Pocahontas County, West Virginia

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,439 km² (942 mi²). 2,435 km² (940 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.17% water.

Pocahontas County is bounded in the south by Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the west by Webster County, West Virginia, in the north and west by Randolph County, West Virginia, in the northeast by Pendleton County, West Virginia, and in the east by Highland County, Virginia and Bath County, Virginia.

Demographics As of the census¹ of 2000, there are 9,131 people, 3,835 households, and 2,527 families residing in the county. The population density is 4/km² (10/mi²). There are 7,594 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (8/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 98.38% White, 0.78% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,835 households out of which 25.80% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% are married couples living together, 7.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% are non-families. 29.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.83.

In the county, the population is spread out with 20.90% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 27.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 106.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 103.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $26,401, and the median income for a family is $32,511. Males have a median income of $26,173 versus $16,780 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,384. 17.10% of the population and 12.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.20% are under the age of 18 and 14.60% are 65 or older.

Cities and Towns

• Arbovale
• Bartow
• Buckeye
• Cass
• Droop
• Dunmore
• Durbin
• Frank
  • It was named to honour Frank Hoffman in 1926; he was a member of the Pocahontas Tanning Company that operated a tannery here.
• Green Bank
• Hillsboro
• Huntersville
  • It received its name because it was a rendezvous for trappers and hunters who came to trade pelts for supplies.
• Marlinton
• Mill Point
• Minnehaha Springs
  • It was named for the Indian princess and the mineral springs on the Lockridge farm. It is the only community with this name in the United States.
• Seebert
• Slatyfork
• Snowshoe
• Stony Bottom
  • In the early 1800's it was known as "Seldom Seen". At some point this was changed to Driftwood by loggers who would drift logs by on the Greenbrier River. By 1908 it took its present name because of all the stones and rocks in the area.