Morgan County is a county in West Virginia, United States, in the state’s Eastern Panhandle along the Potomac River. It had a population of 17,063 at the 2020 census and covers 230 square miles (600 km2) centred near 39°34′N 78°16′W.
Berkeley Springs is the county seat and its postal code is 25411. The county has two incorporated towns (Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw) and about three dozen unincorporated communities, runs on Eastern Time, and was long known simply as “Bath” before Berkeley Springs became the town’s official name.
Towns & Villages in Morgan County
Morgan County has 2 incorporated towns and roughly 35 unincorporated communities and crossroads settlements. Neither town is large enough to have its own suburbs, so most of the county’s addresses fall under one of three ZIP codes centred on Berkeley Springs, Paw Paw, and Great Cacapon. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no formal municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Springs | Town · seat | — | 25411 |
| Paw Paw | Town | — | 25434 |
| Great Cacapon | CDP | — | 25422 |
| Berryville | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Burnt Factory | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Campbells | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Cherry Run | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Doe Gully | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Duckwall | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Green Ridge | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Greenwood | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Hancock | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Hansrote | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Holton | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Jerome | Unincorp. | — | 25422 |
| Jimtown | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Johnsons Mill | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Lineburg | Unincorp. | — | 25434 |
| Magnolia | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Morton Grove | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Mount Trimble | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| New Hope | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| North Berkeley | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Oakland | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Orleans Cross Roads | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Redrock Crossing | Unincorp. | — | 25422 |
| Ridersville | Unincorp. | — | 25434 |
| Shady Grove | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Sir Johns Run | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Sleepy Creek | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Smith Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Snyders | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Spohrs Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Stotlers Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 25422 |
| Unger | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
| Woodmont | Unincorp. | — | 25422 |
| Woodrow | Unincorp. | — | 25411 |
Two names deserve a note. The county’s seat carries a double identity: its post office and current corporate name are Berkeley Springs, but the town’s original 1776 charter used the name Bath, and both names still appear on older maps and deeds. Separately, Hancock in Morgan County is a small rural community and is not the same place as the town of Hancock across the Potomac River in Washington County, Maryland — the two share a name only.
ZIP Codes
- 25411 — Berkeley Springs (also serves most of the county’s central and northern communities)
- 25434 — Paw Paw (also serves Lineburg and Ridersville)
- 25422 — Great Cacapon (also serves Jerome, Redrock Crossing, Stotlers Crossroads, and Woodmont)
Every settlement in the county is served by one of these three post offices; none of Morgan County’s unincorporated communities has its own ZIP code.
Geography
Morgan County sits in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, wedged between the Potomac River to the north and the Cacapon Mountain ridgeline to the south. The Cacapon River flows north through the county to join the Potomac near Great Cacapon, and Sleepy Creek Mountain forms a wooded spine along the county’s eastern edge. Of the county’s 230 square miles, 229 are land and about half a square mile is water.
Morgan County borders Washington County, Maryland to the north, Allegany County, Maryland to the northeast, Berkeley County, West Virginia to the east, Frederick County, Virginia to the southeast, and Hampshire County, West Virginia to the south and southwest.
Demographics
Morgan County had a population of 17,063 at the 2020 census. Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw are the county’s two largest communities, with Berkeley Springs and its surrounding unincorporated area home to the clear majority of county residents. Median household income in the county runs below the West Virginia median of $55,948, reflecting a mostly rural, service- and retiree-driven economy. Population density works out to about 74 residents per square mile, low even by West Virginia standards outside the Berkeley Springs area.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism built around Berkeley Springs’ mineral springs is the county’s signature industry — the town has drawn visitors to its warm springs since George Washington’s day, and it now supports a cluster of spas, bathhouses, art galleries, and Berkeley Springs State Park at the center of town. Away from the tourist district, U.S. Silica operates a silica-sand mining and processing plant near Berkeley Springs, one of the county’s largest private employers, and agriculture — orchards and livestock — remains part of the rural economy along the Cacapon and Potomac valleys.
History
Morgan County was formed February 9, 1820, from parts of Hampshire and Berkeley Counties, and named for General Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War officer who commanded riflemen at Saratoga and Cowpens and who owned land in the area. The county seat traces to 1776, when Virginia’s colonial assembly chartered the town of Bath around its mineral springs — among the first spa towns established in the American colonies. The town was renamed Berkeley Springs in the 19th century, though Bath remains its official post office name in some historical records.
Getting There
U.S. Route 522 runs north–south through Berkeley Springs, connecting the county to Interstate 70 in Hancock, Maryland, and West Virginia Route 9 links Berkeley Springs east to Martinsburg. Reference distances from Berkeley Springs:
- Martinsburg, WV — 25 miles east
- Hagerstown, MD — 22 miles north
- Winchester, VA — 30 miles southeast
- Cumberland, MD — 30 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Hagerstown Regional Airport in Maryland; Washington Dulles International Airport is roughly 90 miles southeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Morgan County, West Virginia?
It is in the state’s Eastern Panhandle, along the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia.
What is the population of Morgan County?
17,063 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Morgan County?
230 square miles (600 km2), of which about 229 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Morgan County?
Berkeley Springs.
How many towns are in Morgan County?
Two incorporated towns, Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw, plus roughly 35 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Morgan County?
25411 (Berkeley Springs), 25434 (Paw Paw), and 25422 (Great Cacapon).
Why was Berkeley Springs once called Bath?
Virginia chartered the town as Bath in 1776 for its mineral springs; the name Berkeley Springs came into common use later and eventually became official.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.