County At a Glance
County SeatWelchEstablished1858FIPS Code540472025 Population Estimate16,878Area535 sq mi
County History
Formed FromTazewell County, VirginiaNamed ForJames McDowell, Governor of Virginia
Public Information
County Resources
Links open the county or statewide public resource in a new tab.
- Official County Website / WV.gov ProfileOpen Resource ↗
- County CommissionOpen Resource ↗
- Planning Commission / DepartmentDirect Page Not Yet LocatedNo direct page located — confirm locally
- OrdinancesOpen Resource ↗
- Development / Economic DevelopmentOpen Resource ↗
- GIS / Parcel MapOpen Resource ↗
- County ClerkOpen Resource ↗
Research Note
Planning: no direct page located; Ordinances: WV.gov county profile fallback; Development: regional councils directory fallback; GIS: statewide official parcel viewer; Clerk: WV SOS statewide directory
Links last checked August 8, 2026. Verify deadlines and current procedures directly with the responsible office.
CAI-WV County Watch
Help Us Watch McDowell County
County-specific news, meeting notes, association resources, and local contacts will grow as CAI-WV volunteers add coverage.
County facts source: Wikipedia, List of counties in West Virginia.
Sources & Method
Direct county-controlled resources are used when located and credible. Official statewide directories or viewers are supplied as fallbacks. A blank direct planning link does not establish that no planning commission exists.
- Wikipedia — List of counties in West VirginiaCounty factsRequested source. Population values reflect the table's 2025 estimates as accessed 2026-08-08.
- State of West Virginia — Local GovernmentOfficial county profilesEach profile provides courthouse details and a link to the county's current website.
- WV Property ViewerGIS / parcel fallbackOfficial statewide viewer covering all 55 counties.
- WV Secretary of State — County Clerk DirectoryCounty clerk fallbackOfficial statewide contact directory.
- APA West Virginia — For PlannersPlanning contextAPA-WV reports that 27 of 55 counties currently have planning commissions; a blank direct-link cell does not prove that no commission exists.
- WV Regional Planning & Development CouncilsDevelopment fallbackStatewide directory for the 11 regional planning and development councils.
- Verification ruleAll linksDirect links were included when a credible government, county-controlled, clerk-controlled, development-authority, or official GIS page was located. Otherwise an official statewide directory/profile is used.