Mason County, WV

Mason County, West Virginia

Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population is 25,957. Its county seat is Point Pleasant. The county was named for George Mason, one of the principal architects of the 1776 Virginia Constitution.

Mason County is part of the Point Pleasant, WV-OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 445 square miles (1,152 km²), of which, 432 square miles (1,118 km²) of it is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) of it (2.91%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Meigs County, Ohio (north)
Jackson County (east)
Putnam County (southeast)
Cabell County (southwest)
Gallia County, Ohio (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,957 people, 10,587 households, and 7,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 12,056 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.37% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,587 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% 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 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,134, and the median income for a family was $32,953. Males had a median income of $32,382 versus $17,074 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,804. About 16.60% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 14.50% of those age 65 or over.

Mason County Fair

The Mason County Fair, held at the Mason County Fair Grounds in Point Pleasant, is the largest county fair in West Virginia (in terms of attendance). It is held every year during the first week of August. The high attendance is due to the large number of animals that are shown and sold there. There are feeder calf, goat, hog, lamb and steer categories. Also, there is a horse show on the first day of the fair. There is a chicken and rabbit house where people can look at and buy those animals. Another reason for the high number of attendance is the entertainment. There is a musical guest that performs on the main stage every night at 9:00. In recent years, many famous guests have performed at the Mason County Fair, including: Keith Urban, Aaron Tippin, Rhonda Vincent, Jason Michael Carroll, Tracy Lawrence, and in 2008; Lee Brice, Daryle Singletary and Phil Vassar.