Fayette

Formed February 28, 1831 (24^th county)

Fayette County (40,485), Fayetteville (2,912), Oak Hill (8,178)

The red brick Romanesque Revival courthouse was built in 1895.  It sits on a square at Church Street, Maple Avenue, Court Street, and Wiseman Avenue.  West Virginia State Highway 16 is Court Street in the town.  Millard F. Giesey and Edward Bates Franzheim combined on the designs.  An Annex supports the courthouse.  The courthouse features a tower with veteran memorials on the grounds.  The picture captured an incidental prayer vigil in front of the courthouse.  Fayette County was organized on February 28, 1831 from Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, and Logan counties as the 24^th county with Fayetteville as the only county seat.  The county and county seat are named for American Revolutionary hero Marquis de la Fayette.  The county center is in Fayetteville .6 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nicholas, Greenbrier, Raleigh, Kanawha, and Clay counties. 

Fayette County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Circuit Court Judge, One Family Court Judge and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve Fayette County.  Fayette County is in the southern part of West Virginia.  Charleston, West Virginia is northwest and Roanoke, Virginia is southeast of the county.  Fayetteville is located near the center of the county.  Oak Hill is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Fayetteville is the county seat and Oak Hill is the largest city.  Fayetteville is 7.2% of the county population while Oak Hill is 20.2% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 664 square miles.  It is 6 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 61.0 persons per square mile making it 22 out of 55 in the state.  Fayette County has 39.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 64/77 cross the county from north to south in the west from Kanawha County to Raleigh County.  United States Highway 19 enters from Nicholas County, north, and exits to Raleigh County, south.  United States Highway 60 goes east to west from Greenbrier County to Kanawha County.  The county resembles a flower bud leaning toward the northwest.  This county is in the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Smithers