{"id":8714,"date":"2023-10-05T08:06:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T08:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=8714"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:59:37","slug":"jackson-county-west-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/jackson-county-west-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Jackson County, West Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Jackson County is a county in West Virginia, United States, about 40 miles southeast of<br \/>\nParkersburg along the Ohio River. It had a population of 27,791 at the 2020 census, an estimated<br \/>\n27,705 by 2024, and covers 471 square miles (1,220 km2) centred near 38\u00b050\u2032N 81\u00b040\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Ripley is the county seat; its postal code is 25271. The county holds 2 cities, 1 census-designated<br \/>\nplace and 17 unincorporated communities, grouped into three magisterial districts &mdash; Eastern,<br \/>\nNorthern and Western &mdash; and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 54035.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Jackson County<\/h2>\n<p>Jackson County has 20 named places on record: 2 incorporated cities, 1 census-designated place<br \/>\n(CDP) and 17 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own and, in most cases,<br \/>\nno census population count.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Ripley<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>3,079<\/td>\n<td>25271<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ravenswood<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>3,865<\/td>\n<td>26164<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cottageville<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>114<\/td>\n<td>25239<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Advent<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25231<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Evans<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Flatwoods<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fletcher<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gay<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25244<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Given<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25245<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Independence<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kenna<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25248<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kentuck<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>LeRoy<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25252<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Millwood<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25262<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mount Alto<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Murraysville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rock Castle<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Romance<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sandyville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>25275<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sherman<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>26173<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The county&#8217;s earlier settlement list carried more than seventy names, most of them farm-camp<br \/>\nlabels, misspellings or places belonging to neighbouring counties with no independent record in<br \/>\nthe Census Bureau&#8217;s Gazetteer or Wikipedia&#8217;s own Jackson County community list. This table keeps<br \/>\nonly the two cities, the one CDP and the seventeen unincorporated communities the county article<br \/>\nitself documents; Fairplain, an unincorporated crossroads five miles south-southeast of Ripley on<br \/>\nInterstate 77, is real but sits outside the county&#8217;s own official community list and is omitted<br \/>\nhere pending a firmer source.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>25271 &mdash; Ripley (the county seat&#8217;s own code)<\/li>\n<li>26164 &mdash; Ravenswood, on the Ohio River in the county&#8217;s north<\/li>\n<li>25239 &mdash; Cottageville<\/li>\n<li>25231 &mdash; Advent<\/li>\n<li>25244 &mdash; Gay<\/li>\n<li>25245 &mdash; Given<\/li>\n<li>25248 &mdash; Kenna<\/li>\n<li>25252 &mdash; LeRoy<\/li>\n<li>25262 &mdash; Millwood<\/li>\n<li>25275 &mdash; Sandyville<\/li>\n<li>26173 &mdash; Sherman<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Evans, Flatwoods, Fletcher, Independence, Kentuck, Mount Alto, Murraysville, Rock Castle and<br \/>\nRomance have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a neighbouring town&#8217;s code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Jackson County sits in the Ohio River valley of west-central West Virginia, a landscape of steep<br \/>\nwooded ridges cut by narrow creek bottoms. Of its 471 square miles, 464 are land and 7.3 are water,<br \/>\nabout 1.5 percent, coming mostly from the Ohio River, which forms the county&#8217;s western border.<br \/>\nSandy Creek and Mill Creek, both Ohio River tributaries, run through the county&#8217;s northern and<br \/>\ncentral sections.<\/p>\n<p>Wood County lies to the north, Wirt County to the northeast, Roane County to the east, Kanawha<br \/>\nCounty to the south, Putnam County to the southwest and Mason County to the west; Meigs County,<br \/>\nOhio, faces the county across the river to the northwest. <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wood-county-west-virginia\/\">Wood County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wirt-county\/\">Wirt County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/roane-county-west-virginia\/\">Roane County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/kanawha-county\/\">Kanawha County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/putnam-county-west-virginia\/\">Putnam County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mason-county-west-virginia\/\">Mason County<\/a> all border Jackson<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Jackson County had a population of 27,791 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the<br \/>\ncounty near 27,705 residents as of 2024. Ravenswood and Ripley are the two largest communities,<br \/>\ntogether holding roughly a quarter of the county&#8217;s population. Median household income runs<br \/>\n$58,845 (2024 estimate), above West Virginia&#8217;s statewide figure of $55,948 (2023 ACS). Population<br \/>\ndensity works out to about 60 people per square mile of land, low even for a rural West Virginia<br \/>\ncounty, reflecting the ridge-and-hollow terrain that limits where people can settle.