Tucker County

The Dolly Sods area in Tucker County. ( Photo courtesy W.Va. Department of Tourism)

Tucker County was first settled around 1772 by two brothers, Thomas and Jon Parsons, who built their homestead along the Cheat River.

The county was formed in 1856 from a the northern part of Randolph County and named for George Tucker, who was a statesman from Virginia.

Large reserves of coal, timber, shale and limestone brought thousand of jobs to the region following the building of the rail lines by the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railroad Company starting in 1889.

In recent decades the recreational and tourist industry has brought jobs and money to the area. The county is home to Canaan Valley State Park and Blackwater Falls State Park and is part of the Monongahela National Forest.

Parsons in the county seat and is named for Ward Parsons, a pioneer who once owned the land where the town sits.

Source: The 55 West Virginias: A guide to the State's Counties, by E. Lee North, Published by The West Virginia University Press.

Population: 7,321
Land in square miles: 419
Number of people per square mile: 17.5
More facts from the 2000 Census