Pendleton County is a county in West Virginia, United States, tucked against the Virginia line along the eastern edge of the state’s mountain spine. It had a population of 6,143 at the 2020 census and covers 696 square miles (1,800 km2) of land centred near 38°41′N 79°22′W.
Franklin is the county seat, and its postal code is 26807. Franklin is the county’s only incorporated town; everything else is an unincorporated village or hamlet. Pendleton County runs on Eastern time and has no civil townships.
Towns & Villages in Pendleton County
Franklin is the sole incorporated place in the county. The other three dozen names below are unincorporated communities — some are census-recognized clusters, others are little more than a crossroads store, a church, and a handful of houses along the South Branch or North Fork valleys.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | City · seat | — | 26807 |
| Brandywine | Unincorp. | — | 26802 |
| Brushy Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cherry Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Circleville | Unincorp. | — | 26804 |
| Dahmer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Deer Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dry Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Seybert | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Harper | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Judy Gap | Unincorp. | — | 26860 |
| Kline | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macksville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mitchell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moatstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moyers | Unincorp. | — | 26814 |
| Oak Flat | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Onego | Unincorp. | — | 26838 |
| Propstburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverton | Unincorp. | — | 26814 |
| Ruddle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seneca Rocks | Unincorp. | — | 26884 |
| Sugar Grove | Unincorp. | — | 26815 |
| Upper Tract | Unincorp. | — | 26866 |
A handful of names from older lists were dropped from this table as unverifiable place-name duplicates or micro-clusters with no independent record (Entry, Fame, Ketterman, Miles, Monkeytown, Mozer, Oak Grove, Simoda, Sweedlin, Teterton, Zigler) — see notes for detail. Seneca Rocks, on the border with Grant County, is the county’s best-known landmark community and draws far more visitors than its small population would suggest.
ZIP Codes
- 26807 — Franklin (county seat)
- 26802 — Brandywine
- 26804 — Circleville (also serves Cherry Grove)
- 26814 — Riverton (also serves Moyers)
- 26815 — Sugar Grove
- 26838 — Onego
- 26860 — Judy Gap
- 26866 — Upper Tract
- 26884 — Seneca Rocks
Smaller hamlets without their own post office, such as Dahmer, Harper, and Mitchell, are served by the nearest listed ZIP code.
Geography
Pendleton County sits in the Ridge-and-Valley section of the Appalachians, its terrain a series of long parallel ridges separated by the South Branch and North Fork of the South Branch Potomac River. The county holds Spruce Knob, at 4,863 feet the highest point in West Virginia, within the Monongahela National Forest along its western edge. Water covers a small 2.1 square miles of the county’s total area.
Pendleton County borders Grant County to the north, Hardy County to the northeast, Rockingham County, Virginia to the east, Augusta County, Virginia and Highland County, Virginia to the south, Pocahontas County to the southwest, and Randolph County to the west.
Demographics
The county’s population was 6,143 at the 2020 census, making it one of West Virginia’s least populous counties. Franklin, the seat, is the largest community; Riverton and Circleville are the next-largest recognizable clusters, though most residents live scattered along the river valleys rather than in town. Household income runs well below the West Virginia median of $55,948, typical for the state’s rural mountain counties. With 696 square miles of land, the county’s population density works out to about 9 people per square mile, among the most sparsely settled areas east of the Mississippi.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — cattle and sheep grazing on the valley bottoms and mountain pastures — remains central to the local economy, alongside forestry and a growing outdoor-recreation trade built on Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks, and the Monongahela National Forest. Seneca Rocks draws rock climbers from across the region, and the U.S. Forest Service’s Seneca Rocks Discovery Center anchors much of the county’s tourism. The Treasure Mountain Festival, held each September in Franklin, is the county’s signature annual event.
History
The Virginia General Assembly formed Pendleton County in 1788 from parts of Augusta, Hardy, and Rockingham counties, naming it for Edmund Pendleton (1721–1803), a Virginia jurist and statesman. It became part of West Virginia in 1863 when the new state split from Virginia during the Civil War. In November 1985, remnants of Hurricane Juan brought catastrophic flooding to the South Branch Potomac watershed, one of the worst natural disasters in the county’s modern history.
Getting There
US Route 33 crosses the county east-west through Franklin and over the mountains toward Harrisonburg, Virginia; US Route 220 and WV Route 28 run north-south along the river valleys.
- Petersburg, WV — 22 miles north
- Harrisonburg, VA — 35 miles east
- Elkins, WV — 45 miles west
- Staunton, VA — 50 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport near Weyers Cave, Virginia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pendleton County, West Virginia?
It sits in the eastern mountains of West Virginia, bordering Virginia, along the South Branch Potomac River.
What is the population of Pendleton County?
6,143 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Pendleton County?
696 square miles (1,800 km2) of land, making it one of the state’s largest counties by area.
What is the county seat of Pendleton County?
Franklin is the county seat and the only incorporated town.
How many towns are in Pendleton County?
Just one incorporated town, Franklin, plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Pendleton County?
Nine ZIP codes cover the county, anchored by 26807 in Franklin.
What is Pendleton County known for?
Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, two of West Virginia’s best-known natural landmarks, both lie within the county.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.