County at a Glance - Preston

History^1,2: Formed in 1818 from Monongalia County and named in honor of James Patton Preston, Governor of Virginia from 1816 to 1819.
Area (square miles)¹: 653.88
County Seat¹: Kingwood
Population (1990)¹: 29,037
Leading Industries and Chief Agricultural Products¹: coal, lumber, cement, buckwheat, hay and grain, poultry, maple sugar
Public Recreation Areas³: Bruceton Mills Wildlife Management Area, Camp Dawson Wildlife Management Area, Cathedral State Park, Coopers Rock State Forest

Coal Facts and Figures4

   Coal Reserve Summary
      Original Mineable Reserves = 3,212,323,508 tons
      Reported Production, 1883-1995 = 192,711,826 tons
      Estimated Loss = 192,711,826 tons
      Estimated Recoverable Reserves = 1,413,449,928 tons

   Coal Production, 1995
      Total Production = 1,993,835 tons
         Production from Underground Mines = 1,735,973 tons
         (Number of Underground Mines = 13)
            Conventional =         0 tons
              Continuous = 1,735,973 tons
                Longwall =         0 tons
                   Other =         0 tons
         Production from Surface Mines =       257,862 tons
         (Number of Surface Mines = 12)


Gas and Oil Facts and Figures5

   NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING DATA ARE PRELIMINARY VALUES--
   NOT ALL 1995 DATA HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND
   NOT ALL 1995 DATA HAVE BEEN QUALITY CHECKED.

   Gas Production, 1995
      Total Reported Production = 433,615 thousand cubic feet (Mcf)
      Well Count = 50
      Average Production = 8,672.3 Mcf

   Oil Production, 1995
      Total Reported Production = 212 barrels (bbl)
      Well Count = 3
      Average Production = 70.7 bbl

¹ Information Source = Counties in West Virginia Blue Book - 1995: D. E. Holmes (ed.), Chapman Printing, vol. 77, p. 731-846.

² Information Source = New Descriptive Atlas of West Virginia: 1933, Clarksburg Publishing Company, 64 p.

³ Information Source = Departmental, Statistical, and General Information in West Virginia Blue Book - 1995: D. E. Holmes (ed.), Chapman Printing, vol. 77, p. 953-1038.

⁴ Information Source = Statistical Section in Annual Report and Directory of Mines - 1995, West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety, and Training, July 1996, p. 23-66. [Note: Original Mineable Reserves from the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES)]

⁵ Information Source = West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP); data have undergone a cursory quality check by the WVGES

Page last revised: December 5, 2005