Braxton County, West Virginia
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Braxton County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the central part of the U.S. state of
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,447. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
. The county was formed in 1836 from parts of Lewis, Kanawha, and
Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...
counties and named for Carter Braxton, a
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
statesman and signer of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
. In 2010, the
center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...
of West Virginia was in northern Braxton County. Important salt works were located at Bulltown and here, in 1772, Captain Bull and his family and friendly Delaware Indians were massacred by frontiersmen. Jesse Hughes helped Jeremiah Carpenter track and kill the Indians responsible for the Carpenter massacre. Jeremiah was a notable fiddle player who wrote a song Shelvin’ Rock about the experience of escaping to rock shelter.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into
civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a County (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...
s, 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. Braxton County was originally divided into four townships: Clay, Franklin, Lincoln, and Washington, which became magisterial districts in 1872. All four districts were renamed in 1873: Clay District became Kanawha, Franklin became Holly, Lincoln became Otter, and Washington became Birch. Two years later, Salt Lick District was formed from part of Kanawha. The two districts were reconsolidated between 1910 and 1920, when the territory of Kanawha District was added to Salt Lick; otherwise they remained stable for the next sixty years. Between 1980 and 1990, the county was reorganized into four new magisterial districts: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western.


Major highways

* Interstate 79 * U.S. Highway 19 * West Virginia Route 4 * West Virginia Route 5 * West Virginia Route 15


Adjacent counties

* Lewis County (northeast) * Webster County (southeast) * Nicholas County (south) * Clay County (southwest) * Calhoun County (west) * Gilmer County (northwest)


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 12,447 people and 4,532 households residing in the county. There were 6,251 housing units in Braxton. The racial makeup of the county was 96.2%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.7% of the population. Of the 4,352 households, 55.5% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no spouse present, 16.2% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.23. The median age in the county was 46.3 years with 19.6% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $42,519 and the poverty rate was 18.3%.


2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,523 people, 6,000 households, and 4,043 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 7,415 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.7% were German, 15.0% were Irish, 11.7% were English, and 8.0% were American. Of the 6,000 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 43.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $32,158 and the median income for a family was $40,421. Males had a median income of $42,355 versus $22,557 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,469. About 17.0% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 14,702 people, 5,771 households, and 4,097 families living in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.02%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.69%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.35% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.08% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population were
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. There were 5,771 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,412, and the median income for a family was $29,133. Males had a median income of $27,560 versus $17,778 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $13,349. About 17.90% of families and 22.00% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 27.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

Braxton County, although initially opposed to secession during the first session of the Virginia Secession Convention, later became supportive. Consequently, up until the decline of coal mining unionization, and growing opposition to socially controversial issues,Cohn, Nate
‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', April 24, 2014
Braxton County was overwhelmingly Democratic. Like all of West Virginia, it has seen an extremely rapid shift to the Republicans over the past five elections.


Communities


Towns

* Burnsville * Flatwoods * Gassaway *
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
(county seat)


Magisterial districts

* Eastern * Northern * Southern * Western


Unincorporated communities

* Bonnie * Braxton * Canfield * Caress * Centralia * Clem * Copen * Corley * Cutlips * Dingy *
Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
* Elmira * Exchange * Falls Mill * Frametown * Gem * Gip * Glendon * Heaters * Herold * Little Birch * Little Otter * Napier * Newville * Riffle * Rosedale * Servia * Strange Creek * Tague * Tesla * Wilsie


See also

* Elk River Wildlife Management Area * National Register of Historic Places listings in Braxton County, West Virginia


References

{{authority control 1836 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1836