Fayette County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,488. Its county seat is Fayetteville. It is part of the Beckley, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area in Southern West Virginia.

History

Fayette County—originally

Fayette County, Virginia Fayette County, Virginia has existed twice in the U.S. state of Virginia's history. Formed in 1780, and 1831, respectively, both counties were named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had played a key role assisting the Continental Army durin ...

—was created by the Virginia General Assembly in February 1831, from parts of Greenbrier, Kanawha,

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

, and

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...

counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette, who had played a key role assisting the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The second Virginia county so named, it was among the 50 counties which Virginia lost when West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

state in 1863, during the American Civil War. The earlier Fayette County, Virginia existed from 1780 to 1792, and was lost when Kentucky was admitted to the Union. Accordingly, in the government records of Virginia, there will be listings for Fayette County from 1780 to 1792 and Fayette County from 1831 to 1863. A substantial portion was subdivided from Fayette County to form Raleigh County in 1850. In 1871, an Act of the West Virginia Legislature severed a small portion to form part of Summers County. In 1863, 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. Fayette County was originally divided into four townships: Falls, Fayetteville, Mountain Cove, and Sewell Mountain. A fifth township, Kanawha, was formed from part of Falls Township in 1870. The portion of Fayette County that was taken to form Summers County was from Sewell Mountain Township. In 1872, the county's five townships were converted into magisterial districts. A sixth district, Quinnimont, was organized in the 1880s, and a seventh, Nuttall, was formed from part of Mountain Cove District in the 1890s. In the 1970s, the historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new districts: New Haven, Plateau, and Valley. Fayette County was the location of a disastrous mine explosion at

Red Ash ''Fraxinus pennsylvanica'', the green ash or red ash, is a species of ash tree, ash native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida, and southwest to Okla ...

in March 1900, in which 46 miners were killed. Fayette County elected several African Americans to the West Virginia House of Delegates during the early decades of the 20th century including the first, second and third who served in the state legislature.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. Plum Orchard Lake, a reservoir southwest of Oak Hill, is the second largest lake in West Virginia.

Major highways

* Interstate 64 *

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

* U.S. Route 19 *

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

* West Virginia Route 16 * West Virginia Route 39 *

West Virginia Route 41 West Virginia Route 41 (WV 41) is a north–south state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Its southern terminus is at WV 210 in Beckley. Its northern terminus is at WV 55 about west of Cal ...

* West Virginia Route 61 * West Virginia Route 612

Adjacent counties

* Nicholas County (north) * Greenbrier County (east) * Summers County (southeast) * Raleigh County (south) *

Kanawha County Kanawha County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charlest ...

(west)

National protected areas

Gauley River National Recreation Area The Gauley River National Recreation Area, located near Summersville, West Virginia, protects a portion of the Gauley River and a segment of the Meadow River in southern West Virginia. Little of the national recreation area is accessible via ...

(part) * New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families living in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.74% White, 5.57% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 18,945 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,788, and the median income for a family was $30,243. Males had a median income of $28,554 versus $18,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,809. About 18.20% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 46,039 people, 18,813 households, and 12,459 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 21,618 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.5% white, 4.6% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.9% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 9.5% were American. Of the 18,813 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 43.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $31,912 and the median income for a family was $42,077. Males had a median income of $39,301 versus $24,874 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,082. About 16.4% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Fayette County's political history is typical of West Virginia as a whole. The county leaned Democratic during the Third Party System before the power of industrial and mining political systems turned it strongly towards the Republican Party between 1880 and 1932.Menendez, Albert J.; ''The Geography of Presidential elections in the United States, 1868-2004'', pp. 334-337 Unionization of its predominant coal mining workforce during the New Deal made the county powerfully Democratic between 1932 and 2008: no Republican in this period except Richard Nixon against the strongly leftist George McGovern won forty percent of the county's vote, and

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

in 1964 exceeded eighty percent against the conservative

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

. However, the decline of mining unions and the out-migration of historical black mining families,Schwartzman, Gabe
‘How Central Appalachia Went Right’
''Daily Yonder'', January 13, 2015 has produced a rapid swing to the Republican Party – so that over the past three presidential elections swings to the Republican Party have averaged thirty percentage points and Democratic vote percentages plummeted to levels historically more typical of Unionist, traditionally Republican counties like

Morgan Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer), ...

or Upshur.

Economy

The county has a tradition of coal mining, which still serves as a primary source of employment in the area. A Georgia Pacific lumber mill has its home to the west of Mt. Hope, adjacent to U.S. Route 19. There exists a large metal alloy plant in Alloy. The

Mount Olive Correctional Complex Mount Olive Correctional Complex (MOCC) is the male maximum security prison for the state of West Virginia, United States. Its security level is equal to the federal level 5. MOCC is an operational unit of the West Virginia Division of Corr ...

, West Virginia's only maximum security state prison, is also located in Fayette County. The economy has shifted significantly in recent years, with a large amount of money being spent in outdoor recreation and tourism.

Notable people

George Cafego George Cafego (August 29, 1915 – February 9, 1998) was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, earning varsity letters 1937 - 1939, and professionally in the ...

, All-American football player at University of Tennessee, first player selected in the

1940 NFL Draft The 1940 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1939, at the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Cardinals selected George Cafego. Player selections Round one Round ...

DJ Cheese DJ Cheese (born Robert Cheese) is the world title record holder who won the 1986 DMC World Final in London, showcasing the art of scratching in turntablism for the very first time. He also appeared in the 1986 UK tour with Run-DMC. He is known a ...

