Ritchie County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,444. Its county seat is Harrisville. The county was created in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Richmond newspaper publisher Thomas Ritchie.
History
Ritchie was one of fifty Virginia counties that were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. Later that year, the new state's 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. Ritchie County was divided into four districts: Clay, Grant, Murphy, and Union.
In 1911, historian Minnie Kendall Lowther published "The History of Ritchie County." Her book is still regarded as one of the most comprehensive histories of any county in West Virginia.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
Waterways
The North Fork of the Hughes River runs directly through the town of Cairo, and also hosts North Bend Lake to the north west of Harrisville.
- Bee Run Stream
- Cow Run
- Little Indian Run
State Parks
- North Bend State Park
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 50
- 20px West Virginia Route 16
- 20px West Virginia Route 31
- 20px West Virginia Route 47
- 20px West Virginia Route 74
Adjacent counties
- Pleasants County (north)
- Tyler County (northeast)
- Doddridge County (east)
- Gilmer County (southeast)
- Calhoun County (south)
- Wirt County (southwest)
- Wood County (northwest)