McDowell County is a county in the State of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,111, and was estimated to be 16,878 in 2025.
The McDowell County Courthouse in Welch
A coal miner's house and family, 1946
Anawalt Lake Wildlife Management Area in McDowell County
Coalwood, home of the 'Rocket Boys," who experimented with home-made rockets in the 1950s, the subject of the film October Sky
Welch, West Virginia
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Welch is a city in and the county seat of McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,590 at the 2020 census. Welch was incorporated as a city in 1893.
McDowell County, West Virginia
…of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,111, and was estimated to be 16,878 in 2025. The county seat and the largest city 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…
Facing north on McDowell Street in 2019
Child laborer at Welch Mining Company, 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine
Facing north on McDowell Street in Welch, on a Saturday afternoon in 1946
Municipal parking building in Welch