Jefferson County, West Virginia

Jefferson County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 42,190. Its is.

Formation
Jefferson County was formed from in 1801 and named for, author of the  and third.

John Brown Rebellion
The county's was the site of the trial for the   after his  raid on the federal  in. U.S. Army troops serving under General put down the rebellion.

He was sentenced to death and was hanged there. Among those in attendance at the execution was a contingent of cadets from sent by the   under the supervsion of Major  and Major.

Joining West Virginia
Berkeley and Jefferson counties, both lying on the east of the mountains, and with the consent of the, voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia in 1863. Virginia tried to nullify this decision after the, but the counties remained part of West Virginia.

The question of the constitutionality of the formation of the new state was brought before the in the following manner:  and Jefferson County, West Virginia, counties lying on the Potomac east of the mountains, in 1863, with the consent of the Reorganized Government of Virginia, voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia. Many voters absent in the Confederate Army when the vote was taken refused to acknowledge the transfer upon their return. The repealed the Act of Secession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia asking the court to declare the counties a part of Virginia. Meanwhile, Congress, on, passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. The Supreme Court, in 1871, decided in favor of West Virginia.

Rural Free Delivery
In October 1896, Jefferson became the first county in the United States to begin service.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 548 (212 ). 543 km² (210 sq mi) of it is land and 5 km² (2 sq mi) of it (0.96%) is water. It is the only West Virginia county where the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River that John Denver sang about in the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" can be found.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:US 340.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:WV-9.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:WV-45.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:WV-51.svg|23px]]

Adjacent Counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (southwest)
 * (northwest)

Magisterial districts

 * Charles Town
 * Harpers Ferry
 * Kabletown
 * Middleway
 * Shepherdstown

Historic Buildings and Structures

 * (1734)
 * (1740)
 * Mount Ellen (1760)
 * (1780)
 * Blakeley (1820)
 * Claymont Court (1820)
 * Grace Episcopal Church (1851)
 * Kabletown Church (1861)

Google Earth Placemarks:

 * Middleway Historic District
 * White House Farm
 * Mount Ellen
 * Blakeley
 * Claymont Court
 * Grace Episcopal Church
 * Kabletown Church

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 42,190 people, 16,165 households, and 11,315 families residing in the county. The was 78/km² (201/sq mi). There were 17,623 housing units at an average density of 32/km² (84/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 91.02%, 6.09% or , 0.60% , 0.28% , 0.04% , 0.60% from , and 1.37% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 16,165 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,374, and the median income for a family was $51,351. Males had a median income of $35,235 versus $26,531 for females. The for the county was $20,441. About 7.20% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Jefferson County links

 * Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
 * Jefferson County Commission
 * Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau
 * Jefferson County Development Authority
 * Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission
 * Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Committee
 * Jefferson County Public Service District
 * Jefferson County Schools
 * Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
 * Jefferson County Fair
 * Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival
 * Jefferson County Citizens for Economic Preservation
 * Virtual tour of Jefferson County