Raleigh

Formed January 23, 1850 (41^st county)

Raleigh County (74,581), Beckley (17,275)                

The stone Art Deco structure was erected in 1937.  There was also an 1893 version.  The courthouse is situated at the intersection of Main and Fayette streets.  West Virginia State Highway 16 is three blocks to the north of the location.  L. T. Bengston is the designer.  A Judicial Center was added in 2012.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was formed from Fayette County on January 23, 1850 as the 41^st county with Beckley as the only county seat.  The county is named for Sir Walter Raleigh.  Beckley was named the House of Representatives first clerk John James Beckley.  Raleigh County is the birthplace of 2 West Virginia Governors, Clarence W. Meadows and Hulett C. Smith. 

Raleigh County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges serve Raleigh County and Three Family Court Judges and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming counties.  The county is in southern West Virginia.  Charleston, West Virginia is northwest and Roanoke, Virginia is east of the county.  The county center is 4.7 miles Southwest of Beckley nearer Crab Orchard.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Fayette, Summers, Mercer, Wyoming, Boone, and Kanawha counties. 

The area of the county is 607 square miles.  It is 10 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 6 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 122.9 persons per square mile making it 14 out of 55 in the state.  Raleigh County has 27.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 64 enters the county from the east, Summers County, and exits to the northwest, Fayette County.  Interstate Highway 77 is joined with Interstate Highway 64 from Fayette County, splits and continues south into Mercer County.  United States Highway 19 parallels Interstate Highway 77 from Fayette to Mercer counties.  The county resembles a spaceship flying northwest.  Beckley is located near the center of the county.  Beckley is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.2% of the county population.  The county is pronounced RA-LEE.  This county is in the Beckley Micropolitan Statistical Area.