| McDowell | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  McDowell Location within West Virginia  McDowell McDowell (the US) | |
| Coordinates: 37°24′10″N81°22′49″W / 37.40278°N 81.38028°W Coordinates: 37°24′10″N81°22′49″W / 37.40278°N 81.38028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | McDowell |
| Elevation | 1,965 ft (599 m) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555083 [1] |
McDowell is an unincorporated community in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. McDowell is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east-southeast of Northfork.
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.
McDowell County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,113. Its county seat is Welch. McDowell county is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Virginia Governor James McDowell. It became a part of West Virginia in 1863, when several counties seceded from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War.
West Virginia is a state located in the Appalachian region in the Southern United States that is also considered to be a part of the Middle Atlantic States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area, and is ranked 38th in population. The capital and largest city is Charleston.
The community most likely was named after the local McDowell Coal and Coke Company. [2]
