About Jefferson County
Jefferson County is in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia located south of Hagerstown, Maryland; northeast of Winchester, Virginia; and about 42 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., which makes it a part of the D.C. suburban area. It was formed on October 26, 1801, from a portion of Berkeley County. The county is named for the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).
Years earlier, Jefferson had stood on a rock high above the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers at Harpers Ferry. In his Notes on the State of Virginia, he remarked that this view was “worth a trip across the Atlantic.”
Its present territory is 209.53 square miles with a population of 50, 443 (2006 estimate, about an 8,000 person increase from 2000), with 32% considered urban dwellers, and 68% rural dwellers. The population density is approximately 235 people per square mile. Racial demographics (2005) are: White, non-Hispanic (91.3%); Black (6.2%); Hispanic (1.7%); American Indian (0.2%); Asian (0.8%); and other race (0.6%). Median age is 36.8 years. The largest town is Ranson (pop. 2,951). It borders the second largest town and county seat, Charles Town (pop. 2,907), which is located in the south-central part of the county. The third largest town is Bolivar (pop. 1,045), which borders on Harpers Ferry, a National Historical Park and is the lowest point in elevation in the state. Harpers Ferry (pop. 307) is also where the Shenandoah River flows into the Potomac River. The Potomac River is the northern county boundary and the West Virginia state border with Maryland. Jefferson County is the easternmost county of the state and its eastern and southern boundary lines are the West Virginia state border with Virginia. The county has both passenger and freight rail connections.
Major employment is in manufacturing (10.8%); retail trade (12.3%); education, health care, and social assistance (17.3%); and arts, entertainment, recreation, and food services (10.3%). The average wage per job (in 2003) was $25,283; unemployment (in September 2007) was 3.1%. About half of manufacturing employment is in the making of automatic vending machines. Printing and related activities is another major manufacturing employer. There is also some manufacturing employment in plastics and rubber products, surgical and medical equipment and supplies, fabricated metal, wood products and furniture. General medical and surgical hospitals and nursing care facilities account for more than half of those employed in health care and social assistance. Recreation employment is mainly concentrated around the Charles Town racetrack. There is noticeable economic activity that hires some of the residents in computer systems design services in education, and in crushed and broken limestone quarrying. Much of the education employment is in Shepherdstown (pop. 803), which is the location of a public school of higher education, Shepherd University. Agriculturally there is some notable production of apples, eggs, and fruit, but the major production is in raising horses, forage, livestock, and soybeans.
For extensive and more up-to-date census information on Jefferson County, see the U.S. Census Bureau site for state and county Quickfacts. For general county information, one can find Jefferson County in Wikipedia.
Agriculture in Jefferson County
Average size of farms: 152 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $36,584
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $185.08
The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 2.42%
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 58.95%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $46,886
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 53.50%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 0.92%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $453.49
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 89.87%
Average age of principal farm operators: 57 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 20.13
Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 19.56%
Corn for grain: 9660 harvested acres
All wheat for grain: 3,797 harvested acres
Soybeans for beans: 8,181 harvested acres
Vegetables: 96 harvested acres
Land in orchards: 1,078 acres
