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Mineral, West Virginia

Mineral County, West Virginia
MineralCountyCourthouse2012.jpg
Map of West Virginia highlighting Mineral County
Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded February 1, 1866
Seat Keyser
Largest city Keyser
Area
 • Total 329 sq mi (852 km2)
 • Land 328 sq mi (850 km2)
 • Water 1.4 sq mi (4 km2), 0.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 27,451
 • Density 84/sq mi (32/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.mineralcountywv.com

Mineral County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,212. Its county seat is Keyser. The county was founded in 1866.

Mineral County is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Indigenous peoples lived throughout the highlands along rivers in this area for thousands of years. Archeologists have identified artifacts of the Adena culture, dating from 1000 BC to 200 BC. They were among the several early Native American cultures who built major earthwork mounds for ceremonial and burial use. Remnants of their culture have been found throughout West Virginia. They were followed by other indigenous peoples.

With the growth of fur trading to the north after European encounter in the coastal areas, the nations of the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois Confederacy), based in present-day New York, moved into the Ohio Valley in search of new hunting grounds. By the 17th century they had conquered other tribes, pushed them out to the west, and preserved the area for hunting.

It was not until after West Virginia became a state in 1863 that present-day Mineral County was organized. It was created in 1866 by an Act of the West Virginia Legislature from the existing Hampshire County. The name was selected due to its reserves of minerals, especially coal (although, technically, coal is not a true mineral).

The seminal point in the creation of the county was the arrival of the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1842. The county seat of Keyser was named for an executive of the railroad.


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