Monongalia County, known locally as Mon 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 ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its

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 Morgantown. The county was founded in 1776. Monongalia County is included in the

Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the ...

, and is the largest county in

North-Central West Virginia North Central West Virginia (sometimes known as "Mountaineer Country") is a region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The region's largest cities are Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg. Counties * Monongalia County * Marion County * Harris ...

. It is part of the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...

History

Monongalia County takes its name from the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...

. The name ''Monongalia'' may be a misspelling of Monongahela. Alternatively, the conventional Latinate ending "-ia" (designating "land of..." or "country of..." — as in ''Arabia'', ''Bolivia'' or ''Colombia'') may have been added to Monongahela (i.e., "Land of the Monongahela"). Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when

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 ...

's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties:

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. Ohio County then encompassed most of the western region of the district bordering the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, including parts of what is now southwestern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Yohogania County consisted of much of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania and the present counties of Hancock and the northern part of Brooke in West Virginia. Monongalia County also encompassed what are now the counties of Tucker, Randolph, Marion, Harrison and Barbour in north-central West Virginia, as well as parts of what are now

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, Greene and Fayette Counties in Pennsylvania. In 1780, in his '' Notes on the State of Virginia'',

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

gave the militia enrollment of what was then the vast Monongalia County at 1,000 troops. 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. Monongalia County was divided into seven districts: Battelle, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Grant, Morgan, and Union. After a century of relative stability, in the 1970s Monongalia's seven historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new Districts: Central, Eastern, and Western.

Geography

Adjacent counties

Fayette County, Pennsylvania Fayette County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, adjacent to Maryland and West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,804. Its county seat is Uniontown. The county wa ...

(northeast) *

Greene County, Pennsylvania Greene County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,954. Its county seat is Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Waynes ...

(north) * Marion County (south) * Preston County (east) * Taylor County (southeast) * Wetzel County (west)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * *

Rivers, streams, and lakes

*Aarons Creek *Cam Harker Spring * Cheat Lake * Cheat River * Deckers Creek *Dunkard Creek * Jakes Run *

Ridges

* Henderson Ridge

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 105,882 people and 42,710 households residing in the city. There were 49,881 housing units in Monongalia County. The racial makeup of the county was 85%

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 ...

, 3.9%

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 ...

, 3.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% from other races, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 42,710 households, of which 41% 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, 25.4% had a male householder with no spouse present, 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.06. The median age in the county was 33 years. The median income for a household in the county was $56,374.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 96,189 people, 39,777 households, and 20,032 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 43,238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.0% white, 3.6% black or African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.7% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 17.1% were Irish, 13.0% were English, 11.0% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 7.5% were American, and 5.0% were Polish. Of the 39,777 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 49.6% were non-families, and 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 29.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,167 and the median income for a family was $62,966. Males had a median income of $43,383 versus $32,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,116. About 8.6% 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 13.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% 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 81,866 people, 33,446 households, and 18,495 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 36,695 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.22%

, 3.38%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 1.01% 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 33,446 households, out of which 24.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.80% were

living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.70% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.20% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,625, and the median income for a family was $43,628. Males had a median income of $33,113 versus $23,828 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 $17,106. About 11.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the

, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The county government consists of a county commission with three members. Currently, these members are: Thomas Bloom (D), Sean Sikora (R) and Jeffery Arnett (D). While still typically favoring Republicans, the county tends to lean significantly more Democratic than the rest of West Virginia. In the 20th century, Monongalia County had been a

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Re ...

for West Virginia, voting the same as the state in every election from

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, even as the candidate lost the national election, with the sole exception of

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

when

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

won the county and lost the state.

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

carried the county with just over 500 more votes than Democrat

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in the 2020 presidential election, by far Biden's best county-level performance in the state. Its competitiveness is due to its seat, Morgantown, home of the

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

, being solidly Democratic and the county's rural precincts being solidly Republican. The rural precincts are slightly more populous, resulting in the county's Republican tilt.

Education

The county's public schools are operated by Monongalia County Schools. The county is also home to West Virginia's largest university,

, located in Morgantown.

Communities

Cities

* Morgantown (county seat) * Westover

Towns

* Blacksville * Granville * Star City

Magisterial districts

*Central *Eastern *Western

Census-designated places

* Brookhaven * Cassville * Cheat Lake * Pentress

Unincorporated communities

* Arnettsville * Baker Ridge * Behler * Bertha Hill * Booth * Bowlby * Brewer Hill * Browns Chapel * Bula *

Canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

* Cheat Neck * Chestnut Ridge * Clinton Furnace *

Core Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (laboratory), a highly specialized shared research resource * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber ...

* Crossroads *

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

* Daybrook * Dellslow * Delmar * Easton * Edna * Everettville * Fieldcrest * Flaggy Meadow * Fort Grand * Fort Martin * Georgetown * Greer * Greystone * Gum Spring * Hagans * Halleck * Harmony Grove * Hilderbrand *

Hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...

* Hog Eye * Holman *Hunting Hills * Jaco * Jakes Run * Jere * Kimberly * Klondike * Laurel Point * Little Falls * Lowsville * Macdale * Maidsville *

Maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

* McCurdyville * McMellin * Miracle Run * Mooresville * Morgan Heights *

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

* New Hill * Opekiska * Osage * Osgood * Pedlar * Pierpont * Pioneer Rocks *

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation expected, required, or given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, especially when the product is a service rather than a ph ...

* Price Hill * Pursglove * Ragtown * Randall *

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

* Ridgedale * Ringgold * Rock Forge * Rosedale * Sabraton * Saint Cloud * Saint Leo *

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...

* Smithtown * Stewartstown * Suncrest Lake * Sunnyside * Sunset Beach * Sturgisson * The Mileground * Triune * Tyrone *

Uffington Uffington is the name of several places: England * Uffington, Lincolnshire :* Uffington and Barnack railway station :* Uffington Rural District * Uffington, Oxfordshire :* Uffington railway station (Uffington Junction) * Uffington, Shropshire ...

* Van Voorhis * Wadestown * Wana * West Sabraton * West Van Voorhis * Worley

References

External links

*
Monongalia County History
{{authority control 1776 establishments in Virginia Morgantown metropolitan area Populated places established in 1776 West Virginia placenames of Native American origin