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44-569: The Guyandotte River is formed in southwestern Raleigh County by the confluence of three streams, Winding Gulf, Stonecoal Creek, and the Devils Fork. The Guyandotte flows initially west northwest into Wyoming and Mingo counties. It turns briefly northward in Mingo County and enters Logan County , where it turns north northwest for the remainder of its highly meandering course through Logan, Lincoln and Cabell counties. It enters

88-599: A clerk, trustee, or mayor (in New Jersey and the metro townships of Utah ). Township officers frequently include justice of the peace , road commissioner , assessor , constable , in addition to surveyor . In the 20th century, many townships also added a township administrator or supervisor to the officers as an executive for the board. In some cases, townships run local libraries , senior citizen services, youth services, disabled citizen services, cemetery services, besides emergency assistance. In some states,

132-430: A county. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies civil townships as minor civil divisions . Currently, there are 20 states with civil townships, including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (in certain areas). Township functions are generally overseen by a governing board (the name varies from state to state) and

176-435: A name in the form " Name Township". In both documents and conversation, "town" and "township" are used interchangeably. Minnesota townships can be either Non-Urban or Urban (giving the township government greater power), but this is not reflected in the township's name. In Ohio , a city or village is overlaid onto a township unless it withdraws by establishing a paper township . Where the paper township does not extend to

220-483: A state. For example, townships in the northern part of Illinois are active in providing public services—such as road maintenance, after-school care, and senior services—whereas townships in southern Illinois frequently delegate these services to the county. Most townships in Illinois also provide services such as snow removal, senior transportation, and emergency services to households residing in unincorporated parts of

264-783: A township and a municipality that is coterminous with that township may wholly or partially consolidate their operations. Depending on the state, the township government has varying degrees of authority. In the Upper Midwestern states near the Great Lakes , civil townships (known in Michigan as general law townships and in Wisconsin as towns), are often, but not always, overlaid on survey townships. The degree to which these townships are functioning governmental entities varies from state to state and in some cases even within

308-504: Is divided into townships as mandated since the North Carolina Constitution of 1868. Some urbanized counties such as Mecklenburg County ( Charlotte ) now number their townships (e.g. "Township 12") rather than using names. Townships all over the state used to have some official organization and duties but now are only considered ceremonial divisions of each county. Township names are still used quite extensively at

352-583: Is land and 4.0 square miles (10 km ) (0.7%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 79,220 people, 31,793 households, and 22,096 families in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile (51 people/km ). There were 35,678 housing units at an average density of 59 units per square mile (23 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 89.63% White , 8.52% Black or African American , 0.19% Native American , 0.72% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.12% from other races , and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.92% of

396-852: Is no government per se at the township level in North Carolina, and there are no elected or appointed offices associated with townships. In 2015 Utah created a form of civil township called a metro township . While each metro township has a mayor and township council, and manage a budget, and cannot be annexed without its permission, its powers of taxation are limited, and must contract with other municipalities or municipal shared-service districts for most municipal services (police, for example). The five metro townships—all located in Salt Lake County —are Kearns , Magna , Copperton , Emigration Canyon and White City . As of 2012, there were 16,360 organized town or township governments in

440-471: Is similar, in that it is a form of municipal government equal in status to a village , town , borough , or city , and provides similar services to a Pennsylvania township, and varies in size from one-tenth ( Shrewsbury Twp. ) to one hundred ( Jackson Twp. ) square miles. In the Southern U.S. , outside cities and towns there is generally no local government other than the county. Arkansas townships are

484-538: Is subdivided into counties, which are subdivided into cities and towns—except for New York City , whose five coextensive counties for state government purposes are municipal boroughs for city government purposes ( Bronx County/The Bronx , Kings County/Brooklyn , New York County/Manhattan , Queens County/Queens , and Richmond County/Staten Island ). As in New England, the term "town" equates to "township" in most other states. Additionally, New Yorkers colloquially use

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528-403: Is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. North Carolina is no exception to that rule, but it does have townships as minor geographical subdivisions of counties, including both unincorporated territory and also land within the bounds of incorporated cities and towns (as well as the extraterritorial jurisdiction of municipalities). Every county

572-579: The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the Guyandotte River has also been known as: 38°25′54″N 82°23′30″W  /  38.43167°N 82.39167°W  / 38.43167; -82.39167 Raleigh County, West Virginia Raleigh County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia . As of the 2020 census , the population was 74,591. Its county seat is Beckley . The county

