About Hancock County
Hancock County is the northernmost county in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia located northeast of Wheeling and about 35 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The northern and western boundary is the Ohio River which is the West Virginia state border with Ohio. The eastern boundary line is part of the West Virginia state border with Pennsylvania. The county is named after John Hancock (1737-1793), the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, and was formed in 1848 from Brooke County.
Its present territory is 85 square miles with a population of 35,233. Its largest city, Weirton (pop. 20,411), is on its southern border with Brooke County. The population of the Hancock County portion of Weirton is 16,525. The other cities and towns are Chester (pop. 2,592); Newell (pop. 1,602); and the county seat of New Cumberland (pop. 1,099) located in the west central part of the county. All cities and towns in the county are on the Ohio River. The county is also the site of Tomlinson Run State Park and a race track for horse racing. The Ohio River is a major transportation waterway and the county has rail connections.
Manufacturing is the major employer mainly in primary iron and steel and fabricated metal products. Weirton is the home site of a major steel company. Other metal manufacturing is in industrial valve making; coating and engraving; and the making of office furniture, fixtures, shelving, and lockers. Other major manufacturing employment is in printing; petroleum refineries; chemical manufacturing; electrical supplies; and china, porcelain, and pottery products. Newel is home to the Homer Laughlin China factory, the largest pottery plant in the world. The company is best known for its collectible lines of colored dinnerware. Other major employers are retail, health care and social assistance (especially ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities), accommodation and food service, and finance and real estate. There is some employment in the professions (particularly legal services), construction, and trucking. Because of the race track and state park, there is noticeable employment in the amusement and recreation sector. There is noticeable employment in education since Weirton is the site of a campus of the West Virginia Northern Community College, a comprehensive two-year public school of higher education. Major agricultural products are livestock and forage.
