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Kanawha County, West Virginia

 

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Kanawha County, West Virginia



 
 
Kanawha County (pronounced ka-NAW-ah') is a county
County

A county is a land area of Local government government within a larger state. A county may have city and towns within its area....
 located in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 taking its name from the Native term, Kanawha: "place of white stone". As of 2000, the population was 200,073. Its county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 is Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the Capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the Confluence of the Elk River and Kanawha River Rivers in Kanawha County, West Virginia....
. Kanawha County is the most populous county in the state of West Virginia.

During 1974, Kanawha County became known for its textbook controversy
Kanawha County textbook controversy

The Kanawha County textbook controversy was a somewhat violent school control struggle in the 20th century United States. It led to the largest protests ever in the history of the county, the shooting of one bystander, and extended school closings....
. Conservatives
Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social term whose meaning has changed in different countries and time periods, but which usually indicates support for the status quo or the status quo ante....
 wanted to purge material they considered unsuitable from school textbooks, leading to John D. Maurice
John D. Maurice

John D. Maurice won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for his editorials about the Kanawha County textbook controversy....
 writing his Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
 winning editorials.

Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, WV metropolitan area, with a 2006 Census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 population estimate of 305,526 people.

rding to the U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the county has a total area of 911 square miles (2,359 kmē), of which, 903 square miles (2,339 kmē) of it is land and 8 square miles (20 kmē) of it (0.87%) is water.


Demographics
As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families residing in the county.






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Encyclopedia


Kanawha County (pronounced ka-NAW-ah') is a county
County

A county is a land area of Local government government within a larger state. A county may have city and towns within its area....
 located in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 taking its name from the Native term, Kanawha: "place of white stone". As of 2000, the population was 200,073. Its county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 is Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the Capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the Confluence of the Elk River and Kanawha River Rivers in Kanawha County, West Virginia....
. Kanawha County is the most populous county in the state of West Virginia.

During 1974, Kanawha County became known for its textbook controversy
Kanawha County textbook controversy

The Kanawha County textbook controversy was a somewhat violent school control struggle in the 20th century United States. It led to the largest protests ever in the history of the county, the shooting of one bystander, and extended school closings....
. Conservatives
Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social term whose meaning has changed in different countries and time periods, but which usually indicates support for the status quo or the status quo ante....
 wanted to purge material they considered unsuitable from school textbooks, leading to John D. Maurice
John D. Maurice

John D. Maurice won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for his editorials about the Kanawha County textbook controversy....
 writing his Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
 winning editorials.

Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, WV metropolitan area, with a 2006 Census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 population estimate of 305,526 people.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the county has a total area of 911 square miles (2,359 kmē), of which, 903 square miles (2,339 kmē) of it is land and 8 square miles (20 kmē) of it (0.87%) is water.

Major highways


  • I 64
    Interstate 64
    Interstate 64

    Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. Its western terminus is currently in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill, Virginia in Chesapeake, Virginia....
  • I 77
    Interstate 77
    Interstate 77

    Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio....
  • I 79
    Interstate 79
    Interstate 79

    Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania....
  • Us 60
    U.S. Route 60
    U.S. Route 60

    U.S. Route 60 is an east-west United States highway, running 2,670 miles from Virginia to Arizona. Despite the "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route ended in Springfield, Missouri at the intersection with U.S....
  • Us 119
    U.S. Route 119
    U.S. Route 119

    U.S. Route 119, commonly abbreviated as US 119, is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It is a north-south route that was an original United States highway of 1926....
  • Appalachian
    Appalachian Development Highway System

    The Appalachian Development Highway System is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission in the United States....
     Corridor G
  • Wv 4
    West Virginia Route 4
  • Wv 25
    West Virginia Route 25
  • Wv 61
    West Virginia Route 61
  • Wv 62
    West Virginia Route 62
  • Wv 94
    West Virginia Route 94
  • West Virginia Route 114
  • West Virginia Route 214
  • West Virginia Route 501
  • West Virginia Route 601
  • West Virginia Route 622
  • West Virginia Route 817
    West Virginia Route 817

    West Virginia Route 817 follows the former path of U.S. Route 35 along the Kanawha River from St. Albans, West Virginia, West Virginia to Winfield, West Virginia, West Virginia....


  • Adjacent counties

    • Roane County
      Roane County, West Virginia

      Roane County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 15,446. Its county seat is Spencer, West Virginia....
       (north)
    • Clay County
      Clay County, West Virginia

      Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous USA statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century....
       (northeast)
    • Nicholas County
      Nicholas County, West Virginia

      Nicholas County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 26,562. Its county seat is Summersville, West Virginia....
       (east)
    • Fayette County
      Fayette County, West Virginia

      Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 47,579. Its county seat is Fayetteville, West Virginia....
       (east)
    • Raleigh County
      Raleigh County, West Virginia

      Raleigh County, founded in 1850, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 79,220. Its county seat is Beckley, West Virginia....
       (southeast)
    • Boone County
      Boone County, West Virginia

      Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 25,535. Its county seat is Madison, West Virginia....
       (south)
    • Lincoln County
      Lincoln County, West Virginia

      Lincoln County is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 22,108. Its county seat is Hamlin, West Virginia....
       (southwest)
    • Putnam County
      Putnam County, West Virginia

      Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War....
       (west)
    • Jackson County
      Jackson County, West Virginia

      Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 28,000. Its county seat is Ripley, West Virginia and its largest municipality is Ravenswood, West Virginia....
       (northwest)


    Demographics


    As of the census
    Census

    A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
     of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families residing in the county. The population density
    Population density

    Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
     was 222 people per square mile (86/kmē). There were 93,788 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile (40/kmē). The racial makeup of the county was 90.46% White
    White American

    White American is an umbrella term officially employed by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget and other U.S. government for the classification of United States citizens or resident aliens "having origins in any of the original peoples of Ethnic groups of Europe, the Ethnic groups of the Middle East, or Ethnic gro...
    , 6.97% Black or African American
    African American

    African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
    , 0.21% Native American
    Native Americans in the United States

    Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
    , 0.85% Asian
    Asian American

    Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
    , 0.02% Pacific Islander
    Pacific Islander American

    Pacific Islander Americans are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest Race counted in the United States Census 2000....
    , 0.21% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

    There were 86,226 households out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were married couples
    Marriage

    Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
     living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 30.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% 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 2.84.

    The age distribution was 21.30% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males.

    The median income for a household in the county was $33,766, and the median income for a family was $42,568. Males had a median income of $33,842 versus $24,188 for females. The per capita income
    Per capita income

    Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
     for the county was $20,354. About 11.20% of families and 14.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

    Book banning

    On 12 March 1974, the English Language Arts Textbook Committee of Kanawha County recommended 325 books and textbooks to the school board for use in Kanawha elementary schools. One of the school board members rejected the books as offensive and asked the county for support. The controversy that followed caused violent protests and school closings through 1975.

    Cities and towns


    Cities


    Towns


    Unincorporated communities


    External links