About Braxton County

Braxton County is in the geographic center of the state located roughly 70 miles northeast of Charleston and about 160 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1836 from parts of Kanawha, Lewis, and Nicholas counties. The county is named after Carter Braxton (1736-1797), a planter and legislator who was one of the Virginia signers of the Declaration of Independence.

It is rural with a present territory of 513 square miles and a population of 14,851. Its county seat and major town is Sutton (pop.1,011) which is near the center of the county along the major highway running generally north to south through the county, Interstate 79. Gassaway. Other towns are Burnsville (pop. 481); Flatwoods (pop. 348); and Gassaway (pop. 901). Burnsville and Flatwoods are in the northern part of the county along Interstate 79. Gassaway, west of but near Sutton, is along a railway line, and rail lines in the county are mainly used for transit of coal from elsewhere. The main rivers in the county are the Little Kanawha which drains the northern section of the county and the Elk) which runs through the eastern, central, and southern part of the county. Both rivers have flood-control dams (and lakes)—Burnsville Dam and Sutton Dam. Both lakes and their surrounding areas, which contain the Burnsville Lake Wildlife Management Area and the Elk River Wildlife Management Area, attract tourism and recreational use.

Major employment is in retail, accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, manufacturing, construction, and wholesale. Manufacturing employment is primarily in the making of the wood products of veneer and plywood. One quarter of the wholesale workforce is in the field of lumber and other construction materials. There is some notable agricultural production of eggs and in the raising of horses, but the major products are livestock and forage.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 516 square miles (1,337 kmē), of which, 513 square miles (1,330 kmē) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 kmē) of it (0.52%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

In 1950, 18,082 people lived in Braxton County.

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,702 people, 5,771 households, and 4,097 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/kmē). There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/kmē). The racial makeup of the county was 98.02% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,771 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,412, and the median income for a family was $29,133. Males had a median income of $27,560 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,349. About 17.90% of families and 22.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities and towns

Unincorporated communities

(From Wikipedia entry on Braxton County, WV, 2008)