The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia, United States. The Eastern Panhandle Board of Realtors and other local civic organizations consider only the three Easternmost counties, Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan, as members of the Eastern Panhandle. Others view the region as comprising a total of eight counties.
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Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, and Morgan counties joined the new Unionist state of West Virginia in 1863. Shortly after West Virginia gained statehood, Mineral and Grant counties were created from Hampshire and Hardy in 1866.
The Eastern Panhandle includes West Virginia's oldest chartered towns (1762) of Romney and Shepherdstown. The Panhandle also includes West Virginia's two oldest counties: Hampshire (1753) and Berkeley (1772).
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad runs through the panhandle, and was a key transportation link to Washington, D.C. during the Civil War. Harper's Ferry was the site of a U.S. Armory until 1861. The strategic nature of the area influenced its inclusion in West Virginia by the Union Congress.
The question of the constitutionality of the formation of the new state was brought before the Supreme Court of the United States in the following manner: Berkeley and Jefferson counties, West Virginia, counties lying on the Potomac east of the mountains, in 1863, with the consent of the Reorganized Government of Virginia, had supposedly voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia. But, many voters were absent in the Confederate Army when the vote was taken, and they refused to accept the transfer upon their return. The Virginia General Assembly repealed the Act of Secession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia, asking the Supreme Court to declare the counties still part of Virginia. The Republican-controlled Congress, on March 10, 1866, passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. The Supreme Court, in 1871, also decided in favor of West Virginia.
The Eastern Panhandle includes both West Virginia's highest and lowest elevations above sea level: Spruce Knob, 4,863 feet (1,482 m), in Pendleton and Harpers Ferry, 240 feet (73 m), in Jefferson on the Potomac River. The region is separated from the remainder of the state by the Allegheny Front, which separates the Mississippi watershed from that of Chesapeake Bay.
The eight counties in the eastern panhandle are:
According to the 2000 Census, the eight counties of the Eastern Panhandle had a combined population of 212,483, giving the region 11.75% of West Virginia's population. Berkeley County is the Panhandle's most populous county, with an estimated 103,854 residents (2009). Berkeley also includes the Panhandle's largest city, Martinsburg, with a 2008 estimated population of 17,020.[1]
The Eastern Panhandle is West Virginia's fastest-growing region in terms of population and housing. In July 2005, the United States Census Bureau released a list of the top 100 counties according to housing growth. Berkeley County grew 3.95 percent, from 36,365 housing units in 2003 to 37,802 units in 2004. That growth rate was 86th in the nation among the 3,141 United States counties. Jefferson County was not far behind at 88th in the nation. It grew 3.94 percent from 19,381 housing units in 2003 to 20,144 units in 2004.
The majority of the Eastern Panhandle's growing residential developments are located outside city and town boundaries and are not included in the city or town's official population.
| City | 2008 (estimate) | 2000 | 1990 | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsburg | 17,020 | 14,972 | 14,073 | Berkeley |
| Keyser | 5,230 | 5,303 | 5,870 | Mineral |
| Ranson | 3,957 | 2,951 | 2,890 | Jefferson |
| Charles Town | 4,765 | 2,907 | 3,122 | Jefferson |
| Petersburg | 2,774 | 2,423 | 2,360 | Grant |
| Moorefield | 2,438 | 2,375 | 2,148 | Hardy |
| Romney | 1,912 | 1,940 | 1,966 | Hampshire |
| Shepherdstown | 1,146 | 803 | 1,287 | Jefferson |
| Bolivar | 1,059 | 1,045 | 1,013 | Jefferson |
| Piedmont | 919 | 1,014 | 1,094 | Mineral |
NOTE: This list does not include the unincorporated census-designated places of Inwood (pop. 2,084) and Fort Ashby (pop. 1,354). The U.S. Census Bureau does not release estimates for CDPs. The population figures listed are from the 2000 census.
Several counties in the Eastern Panhandle are part of metropolitan, micropolitan, and consolidated metropolitan statistical areas defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget.
| MSA/CMSA | Population (2000) | WV Counties |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland, MD-WV MSA | 102,008 | Mineral |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA | 222,771 | Berkeley, Morgan |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA | 4,796,183 | Jefferson |
| Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV CMSA | 7,538,385 | Berkeley, Jefferson |
| Winchester, VA-WV MSA | 102,997 | Hampshire |
| County | Named For | Founded | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt | February 1772 | Martinsburg |
| Grant | Ulysses Simpson Grant | February 14, 1866 | Petersburg |
| Hampshire | County of Hampshire, England | December 13, 1753 | Romney |
| Hardy | Samuel Hardy | December 10, 1785 | Moorefield |
| Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson | January 8, 1801 | Charles Town |
| Mineral | minerals located in the county | February 1, 1866 | Keyser |
| Morgan | General Daniel Morgan | February 9, 1820 | Berkeley Springs |
| Pendleton | Edmund Pendleton | December 4, 1787 | Franklin |
Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton counties belong to the geographical region of West Virginia known as the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.
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