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The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia, USA. It comprises the following eight counties:

• Berkeley
• Grant
• Hampshire
• Hardy
• Jefferson
• Mineral
• Morgan
• Pendleton

Contents 1 History 2 Population 2.1 Population growth 2.2 Housing growth 2.3 Largest municipalities 2.4 Statistical areas 3 County information 4 Panhandle trivia 5 Potomac Highlands 6 Panhandle communities and sites

According to the 2000 Census, the eight counties of the Eastern Panhandle had a combined population of 212,483 giving the region 11.75% of West Virginia's population. Berkeley County is the Panhandle's most populous county with an estimated 97,534 residents (2006). Berkeley also includes the Panhandle's largest city, Martinsburg, with a population of 16,392 (2006). The city has a metro of 43,000.

County	2006 (estimate)	2000	1990	1980	1970	1960	1950
Berkeley	97,534	75,905	59,253	46,846	36,356	33,791	30,359
Grant	11,915	11,299	10,428	10,218	8,607	8,304	8,756
Hampshire	22,480	20,203	16,498	14,867	11,710	11,705	12,577
Hardy	13,420	12,669	10,977	10,051	8,855	9,308	10,032
Jefferson	50,443	42,190	35,926	30,311	21,280	18,665	17,184
Mineral	26,928	27,078	26,697	27,159	23,109	22,354	22,333
Morgan	16,337	14,943	12,128	10,696	8,547	8,376	8,276
Pendleton	7,679	8,196	8,054	7,935	7,031	8,093	9,313
TOTAL	246,736	212,483	179,961	158,083	125,495	120,596	118,830

The Eastern Panhandle is West Virginia's fastest growing region in terms of population and housing growth. In July 2005, the United States Census Bureau released a list of the top 100 counties according to housing growth. Berkeley County grew 3.95 percent, from 36,365 housing units in 2003 to 37,802 units in 2004. That growth rate was 86th in the nation among the 3,141 United States counties. Jefferson County was not far behind at 88th in the nation. It grew 3.94 percent from 19,381 housing units in 2003 to 20,144 units in 2004.

The majority of the Eastern Panhandle's growing residential developments are located outside of city and town boundaries and therefore are not included in the city or town's official population.

City	2006 (estimate)	2000	1990	County
Martinsburg	16,392	14,972	14,073	Berkeley
Keyser	5,334	5,303	5,870	Mineral
Ranson	3,957	2,951	2,890	Jefferson
Charles Town	3,869	2,907	3,122	Jefferson
Petersburg	2,695	2,423	2,360	Grant
Moorefield	2,426	2,375	2,148	Hardy
Romney	1,971	1,940	1,966	Hampshire
Shepherdstown	1,172	803	1,287	Jefferson
Bolivar	1,087	1,045	1,013	Jefferson
Piedmont	935	1,014	1,094	Mineral

NOTE: This list does not include the unincorporated census-designated places of Inwood (pop. 2,084) and Fort Ashby (pop. 1,354). The U.S. Census Bureau does not release estimates for CDPs. The population figures listed are from the 2000 census.

Several counties in the Eastern Panhandle are part of metropolitan, micropolitan, and consolidated metropolitan statistical areas defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget.

MSA/CMSA	Population (2000)	WV Counties
Cumberland MD-WV MSA	102,008	Mineral
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV MSA	222,771	Berkeley, Morgan
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA	4,796,183	Jefferson
Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV CMSA	7,538,385	Berkeley, Jefferson
Winchester, VA-WV MSA	102,997	Hampshire

County	Named For	Founded	Seat
Berkeley	Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt	February 1772	Martinsburg
Grant	Ulysses Simpson Grant	February 14, 1866	Petersburg
Hampshire	County of Hampshire, England	December 13, 1753	Romney
Hardy	Samuel Hardy	December 10, 1785	Moorefield
Jefferson	Thomas Jefferson	January 8, 1801	Charles Town
Mineral	minerals located in the county	February 1, 1866	Keyser
Morgan	General Daniel Morgan	February 9, 1820	Berkeley Springs
Pendleton	Edmund Pendleton	December 4, 1787	Franklin