616-631: The Monacan people . The Moneton's Catawba speaking neighbors to the south, the Tutelo , (a tribe since absorbed into the Cayuga Nation ) may have absorbed surviving Moneton communities, and claim the area as ancestral lands. Conflicts with European settlers resulted in various displaced Indian tribes settling in West Virginia, where they were known at Mingo , meaning "remote affiliates of

660-470: The maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island ) in 1749 in the form of townships controlled by a court of quarter sessions , a system that had characterized local government in Britain and Virginia. This court had both administrative and judicial functions, and took over most responsibilities of local government, including the appointment of necessary officers. A form of direct democracy

704-533: The 1902-1903 New River coal strike in which an armed posse led by a US Marshall who shot up miners' houses while they and their families slept, killing at least six. The perpetrators were later acquitted. The lead-up and aftermath were witnessed and widely recounted by Mother Jones , and the massacre is considered a prelude to the West Virginia coal wars . The town of Sophia in Raleigh County

748-633: The Guyandotte in Lincoln County . In Mullens , an active watershed organization is working to reduce pollution in the headwaters of the Guyandotte River. The Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association (UGWA) is a grassroots, community-based organization working to reduce sources of pollution in order to clean up streams and make the watershed a better place to live. UGWA has garnered much public support and produced results in partnering with numerous local, state, and federal agencies. According to

792-484: The Iroquois Confederacy". Raleigh County was formed on January 23, 1850, from portions of Fayette County , then a part of Virginia. Alfred Beckley (1802–88) said that he named the county for Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618), the "enterprising and far-seeing patron of the earliest attempts to colonize our old Mother State of Virginia". Raleigh was one of fifty Virginia Counties that were admitted to

836-665: The Ohio River from the south at Huntington , about 5 mi (8 km) east of the city's downtown. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam in Mingo County causes the river to widen as R. D. Bailey Lake in Mingo and western Wyoming counties. The Mud River joins the Guyandotte at Barboursville in Cabell County. The Slab Fork joins the Guyandotte in downtown Mullens in Wyoming County. Big Ugly Creek joins

880-526: The Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Later that year, the counties were divided into civil townships , with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts . Raleigh County was initially divided into six townships: Clear Fork, Marsh Fork, Richman, Shady Spring, Town, and Trap Hill. These became magisterial districts in 1872, and

924-580: The boundaries of a town that provide additional government services not provided by their parent town, such as sewage, fire, law enforcement, garbage collection, public facilities, water and building code enforcement. In Vermont, most current cities were actually former villages that broke off from their parent town. Connecticut has boroughs and non-consolidated cities, although these communities are not as autonomous as villages in New York and Vermont, and today there are only eight non-consolidated boroughs (plus

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968-502: The city limits, property owners pay taxes for both the township and municipality, though these overlaps are sometimes overlooked by mistake. Ten other states also allow townships and municipalities to overlap. In Kansas , some civil townships provide services such as road maintenance and fire protection services not provided by the county. In New England and New York , states are generally subdivided into towns and cities, which are municipalities that provide most local services. With

1012-431: The community of Groton Long Point ) and one non-consolidated city. A Pennsylvania township is a unit of local government, responsible for services such as police departments, local road and street maintenance . It acts the same as a city or borough . Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to fifty-two square miles (10–135 km ). A New Jersey township

1056-840: The county government level in North Carolina as a way of determining and dividing up areas for administrative purposes; primarily for collecting county taxes, determining fire districts (e.g. Lebanon Township in Durham County gives its name to the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department ), for real estate purposes such as categorizing land deeds, land surveys and other real estate documents, and for voter registration purposes. In most areas of North Carolina that are outside any municipal limit (outside cities or towns), townships are used to determine voter polling places, and in most instances county election boards divide up their voter precincts by township. However, there

1100-649: The county selected the Republican Party candidate (as of 2020). 37°47′N 81°16′W  /  37.78°N 81.26°W  / 37.78; -81.26 Civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county , most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England , New York , as well as Wisconsin to refer to

1144-418: The county. The population density was 130 people per square mile (50 people/km ). There were 35,931 housing units at an average density of 59.4 units per square mile (22.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% white, 8.2% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of

1188-650: The county. The townships in Illinois each have a township board, whose board members were formerly called township trustees , and a single township supervisor. In contrast, civil townships in Indiana are operated in a relatively consistent manner statewide and tend to be well organized, with each served by a single township trustee and a three-member board. Civil townships in these states are generally not incorporated , and nearby cities may annex land in adjoining townships with relative ease. In Michigan, however, general law townships are corporate entities (e.g. they can be

