About Lewis County
Lewis County is in the central part of the state located southwest of Fairmont and about 88 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1816 from Harrison County. The county is named after Colonel Charles Lewis (1733-1774) who, serving under his older brother General Andrew Lewis, was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant.
It is rural with a present territory of 389 square miles with a population of 17,199. The county seat and major city is Weston (pop. 4,317) located in the northern part of the county. The only other town is Jane Lew (pop. 406) located in the north central part of the county. The county is drained by the West Fork River and tributaries with a flood control dam on the river immediately upstream of Weston forming Stonewall Jackson Lake which is surrounded by a wildlife management area. On one of the tributaries in the eastern part of the county is a dam forming Stonecoal Lake which is also surrounded by a wildlife management area. Interstate 79 runs northeast to southwest through the east central part of the county. The county also has rail connections.
Major employment is in health care and social assistance, retail, manufacturing, and accommodation and food service. Hospital employment is nearly half of that of health care and social assistance. Most manufacturing employment is in glass production. There is some manufacturing employment in the making of textiles, wood products, and fabricated metal products. The county is a member of the West Virginia Hardwood Alliance Zone. Major agricultural products are livestock and forage.
