Ritchie County

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

Ritchie County
Ritchie County Courthouse at Harrisville, West Virginia
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Ritchie County Courthouse at Harrisville, West Virginia
Map showing Ritchie County
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Map showing Ritchie County

Formed in 1843 from parts of Wood, Harrision and Lewis Counties, and named in honor of Thomas Ritchie, a distinguished journalist of Richmond, Virginia, whose mother was a sister of Judge Spencer Roane, for whom adjacent Roane County was named. The U.S. 50 expressway travels through the hills of northern Ritchie County on its east-west route between Clarksburg, WV, and Parkersburg, WV. The north and south forks of the Hughes River drain much of Ritchie County.


County Seat: Harrisville, WV
Population: 10,343 (2000 Census (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US54083&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US54%7C05000US54083&_street=&_county=Ritchie&_cityTown=&_state=04000US54&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on))
Ritchie County Profile (http://www.wvbep.org/bep/lmi/CNTYPROF/CP99ritc.HTM)


Lodging: Ritchie County Hotels (http://www.reservetravel.com/v4/redir.aspx?type=geo&rad=20&lbl=Ritchie%20County&lat=39.199874&lon=-81.066437&siteid=7790)


Cities and Towns

Cairo, WV
Harrisville, WV
Pennsboro, WV
Pullman, WV


Smaller Communities

Mountain, WV
Petroleum, WV
Smithville, WV


State Parks

North Bend State Park
Ritchie Mines Wildlife Management Area


Climate

Temperature Mean Annual Average: 54 (Degrees F)
January Averages: High 38 (Degrees F) -- Low 22 (Degrees F)
July Averages: High 84 (Degrees F) -- Low 65 (Degrees F)

Long Term Precipitation

January: 2.59 inches -- July: 4.26 (inches) -- Annual: 41.5 (inches)

Mean Annual Snowfall Range

25 - 30 inches

Ritchie County Weather Forecast (http://www.wvwebsites.com/cgi-bin/weather/hamweather.cgi?theme=default&user=default&forecast=zandh&state=wv&zone=019)

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