1232-463: The divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the U.S. census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city

1276-472: The equivalent of the civil township in these states; Minnesota uses "town" officially but often uses it and "township" interchangeably. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary in each state . Civil townships are distinct from survey townships , but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide, especially in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, and may completely geographically subdivide

1320-579: The exception of a few remote areas of New Hampshire and Vermont and about half of Maine , all of New England lies within the borders of an incorporated municipality. New England has counties, though in southern New England, they are strictly used as dividing lines for judicial systems and statistical purposes, while in northern New England, they often handle other limited functions, such as law enforcement, education and some public facilities in addition to judicial systems. New England also has cities , most of which are towns whose residents have voted to replace

1364-411: The following 21 states: There were 29 states without organized town or township governments as of 2012: The provinces of Eastern Canada have, or have had, divisions that are analogous to the townships of the United States. Ontario and Quebec continue to have townships that subdivide their respective counties. Local government was introduced into Nova Scotia (which at the time also included

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1408-494: The most severe was the Eccles Mine Disaster in 1914. At least one hundred and eighty miners died in what was the second-worst coal mining disaster in state history. More recently, the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster , which killed twenty-nine miners, occurred in Raleigh County. Raleigh County miners were also killed by violent suppression of labor organizing, such as in the so-called Battle of Stanaford during

1452-443: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 31,793 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

1496-420: The population. In terms of ancestry, 41.8% were American , 9.1% were English , 8.6% were German , and 8.5% were Irish . Of the 31,831 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

1540-435: The same year a seventh district, Slab Fork, was created from land that had previously belonged to Wyoming County . These remained largely unchanged over the next century, but in the 1970s the seven historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new districts: District 1, District 2, and District 3. Heavily involved in the coal mining industry, Raleigh County has been the scene of numerous deadly incidents, of which

1584-463: The subject of lawsuits), and some can become reformulated as charter townships , a status intended to protect against annexation from nearby municipalities and which grants the township some home rule powers similar to cities. In Wisconsin , civil townships are known as " towns " rather than townships, but they function essentially the same as in neighboring states. In Minnesota , state statute refers to such entities as towns yet requires them to have

1628-544: The term "township" to mean "town". Townships and hamlets are unincorporated areas within a town or towns. Because towns are administrative divisions of a county, town boundaries cannot cross county lines. In addition to administrative subdivisions, New York State also has cities . Cities in New York are fully autonomous municipal corporations and, thus, are able to cross county lines and whose governments fully independent of county control. Finally, New York and Vermont also have villages, which are smaller communities lying within

1672-463: The town meeting form of government with a city form. Maine has a third type of township called a plantation , which previously existed in other New England states, that has more limited self-governance than other New England towns. In portions of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, county subdivisions that are not incorporated are occasionally called townships, or by other terms such as " gore ", "grant", "location", or "purchase". The State of New York

1716-435: Was $ 28,181, and the median income for a family was $ 35,315. Males had a median income of $ 33,000 versus $ 20,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 16,233. About 14.60% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.70% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 78,859 people, 31,831 households, and 21,322 families in

1760-575: Was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 41.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 38,036 and the median income for a family was $ 49,837. Males had a median income of $ 42,405 versus $ 27,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,457. About 14.5% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over. Raleigh County voters have tended to vote Republican in recent decades. In 67% of national elections since 1980,

1804-407: Was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88. The county population contained 21.50% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males. The median income for a household in the county

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1848-530: Was founded in 1850 and is named for Sir Walter Raleigh . Raleigh County is included in the Beckley, West Virginia, Metropolitan Statistical Area . Raleigh County and the surrounding area have long been home to many indigenous peoples. Early encounters describe the land as being the ancestral home of the Catawba -speaking Moneton people, who referred to the surrounding area as "okahok amai", and were allies of

1892-457: Was introduced into the townships by settlers from New England in 1760 with the help of a provincial statute. However, the statute was disallowed by the King in 1761, and direct democracy was replaced in the townships that had adopted it by the quarter sessions. Acts in 1855 and 1856 provided for the incorporation of self-governing townships, but only Yarmouth partook in incorporating, and abandoned

1936-419: Was the home of Senator Robert C. Byrd . The New River flows northwestward along the county's east border. The county terrain consists of wooded hills, carved with drainages. The terrain slopes to the north and west; its highest point is near its southmost corner, at 3,524 ft (1,074 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 609 square miles (1,580 km ), of which 605 square miles (1,570 km )

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