Grant County, West Virginia

Grant County is a county in West Virginia, United States, about 30 miles southwest of Cumberland,
Maryland, in the state’s Eastern Panhandle. It had a population of 10,976 at the 2020 census,
an estimated 11,041 by 2024, and covers 480 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 477 square miles
are land, centred near 39°04′N 79°07′W.

Petersburg is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 26847. The
county holds 1 city, 1 incorporated town and 19 unincorporated communities across three
magisterial districts, and it runs on Eastern Time.

Towns & Villages in Grant County

Grant County has 21 named places on record: Petersburg, the county seat; one incorporated town,
Bayard; and 19 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers
crossroads and rural settlements with no formal boundary and, in most cases, no separate census
count.

Arthur and Old Arthur are two separate settlements along the same stretch of Patterson Creek
Mountain road, not a typo — local usage keeps them distinct. The earlier version of this page
carried twelve additional names (Falls, Jordan Run, Kempton Junction, Kline Gap, Landes, Martin,
Masonville, Mount Pisgah, Oak Hill, Pansy, Rough Run, Seymourville, Streby and Town Hill) that do
not appear in current Census or county gazetteer records for Grant County; they have been dropped
from this list pending verification.

ZIP Codes

• 26847 — Petersburg, the county’s main post office and its only ZIP with a sizable
  population
• 26833 — Maysville
• 26739 — Mount Storm (also serves Bismarck)
• 26855 — Cabins
• 26707 — Bayard, a post-office-box-only ZIP
• 26731 — Lahmansville
• 26720 — Gormania

Arthur, Old Arthur, Dobbin, Dorcas, Fairfax, Forman, Greenland, Henry, Hopeville, Medley, Scherr,
Williamsport and Wilsonia have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest
post office town’s code.

Geography

Grant County sits in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, where the Allegheny Front rises out
of the Potomac Highlands. Of its 480 square miles, 477 are land and 2.9 are water, about 0.6
percent — most of that surface water is Mount Storm Lake, a reservoir built to cool the
Mount Storm Power Station on the county’s northern edge. The South Branch Potomac River runs
the length of the county past Petersburg, joined by the North Fork South Branch Potomac near
Smoke Hole Canyon. The county also holds part of the Monongahela National Forest and the Spruce
Knob–Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, along with Smoke Hole Caverns and the Fairfax
Stone Historical Monument State Park, which marks the 1746 survey point that later fixed the
Maryland–West Virginia line.

Mineral County lies to the northeast, Hardy County to the east, Pendleton County to the south,
Randolph County to the southwest, Tucker County to the west, and Preston County and Garrett
County, Maryland, to the northwest. Mineral County, Hardy County, Pendleton County, Randolph County, Tucker County, Preston County and Garrett County, Maryland all border Grant
directly.

Demographics

Grant County had a population of 10,976 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 11,041 residents as of 2024. Petersburg and Bayard are the only two incorporated
places, with Petersburg alone holding more than a fifth of the county’s population. Median
household income runs $62,361, below West Virginia’s 2023 ACS statewide figure of $55,948
— an unusual pairing for a rural Appalachian county, driven largely by wages at the Mount
Storm Power Station. Population density works out to roughly 23 people per square mile of land,
among the more sparsely settled counties in the Eastern Panhandle.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 712 people, followed by health care
and social assistance at 655 and retail trade at 545. The Mount Storm Power Station, a
1,600-megawatt coal-fired plant on Mount Storm Lake operated by Dominion Energy since the 1960s,
is the county’s largest single employer and its property taxes underwrite a disproportionate
share of the county budget. Grant Memorial Hospital in Petersburg serves the broader three-county
region. Coal mining, once the backbone of Bayard’s economy along the old West Virginia
Central and Pittsburg Railway line, has largely wound down.

History

The territory that became Grant County was originally part of Hampshire County, formed in 1754,
then Hardy County when it was created in 1786. West Virginia’s legislature carved Grant
County from Hardy County’s western portion on 6 February 1866 and named it for Civil War
General Ulysses S. Grant, later the 18th U.S. president. Between its formation and 1870 the county
was organized into three civil townships — Grant, Milroy and Union — which converted
to magisterial districts in 1872 and still name the county’s three commission districts
today.

The most severe disaster in the county’s recent history struck on Election Day in
November 1985, when torrential rain sent the South Branch Potomac and its tributaries far over
flood stage; most of the 47 people killed across the region died in Pendleton and Grant counties.
Petersburg and the smaller South Branch communities took the worst of the damage, and the flood
remains the reference point locals use for the county’s worst modern weather event.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Grant County. U.S. Routes 48, 50 and 220 are the main roads,
along with West Virginia Routes 28, 42, 55 and 93. US 50 crosses the county’s north end
through Mount Storm on its way between Winchester, Virginia, and Clarksburg, West Virginia.

• Cumberland, Maryland — about 30 miles northeast
• Moorefield — about 20 miles south
• Elkins — about 45 miles west
• Winchester, Virginia — about 55 miles east

Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport, near Martinsburg, and Hagerstown Regional Airport in
Maryland are the nearest airports with any scheduled service, each more than an hour’s drive
away; most travelers use Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. Amtrak does not
serve Grant County; the nearest station is the Cumberland stop on the Capitol Limited line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Grant County located?
It sits in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, about 30 miles southwest of Cumberland,
Maryland, bordered by Mineral, Hardy, Pendleton, Randolph, Tucker and Preston counties plus
Garrett County, Maryland.

What is the population of Grant County?
10,976 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 11,041.

How big is Grant County?
480 square miles (1,240 km2) total, of which 477 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Grant County?
Petersburg, the county’s only incorporated city, is the county seat.

How many towns are in Grant County?
Two incorporated places, Petersburg and Bayard, plus 19 unincorporated communities including
Mount Storm, Maysville, Gormania and Cabins.

What ZIP codes does Grant County use?
26847 for Petersburg, 26707 for Bayard, 26833 for Maysville, 26739 for Mount Storm, 26855 for
Cabins, 26731 for Lahmansville and 26720 for Gormania.

What is Grant County known for?
The Mount Storm Power Station on Mount Storm Lake, Smoke Hole Caverns, and the Fairfax Stone
survey marker that fixed West Virginia’s boundary with Maryland.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.