Roane County, West Virginia

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Roane County, West Virginia
Robey Theatre in Spencer
Location in the state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 11, 1856
Named for	Spencer Roane
Seat	Spencer
Largest city	Spencer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	484 sq mi (1,254 km²) 484 sq mi (1,254 km²) 0.2 sq mi (1 km²), 0.03%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	14,028
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.roanewv.com

Roane County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,028. Its county seat is Spencer. The county was founded in 1856 and is named for Spencer Roane.

History

Roane County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 11, 1856. It was named for the jurist Spencer Roane of Virginia. He was born in Essex County April 4, 1762. The county's seat Spencer was also named for Judge Roane.

On June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Roane was one of fifty Virginia counties that were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia. Later that year, the state's counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. Roane County was divided into seven districts: Curtis, Geary, Harper, Reedy, Smithfield, Spencer, and Walton. Except for minor adjustments, these districts were largely unchanged for more than a century, until in the 1980s they were consolidated into three new magisterial districts: Northern, Eastern, and Western. A fourth district, Southern, was added in the 1990s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 484 square miles (1,250 km²), of which 484 square miles (1,250 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.03%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 79
• U.S. Highway 33
• U.S. Highway 119
• West Virginia Route 14
• West Virginia Route 36

Adjacent counties

• Wirt County (north)
• Calhoun County (east)
• Clay County (southeast)
• Kanawha County (south)
• Jackson County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	5,381		—
1870	7,232		34.4%
1880	12,184		68.5%
1890	15,303		25.6%
1900	19,852		29.7%
1910	21,543		8.5%
1920	20,129		−6.6%
1930	19,478		−3.2%
1940	20,787		6.7%
1950	18,408		−11.4%
1960	15,720		−14.6%
1970	14,111		−10.2%
1980	15,952		13.0%
1990	15,120		−5.2%
2000	15,446		2.2%
2010	14,926		−3.4%
Est. 2021	13,898		−10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,446 people, 6,161 households, and 4,479 families living in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 7,360 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.56% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,161 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,511, and the median income for a family was $29,280. Males had a median income of $28,738 versus $17,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,195. About 17.80% of families and 22.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.10% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,926 people, 6,195 households, and 4,193 families living in the county. The population density was 30.9 inhabitants per square mile (11.9 /km²). There were 7,351 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.7% were American, 17.9% were Irish, 15.3% were German, and 9.1% were English.

Of the 6,195 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 43.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,428 and the median income for a family was $35,289. Males had a median income of $32,106 versus $22,914 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,103. About 21.5% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Roane County, West Virginia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,213	73.10%	1,455	25.25%	95	1.65%
2016	3,781	71.12%	1,222	22.99%	313	5.89%
2012	2,982	58.93%	1,939	38.32%	139	2.75%
2008	2,943	52.78%	2,511	45.03%	122	2.19%
2004	3,440	56.39%	2,612	42.82%	48	0.79%
2000	3,172	56.39%	2,332	41.46%	121	2.15%
1996	2,069	39.19%	2,572	48.71%	639	12.10%
1992	2,207	37.68%	2,607	44.51%	1,043	17.81%
1988	2,861	53.66%	2,447	45.89%	24	0.45%
1984	3,751	60.11%	2,468	39.55%	21	0.34%
1980	3,219	54.07%	2,498	41.96%	236	3.96%
1976	3,216	47.75%	3,519	52.25%	0	0.00%
1972	4,253	64.06%	2,386	35.94%	0	0.00%
1968	3,851	55.70%	2,639	38.17%	424	6.13%
1964	3,451	47.46%	3,820	52.54%	0	0.00%
1960	4,443	57.53%	3,280	42.47%	0	0.00%
1956	4,701	59.85%	3,153	40.15%	0	0.00%
1952	4,922	57.74%	3,603	42.26%	0	0.00%
1948	4,213	53.28%	3,684	46.59%	11	0.14%
1944	4,650	55.11%	3,787	44.89%	0	0.00%
1940	5,317	50.76%	5,158	49.24%	0	0.00%
1936	5,282	51.08%	5,047	48.81%	12	0.12%
1932	4,361	46.12%	5,094	53.88%	0	0.00%
1928	4,472	59.54%	3,007	40.03%	32	0.43%
1924	4,097	53.90%	3,504	46.10%	0	0.00%
1920	4,232	57.78%	3,082	42.08%	10	0.14%
1916	2,406	51.97%	2,186	47.21%	38	0.82%
1912	708	15.82%	2,045	45.70%	1,722	38.48%

Communities

City

• Spencer (county seat)

Town

• Reedy

Magisterial districts

Current

• Northern
• Southern
• Eastern
• Western

Historic

• Curtis
• Geary
• Harper
• Reedy
• Smithfield
• Spencer
• Walton

Unincorporated communities

• Amma
• Cotton
• Elana
• Gandeeville
• Lattimer
• Left Hand
• Linden
• Looneyville
• Peniel
• Walton
• Newton

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Roane County, West Virginia