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 1,895 people,<br \/>\nfollowed by manufacturing at 1,472 and retail trade at 1,057. Manufacturing&#8217;s weight traces to the<br \/>\nKaiser Aluminum smelter complex south of Ravenswood, which ran from 1954 to 2015 and for decades<br \/>\nwas the county&#8217;s largest single employer; the site now operates under Constellium and Century<br \/>\nAluminum. Ripley hosts Jackson General Hospital and the county&#8217;s court and administrative offices.<br \/>\nThe county&#8217;s biggest annual event is Ripley&#8217;s Fourth of July celebration, promoted locally as the<br \/>\nBiggest Small Town Fourth of July Celebration in the country, drawing a parade, carnival and<br \/>\nfireworks each July.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Virginia General Assembly formed Jackson County on 1 March 1831 out of parts of Kanawha,<br \/>\nWood and Mason counties, and named it for Andrew Jackson, then serving as the seventh U.S.<br \/>\npresident. Ripley was chartered as the county seat in 1832, named for Harry Ripley, a young<br \/>\nminister said to have drowned in Big Mill Creek shortly before his wedding. Huntsville, once a<br \/>\nformally organised town in the county, has since reverted to unincorporated status.<\/p>\n<p>In July 1863, the Battle of Buffington Island &mdash; the only naval engagement fought in West<br \/>\nVirginia during the Civil War &mdash; took place on the Ohio River near present-day Ravenswood, as<br \/>\nUnion gunboats intercepted Confederate cavalry under John Hunt Morgan attempting to cross into<br \/>\nOhio. Ripley was also the site of West Virginia&#8217;s last public execution, in 1897.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 77 crosses the county&#8217;s eastern side, with US Route 33 and West Virginia Routes 2,<br \/>\n34, 62, 68 and 87 also running through the county.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Parkersburg &mdash; about 40 miles north<\/li>\n<li>Charleston &mdash; about 45 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Point Pleasant &mdash; about 25 miles southwest<\/li>\n<li>Spencer &mdash; about 20 miles east<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yeager Airport in Charleston, roughly 45 miles south of Ripley, is the nearest major commercial<br \/>\nairport. Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport near Parkersburg, about 35 miles north, offers a closer<br \/>\nbut smaller commercial option. Jackson County has no active Amtrak station; the nearest stop is in<br \/>\nCharleston on the Cardinal line.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Jackson County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in the Ohio River valley of west-central West Virginia, bordered by Wood, Wirt, Roane,<br \/>\nKanawha, Putnam and Mason counties, plus Meigs County, Ohio, across the river.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Jackson County?<\/strong><br \/>\n27,791 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 27,705.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Jackson County?<\/strong><br \/>\n471 square miles (1,220 km2) in total, of which 464 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Jackson County?<\/strong><br \/>\nRipley, chartered in 1832, is the county seat; Ravenswood is the county&#8217;s most populous city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Jackson County?<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo incorporated cities, Ripley and Ravenswood, plus the Cottageville CDP and 17 unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities including Advent, Kenna, Sandyville and Sherman.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Jackson County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n25271 for Ripley, 26164 for Ravenswood, 25239 for Cottageville, and separate codes for Advent,<br \/>\nGay, Given, Kenna, LeRoy, Millwood, Sandyville and Sherman.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Jackson County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe 1863 Battle of Buffington Island, the only Civil War naval action fought in West Virginia, and<br \/>\nRipley&#8217;s Fourth of July celebration, promoted as the country&#8217;s Biggest Small Town Fourth of July<br \/>\nCelebration.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/west-virginia\/\">Towns and villages in West Virginia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jackson County is a county in West Virginia, United States, about 40 miles southeast of Parkersburg along the Ohio River. It had a population of 27,791 at the 2020 census, an estimated 27,705 by 2024, and covers 471 square miles (1,220 km2) centred near 38\u00b050\u2032N 81\u00b040\u2032W. Ripley is the county seat; its postal code is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Jackson County, West Virginia","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 20 towns and communities in Jackson County, West Virginia - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Ripley history and the Kaiser Aluminum story.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-8714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-west-virginia","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8714"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9387,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8714\/revisions\/9387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}