| Monongalia County, West Virginia | |
Location in the state of West Virginia |
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West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1776 |
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| Seat | Morgantown |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
366 sq mi (948 km²) 361 sq mi (935 km²) 5 sq mi (13 km²), 1.29% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
81,866 228/sq mi (88/km²) |
| Website | www.co.monongalia.wv.us |
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,189. [1] Its county seat is at Morgantown.[1] The county is included in the Morgantown, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the largest county in North-Central West Virginia.
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Monongalia County takes its name from the Monongahela River. The name Monongalia may be a misspelling of Monongahela. Alternatively, the conventional Latinate ending "-ia" (designating "land of..." or "country of..." — as in Arabia, Bolivia or Columbia) may have been added to Monongahela (i.e., "Land of the Monongahela").
Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when Virginia's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. Ohio County then encompassed most of the western region of the district bordering the Ohio River, including parts of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania. Yohogania County consisted of much of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania and the present counties of Hancock and the northern part of Brooke in West Virginia. Monongalia County encompassed what are now the counties of Tucker, Randolph, Harrison and Barbour in north-central West Virginia, as well as parts of what are now Washington, Greene and Fayette Counties in Pennsylvania. In 1780, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson gave the militia enrollment of what was then the vast Monongalia County at 1,000 troops.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 366 square miles (948 km²), of which 361 square miles (935 km²) is land and 5 square miles (12 km²) (1.29%) is water.
Adjacent counties
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Rivers, streams, and lakes
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| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 4,768 |
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| 1800 | 8,540 | 79.1% | |
| 1810 | 12,793 | 49.8% | |
| 1820 | 11,060 | −13.5% | |
| 1830 | 14,056 | 27.1% | |
| 1840 | 17,368 | 23.6% | |
| 1850 | 12,387 | −28.7% | |
| 1860 | 13,048 | 5.3% | |
| 1870 | 13,547 | 3.8% | |
| 1880 | 14,985 | 10.6% | |
| 1890 | 15,705 | 4.8% | |
| 1900 | 19,049 | 21.3% | |
| 1910 | 24,334 | 27.7% | |
| 1920 | 33,618 | 38.2% | |
| 1930 | 50,083 | 49.0% | |
| 1940 | 51,252 | 2.3% | |
| 1950 | 60,797 | 18.6% | |
| 1960 | 55,617 | −8.5% | |
| 1970 | 63,714 | 14.6% | |
| 1980 | 75,024 | 17.8% | |
| 1990 | 75,509 | 0.6% | |
| 2000 | 81,866 | 8.4% | |
| 2010 | 96,189 | 17.5% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 81,866 people, 33,446 households, and 18,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 227 people per square mile (88/km²). There were 36,695 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.22% White, 3.38% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 33,446 households out of which 24.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.80% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.70% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out with 18.20% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,625, and the median income for a family was $43,628. Males had a median income of $33,113 versus $23,828 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,106. About 11.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.
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Census-designated places |
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The county's public schools are operated by Monongalia County Schools. The county is also home to West Virginia's largest university, West Virginia University, located in Morgantown.
| Greene County, Pennsylvania | Fayette County, Pennsylvania | |||
| Wetzel County | Preston County | |||
| Monongalia County, West Virginia | ||||
| Marion County | Taylor County |
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