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Preston County, West Virginia

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Named for
  
James Patton Preston

Congressional district
  
1st

Area
  
1,686 km²

Population
  
33,859 (2013)

Largest city
  
Kingwood

Time zone
  
Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Founded
  
1818

County seat
  
Kingwood

Preston County, West Virginia wboyimagesworldnowcomimages8154661Gjpg

Website
  
www.prestoncountywv.org

Cities
  
Kingwood, Terra Alta, Bruceton Mills, Reedsville

Rivers
  
Cheat River, Three Fork Creek, Little Sandy Creek

Points of interest
  
West Virginia Zoo, Cathedral State Park, Cranesville Swamp Preserve, Arthurdale Heritage - Inc, Kingwood Civic Center

Preston county west virginia scenery


Preston County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,520. Its county seat is Kingwood. The county was formed from Monongalia County in 1818 and named for Virginia Governor James Patton Preston.

Contents

Map of Preston County, WV, USA

Preston County is part of the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the southernmost county of the Pittsburgh media market. It is the home of The Buckwheat Festival, a county fair known for making buckwheat cakes.

National register of historic places listings in preston county west virginia top 5 facts


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 651 square miles (1,690 km2), of which 649 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Fayette County, Pennsylvania (north)
  • Garrett County, Maryland (east)
  • Grant County (southeast)
  • Tucker County (south)
  • Barbour County (southwest)
  • Taylor County (west)
  • Monongalia County (northwest)
  • National protected area

  • Monongahela National Forest (part)
  • State parks

  • Cathedral State Park (also a Registered National Natural Landmark)
  • Fairfax Stone State Park
  • 2000 census

    As of the 2010 census, there were 33,520 people, 12,895 households, and 9,038 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 15,097 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.63% White (97.13% non-Hispanic), 1.08% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

    There were 12,895 households out of which 29.03% included children under the age of 18, 56.10% were married couples living together, 9.07% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.92% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.91% were non-families. 24.63% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84.

    The age distribution was 19.55% under the age of 18, 7.36% from 18 to 24, 27.58% from 25 to 44, 29.83% from 45 to 64, and 15.68% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.63 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.48 males.

    The median income for a household in the county was $42,866, and the median income for a family was $48,942. Full-time male workers had a median income of $41,073 versus $25,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,796. About 8.3% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

    2010 census

    As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,520 people, 12,895 households, and 9,038 families residing in the county. The population density was 51.7 inhabitants per square mile (20.0/km2). There were 15,097 housing units at an average density of 23.3 per square mile (9.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 1.1% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.4% were German, 14.3% were Irish, 9.5% were American, and 8.9% were English.

    Of the 12,895 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 42.0 years.

    The median income for a household in the county was $40,753 and the median income for a family was $46,622. Males had a median income of $38,713 versus $25,808 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,329. About 10.1% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

    City

  • Kingwood
  • Census-designated place

  • Aurora
  • References

    Preston County, West Virginia Wikipedia