• The Eastern Panhandle includes West Virginia's oldest chartered towns (1762) of Romney and Shepherdstown. The Panhandle also includes West Virginia's two oldest counties: Hampshire (1753) and Berkeley (1772).
• The Eastern Panhandle also includes both West Virginia's highest and lowest elevations above sea level: Spruce Knob, 4,863 feet (1,482 m), in Pendleton and Harpers Ferry, 240 feet (73 m), in Jefferson on the Potomac River.
• West Virginia's only natural lake, Trout Pond, is located in the Panhandle's Hardy County near Wardensville.
• Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties were forced to reluctantly join the new Unionist state of West Virginia in 1863 so that the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad along the Potomac River would remain safely in Union hands. Shortly after West Virginia gained statehood, Mineral and Grant counties were created from Hampshire and Hardy in 1866.
• As of August 2006, the Eastern Panhandle has 249 (27.09%) of West Virginia's 919 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Berkeley County has the most at 106 properties listed.
• These 8 counties also make up RESA VIII of West Virginia's Education System.

Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton Counties also belong to another geographical region of West Virginia known as the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.

• List of communities in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
• List of historic sites in Berkeley County, West Virginia
• List of historic sites in Hampshire County, West Virginia
• List of historic sites in Hardy County, West Virginia
• List of historic sites in Morgan County, West Virginia

	v • d • e The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Counties	Berkeley | Grant | Hampshire | Hardy | Jefferson | Mineral | Morgan | Pendleton
Communities	Bayard | Berkeley Springs | Bolivar | Capon Bridge | Carpendale | Charles Town | Elk Garden | Franklin | Harpers Ferry | Hedgesville | Keyser | Martinsburg | Moorefield | Paw Paw | Petersburg | Piedmont | Ridgeley | Romney | Shepherdstown | Wardensville
Attractions	Appalachian National Scenic Trail | Berkeley Springs State Park | Cacapon Resort State Park | Cacapon River | Capon Springs Historic District | Charles Town Races & Slots | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park | Fort Ashby | Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches | George Washington National Forest | Germany Valley | Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | Indian Mound Cemetery | Jennings Randolph Lake | Lost River | Lost River State Park | Monongahela National Forest | Mount Storm Lake | Northwestern Turnpike | Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad | Potomac River | Potomac State College | Seneca Rocks | Shenandoah River | Shepherdstown Historic District | Shepherd University | Sleepy Creek Lake | Smoke Hole Caverns | South Branch Potomac River | Spruce Knob | Summit Point Motorsports Park | The Trough | Trout Pond | Tuscarora Trail | Washington Heritage Trail

	v • d • e State of West Virginia Charleston (capital)
Topics	Cities | Towns | Villages | Census‑designated places | Governors | Colleges and universities
Regions	Allegheny Mountains | Allegheny Plateau | Baltimore‑Washington Metropolitan Area | Blue Ridge | Charleston Metropolitan Area | Cumberland Plateau | Eastern Panhandle | Huntington Metropolitan Area | North‑Central West Virginia | Northern Panhandle | Potomac Highlands | Ridge‑and‑valley Appalachians | Shenandoah Valley | Southern West Virginia | Western West Virginia
Major cities	Charleston | Huntington | Parkersburg | Wheeling | Morgantown
Smaller cities	Beckley | Bluefield | Clarksburg | Cross Lanes | Fairmont | Kabletown | Martinsburg | Saint Albans | South Charleston | Teays Valley | Vienna | Weirton
Counties	Barbour | Berkeley | Boone | Braxton | Brooke | Cabell | Calhoun | Clay | Doddridge | Fayette | Gilmer | Grant | Greenbrier | Hampshire | Hancock | Hardy | Harrison | Jackson | Jefferson | Kanawha | Lewis | Lincoln | Logan | Marion | Marshall | Mason | McDowell | Mercer | Mineral | Mingo | Monongalia | Monroe | Morgan | Nicholas | Ohio | Pendleton | Pleasants | Pocahontas | Preston | Putnam | Raleigh | Randolph | Ritchie | Roane | Summers | Taylor | Tucker | Tyler | Upshur | Wayne | Webster | Wetzel | Wirt | Wood | Wyoming