Berkeley County (West Virginia)
Berkeley County is a county located in the state of West Virginia in the United States. The administrative headquarters ( County Seat) is Martinsburg.
Geography
The County is located in the extreme northeast of West Virginia, is bordered on the southwest by Virginia, on the northeast by Maryland and has an area of 833 square kilometers, of which one square kilometers of water surface. It is bordered clockwise to the following counties: Washington County ( Maryland), Jefferson County, Frederick County ( Virginia) and Morgan County.
History
Berkeley County was formed on February 10, 1772 from the northern part of Frederick County in Vurginia. It was named for Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt, a governor of the Virginia colony. The County is the second oldest in West Virginia.
1669 was John Lederer, a German physician and explorer of the Appalachian Mountains, by Sir William Berkeley for permission to enter the territory of today's Berkeley County. 1726 Morgan Morgan moved from Delaware to the area and established the first permanent English settlement on Mill Creek near the present-day Bunker Hill. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the County was of strategic importance as well as the district capital of Martinsburg, which lies at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, which is controlled thus. Similarly, the railway line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad led through the valley, which secured the supply of the Northern States troops.
Demographic data
1900-1990
According to the census of 2000, there were 75 905 people in Berkeley County. Of these, 1,216 people lived in collective centers, the other inhabitants living in 29 569 households, and 20,698 families. The population density was 91 people per square kilometer. The racial the population was made up of 92.74 percent White, 4.69 percent African American, 0.25 percent Native American, 0.46 percent Asian, 0.02 percent of residents from the Pacific Islander and 0.56 percent from other races groups; 1.28 percent were descended from two or more races. 1.52 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 29 569 households out of which 33.4 percent have children under the age of 18 living with them. 54.6 percent were married couples living together, 10.7 percent were single mothers, 30.0 percent were non-families, 24.2 percent of all households and 8.2 percent had someone living alone at the age of 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99.
Based on the county the population was spread from 25.7 percent population under 18 years, 8.3 percent between 18 and 24 years, 31.3 percent between 25 and 44 years, 23.6 percent between 45 and 64 years and 11.2 percent were 65 years old or older. The average age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 men statistically.
The median income for a household was $ 38,763, and the median income for a family was $ 44,302. Males had a median income of $ 32,010, women $ 23,351. The per capita income was $ 17,982. 8.7 percent of families and 11.5 percent of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 14.6 percent of children and adolescents under 18 years and 10.1 percent of seniors aged 65 and over.