Hardy County, West Virginia

Hardy County is a located in the  of. As of, the population is 12,669. Its is. Hardy County was created from in  and named for, a distinguished Virginian.

Through this county flows the with its surrounding magnificent valley. Several miles wide, "the Valley," as it is commonly called, contains lands whose fertility lends itself to successful farming. Agriculture and stock raising have always been the main source of employment in this area, with corn, wheat, apples, peaches, melons, cattle and poultry having important interests. Truck-farming has a vital role, each household possessing its own small garden.

On either side of the Valley are high mountains with rough terrain and heavy timber. Throughout the area wildlife is plentiful, and hunting has always been a major diversion and source of meat supply. In the winter snows are whipped by winds of gale force, and snowdrifts are usually numerous.

The South Branch is a clear stream, quite wide, and of considerable depth in many places. Watering the Valley, the river abounds in fish and creates many picturesque settings. At times the usually calm waters surge from low banks and spread over the Valley, enveloping and ravishing the rich surrounding lands. The river has a peculiar feature in the field of geology as it flows through the Valley. At one point the river, thousands of years ago, did not cut across the mountains from one side to the other, but made a passage through them from end to end. This geological exception is now in the form of a narrow, trough-like gap, about seven miles long, and appropriately called "." At the present day, the gorge is several hundred feet deep, and the South Branch flows in a narrow channel at the bottom, with almost perpendicular walls of rock on either side.

In the very center of the South Branch Valley, surrounded by high mountains, and located on the east side of the junction of the and the South Branch Potomac, is, the county seat of. A quiet farming center in 1860, the population of the Moorefield area at that time was about 1,500. At this period there were no bridges at Moorefield, and the South Branch had to be forded some three miles up the Valley, or the ferryboat, which was usually busy, had to be used. The main towns that communicated with Moorefield were, , and New Creek (presently ) the latter having a stage line between the two points.

History
Hardy County had a rich African American history, with many free African Americans living there before the. This history is discussed in part 2 of the television series .

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,514 (584 ). 1,511 km² (583 sq mi) of it is land and 3 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.19%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:US 48.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 220.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:WV-29.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:WV-55.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:WV-259.svg|20px]]

Adjacent Counties

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 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 12,669 people, 5,204 households, and 3,564 families residing in the county. The was 8/km² (22/sq mi). There were 7,115 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (12/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.87%, 1.93% or , 0.16% , 0.14% , 0.23% from , and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 5,204 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% 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 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,846, and the median income for a family was $37,003. Males had a median income of $28,032 versus $18,798 for females. The for the county was $15,859. About 10.50% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.