A. Description of Planning Area
¨ Jefferson County is located at the tip of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The county is bordered on the northwest by Berkeley County, WV, on the northeast by the Potomac River and Washington County, MD, to the southeast by the Blue Ridge and Loudoun County, VA, and to the southwest by Clarke County, VA. The total land area in Jefferson county is approximately 212.41 square miles and varies in elevation from a low of 247 feet above sea level at Harpers Ferry to a high of 1,553 feet east of Shannondale. Jefferson County is located approximately 58 miles from Washington, D.C. and 67 miles from Baltimore, M.D. The population of Jefferson County based on the 2000 Census was 42,190, showing an increase of 6,264 over the last decade due to the close proximity of the county to the nation’s capitol.
The County contains five incorporated municipalities: Bolivar, Charles Town (county seat), Harpers Ferry, Ranson, and Shepherdstown, many of which are considered bedroom communities for the greater Washington, D.C. area. Jefferson County also contains the following unincorporated communities: Alderidge, Bakerton, Bardane, Blair, Bloomery, Browns Corner, Duffields, Egypt, Engle, Franklintown, Halltown, Jamestown, Johnsontown, Kabletown, Kearneysville, Leetown, Mannings, Mechanicstown, Meyerstown, Middleway, Millville, Moler Crossroads, Mountain Mission, Mount Pleasant, Rippon, Riverside, Shannondale, Shenandoah Junction, Silver Grove, Skeetersville, Summit Point, Uvilla, Walpers Cross Roads, and Wheatland.
Jefferson County has a continental-type climate, predominantly influenced by air from the west, which has traveled across the central United States. Winter months are cold, but not severe. The mean temperature for January is 33 degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are moderate, with the warmer days usually followed by refreshingly cool nights. The mean temperature during the summer is 73˚F. Precipitation tends to be evenly distributed throughout the year, with an annual average of approximately 37 inches, including approximately 28 inches of snowfall during the colder months.
There are an estimated 14,500 structures in the county. Approximately 96% of these buildings are considered residential uses. The county has other amenities including a hospital, 24 schools, a college campus, six fire departments, seven police stations, an emergency communications facility, and an office of emergency services. There are also 98 facilities that store hazardous materials and two dams located in Jefferson County.
¨ Bolivar is a town adjacent to Harpers Ferry and located in the eastern portion of the county near the Potomac River. The population of Bolivar based on the 2000 Census is 1,002. The Town of Bolivar is nominally bounded by the Potomac River to the north, Harpers Ferry to the east, Shenandoah River to the south and Bolivar Heights Battlefield to the west. The approximate total land area of Bolivar is 0.5 square miles. As primarily a residential town, more than 80% of Bolivar's 549 lots are residential. Today, most lots (365) contain single-family detached units while a smaller number have individually owned townhouses (54), duplexes (34), and multi-family units (4). Approximately 23 lots are used for some type of commercial activity. Bolivar has four major buildings and institutions: Bolivar Community Center, Harpers Ferry Family Medicine Center, Harpers Ferry Junior High School, and Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library.
¨ Charles Town is located in the center of Jefferson County and is the county seat. It is surrounded by the City of Ranson to the north and on the other sides by unincorporated portions of the county. Charles Town is approximately one square mile and has a population of 2,934 making it the second largest municipality in the county. Gentle slopes characterize the topography of Charles Town with elevations ranging from approximately 475 to 560 feet. The greatest local relief occurs along Evitts Run, which flows through the city several blocks to the west of Route 9. Charles Town is also largely residential and is considered a bedroom community for metropolitan D.C. The largest portion of the city is made up of single-family residential areas. Approximately 209 acres of the land areas in the city fall within this land use. Duplex and multi-family residential uses account for an estimated 21 acres within the city. Commercial development in Charles Town is primarily focused in the Central Business District (CBD), an area covering approximately 20 acres. The Route 340 corridor southwest of the CBD is one of the more intensely developed areas, which includes the Hilldale shopping center and several other service and retail businesses. Charles Town is also the home to Charles Town Races which is the only mass gathering site in the entire county.
¨ Harpers Ferry is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. According to the 2000 census the population of Harpers Ferry is 324. The town is approximately .6 square miles in area and is surrounded by the 2,300-acre Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Harpers Ferry is a significant community as it was the site of many historical events such as John Brown's Raid, the Civil War, the outfitting of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the genesis of the NAACP at the former Storer College. Since the 1950s, the National Park Service has tried to rehabilitate and restore the town while at the same time interpret its historical importance to the nearly 2 million people who visit it each year. Harpers Ferry is the focal point of historic tourism in Jefferson County and an important component of the local economy.
¨ Shepherdstown is a small residential and college community located in the northern portion of the county. Shepherd College occupies approximately 10 of the 36 square blocks contained within the boundaries of Shepherdstown. This area, the East Campus, includes about 28 acres. The West Campus, adjoining Shepherdstown, includes 137 acres. Current uses of land in Shepherdstown provide a significant amount of open space, giving the town a generally uncluttered character and permitting large trees, shrubbery, and expanses of lawn and greenery. In general, Shepherdstown’s economy is primarily based on commercial shops, service businesses, Shepherd College, and the incomes of residents who are employed elsewhere or retired. Shepherdstown business and commerce is concentrated in a central two-block section of German Street and in the southeast corner of the town. Other isolated business activities are scattered elsewhere in residential section of the community. Significant developments are taking place along highways leading to Martinsburg and Charles Town. Structures used for public services and buildings are located along King Street in a three-block area and on the north side of the community along the Potomac River.
[1] This population figure from the 2000 Census is lower than the current population of Ranson due to the recent annexation of additional lands.