, first DMC World DJ Champion (1986) *

Walt Craddock Walter Anderson Craddock (March 25, 1932 – July 6, 1980) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander, born in Pax, West Virginia, appeared in 29 games for the Kansas City Athletics during the , and seasons. He was listed a ...

, former professional baseball player * Bob Elkins, character actor *

Randy Gilkey Randy Gilkey (born September 16, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording engineer from Oak Hill, West Virginia. Gilkey lost his eyesight shortly after birth when too much oxygen was pumped into an in ...

, singer, songwriter, and music producer * Tunney Hunsaker, professional boxer and former police chief * Julia Neale Jackson, mother of Stonewall Jackson *

Harley M. Kilgore Harley Martin Kilgore (January 11, 1893 – February 28, 1956) was a United States senator from West Virginia. Biography He was born on January 11, 1893, in Brown, West Virginia. He was born to Quimby Hugh Kilgore and Laura Jo Kilgore. His fat ...

, former member of the United States Senate * Jason Kincaid, professional wrestler, former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion * John McClung, musician and performer of old-time music * Charlie McCoy, musician and singer *

MacGillivray Milne MacGillivray Milne (August 19, 1882 – January 26, 1959) was a United States Navy captain, and the governor of American Samoa from January 20, 1936, to June 3, 1938. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Milne served many pos ...

, former governor of America Samoa *

Tom Pridemore Larry Thomas Pridemore Jr. (born April 29, 1956) is a former Safety (football position), safety from West Virginia who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and served as a delegate in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1 ...

, former safety from Ansted, West Virginia who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and served one term as a legislator * Timothy Truman, writer, artist, musician * Lonnie Warwick, professional football player

Communities

Cities

* Montgomery (part) * Mount Hope * Oak Hill * Smithers (part)

Towns

* Ansted * Fayetteville (county seat) * Gauley Bridge * Meadow Bridge * Town of Pax * Thurmond

Magisterial districts

* New Haven * Plateau * Valley

Census-designated places

* Beards Fork *

Boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. The ...

* Charlton Heights * Cunard * Deep Water * Dixie (part) * Falls View * Garten * Gatewood *

Glen Ferris Glen Ferris is a census-designated place (CDP) on the western bank of the Kanawha River in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. It is situated approximately one mile south of the town of Gauley Bridge. The sole highway linking Glen ...

* Glen Jean *

Hico Hico may stand for: * Hico, Kentucky * Hico, Missouri * Hico, Texas * Hico, West Virginia * HiCo stands for ''high-coercivity'', a variety of magnetic stripe. * The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO), a satellite sensor mounted o ...

* Hilltop *

Kimberly Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a c ...

* Kincaid *

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

* Mount Carbon * Page * Powellton * Prince * Scarbro

Unincorporated communities

* Agnew * Alloy *

Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Associatio ...

* Beckwith *

Boonesborough Boonesborough or Boonesboro may refer to a place in the United States: * Boonesboro, Iowa, now part of Boone, Iowa *Boonesborough, Kentucky *Boonesboro, Missouri Boonesboro is a community in Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is located o ...

* Brooklyn * Brown * Cannelton * Caperton *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

* Chimney Corner * Clifftop *

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

* Corliss * Danese * Dempsey *

Dothan Dothan is a place-name from the Hebrew Bible, identified with Tel Dothan. It may refer to: * Dothan, Alabama, a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama * Dani Dothan, lyricist and vocalist for the Israeli rock and n ...

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Edmond Edmond is a given name related to Edmund. Persons named Edmond include: * Edmond Canaple (1797–1876), French politician * Edmond Chehade (born 1993), Lebanese footballer * Edmond Conn (1914–1998), American farmer, businessman, and politician ...

* Elkridge * Fayette * Greenstown * Hamilton * Harvey *

Hilton Village Hilton Village is a planned English-village-style neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia. Recognized as a pioneering development in urban planning, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood was built between 1918 ...

* Hopewell * Jodie * Kanawha Falls *

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Landisburg Landisburg is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 220 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Landisburg was platted in 1793. The community was ...

* Lansing * Layland *

Lochgelly Lochgelly ( ; gd, Loch Gheallaidh, IPA: �ɫ̪ɔxˈʝaɫ̪ai is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located between Lochs Ore and Gelly to the north-west and south-east respectively. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans ...

* Lookout * McDunn *

Mahan Mahan or Mahaan may refer to: * Mahan (name) * Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea * Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman Province * Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province * Mahan Rural District, an administrative subdi ...

* Marvel * Maywood * Montgomery Heights * Mossy * Nallen * North Page *

Nuttall Nuttall may refer to: People * Nuttall (name) * Nuttall baronets Nature * Nuttall's oak, a fast-growing large deciduous oak tree native to North America * Nuttall's woodpecker, a species of woodpecker found in oak woodlands of California * Nutta ...

* Nuttalburg * Oak Ridge * Pine Grove * Ramsey *

Red Star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...

* Robson * Russellville * Sanger * Smithers * Toney Creek * Victor *

Whipple Whipple may refer to: People *Whipple (surname) (including a list of people with the surname) *Whip Jones (1909–2001), American ski industry pioneer, founder, developer and original operator of the Aspen Highlands ski area in Aspen, Colorado * W ...

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota, the seat of Wi ...

* Wriston

References

External links

Fayette County Chamber of Commerce

Fayette County Schools

Fayette County Public Libraries

WVGenWeb Fayette County
{{authority control 1831 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1831 Counties of Appalachia Former counties of Virginia