McDowell County, West Virginia

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McDowell County is a county in the State of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,111, and was estimated to be 16,878 in 2025. The county seat and the largest city is Welch. McDowell County is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Virginia Governor James McDowell. It became a part of West Virginia in 1863, when several Union-affiliated counties seceded from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War. McDowell County is located in the Cumberland Mountains, part of the Appalachia region. Due mostly to a decline in employment in the coal mining industry, McDowell County's population has decreased from almost 100,000 in 1950 to less than 20,000 in 2020. The people of McDowell County suffer high rates of drug abuse and poverty and have a life expectancy well below the national average.

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