McDowell County, West Virginia
| McDowell County, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
McDowell County Courthouse in Welch
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 Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia |
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 West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 28, 1858 |
| Named for | James McDowell |
| Seat | Welch |
| Largest city | Welch |
| Area | |
| • Total | 535 sq mi (1,386 km2) |
| • Land | 533 sq mi (1,380 km2) |
| • Water | 1.4 sq mi (4 km2), 0.3% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 19,835 |
| • Density | 38/sq mi (15/km²) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
McDowell County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,113. Its county seat is Welch. McDowell county is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Virginia Governor James McDowell. It became a part of West Virginia in 1863, when several counties seceded from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War.
McDowell County was also home of the famous Rocket Boys, who were from Coalwood.
McDowell County was formed by an act of the Virginia Legislature on February 20, 1858, from what was originally included in Tazewell County, Virginia.
Five years later, the Legislature decided to allow county residents to determine where the county seat should be. They chose Perryville (now called English), which was then the most populated town."The "Restored Government" commissioners, in October, 1866, located the county seat on a farm near the mouth of Mill Creek, where it remained until it moved to Perryville in 1874." The debate over the location of the county seat continued until 1892. The town of Welch became the county seat.
The county is popularly referred to as the "Free State of McDowell," a name originally coined by a local newspaper editor to refer to the unusual politics and demographics of the area.
McDowell County was nationally known for its prominence in the coal mining industry, setting production records and was a major player in the state's economy. Before the industry's decline beginning in the 1950s, McDowell's population reached nearly 100,000 residents, third highest in the state at that time. It then reduced at a rapid pace in the following decades, setting the highest percentage in the state for population loss with each new census. Younger residents moved out of the county to seek better futures, leaving behind an older and increasingly impoverished population.
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