,285, and the median income for a family was $40,436. Males had a median income of $34,899 versus $22,109 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,073. About 10.60% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.50% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Wood County is an outlier in West Virginia. After being strongly Unionist during the Virginia Secession Convention it identified with the Republican Party after the Civil War. Although not as Republican as the trio of Ritchie, Doddridge and Tyler Counties, it has consistently voted Republican in the majority of presidential elections for most of the century and a half since, even when the state as a whole was a Democratic stronghold for most of the time from the 1930s through the 1990s. The only Democrats to win Wood County have been Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916, Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1932 and 1940, Harry S. Truman in 1948, and Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Out of these, Tilden and Truman were the only Democrats who did not go on to win over 400 electoral votes. However, Democratic candidates in local and state elections historically performed better, with a plurality of voters in Wood County remaining registered as Democrats until after Barack Obama's election in 2008.

Communities

Cities

• Parkersburg (county seat)
• Vienna
• Williamstown

Town

• North Hills

Magisterial districts

• Clay
• Harris
• Lubeck
• Parkersburg
• Slate
• Steele
• Tygart
• Union
• Walker
• Williams

Census-designated places

• Blennerhassett
• Boaz
• Kanawha
• Lubeck
• Mineralwells
• Washington
• Waverly

Unincorporated communities

• Belleville
• Bonnivale
• Cedar Grove
• Central
• Eli
• Dallison
• Davisville
• Deerwalk
• Fort Neal
• Mount Carmel
• New England
• Ogden
• Pettyville
• Rockport
• Slate
• Volcano
• Walker
• Wells Subdivision

References

References

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