Nicholas County
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
Nicholas County was formed in 1818 from parts of Kanawha, Greenbrier and Randolph counties and was named for Wilson Cary Nicholas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Cary_Nicholas), governor of Virginia from 1814 until 1816. Much of the county is forested (particularly in the Allegheny Mountains in the east) and is bounded and traversed by several important rivers, which descend westward from the Alleghenies -- the Birch, Meadow, Cherry, Gauley, Williams, and Cranberry.
County Seat: Summersville, WV
Population: 26,562 (2000 Census (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US54025&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US54%7C05000US54025&_street=&_county=nicholas&_cityTown=&_state=04000US54&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on))
Nicholas County Profile (http://www.wvbep.org/bep/lmi/CNTYPROF/CP99nich.HTM)
Lodging: Nicholas County Hotels (http://www.reservetravel.com/v4/redir.aspx?type=geo&rad=15&lbl=Nicholas%20County&lat=38.301867&lon=-80.803270&siteid=7790)
Schools: Nicholas County Schools (http://boe.nich.k12.wv.us/)
Cities and Towns
Though largely rural, Nicholas has incorporated two communities as cities. Richwood, in the east, developed around the lumber mills of the Allegheny Mountains. Summersville, in the central county, remained a small courthouse town until the 1970s when the U.S. Route 19 expressway was completed through the tablelands to the east of the town.
State Parks
Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park
National Park, Forest, and Recreation Areas
Monongahela National Forest
Gauley River National Recreation Area
Climate
Temperature Mean Annual Average: 51 (Degrees F)
January Averages: High 41 (Degrees F) -- Low 19 (Degrees F)
July Averages: High 81 (Degrees F) -- Low 58 (Degrees F)
Long Term Precipitation
January: 3.26 inches -- July: 5.53 (inches) -- Annual: 48.8 (inches)
Mean Annual Snowfall Range
45 - 80 inches
Nicholas County Weather Forecast (http://www.wvwebsites.com/cgi-bin/weather/hamweather.cgi?theme=default&user=default&forecast=zandh&state=wv&zone=037)
