The Western Magisterial District is one of three magisterial districts in Jackson County, West Virginia, United States. It was established during a process of redistricting undertaken in the 1990s. In 2010, 10,576 people lived in the district.
Geography
The Western District occupies the southwestern portion of Jackson County. To the north and east, it is bounded by the Northern District of Jackson County, to the east and south by the Eastern District, to the south by Buffalo-Union District in Putnam County, to the southwest by Union and Cologne Districts in Mason County, and to the north and west by the Ohio River. Across the Ohio River are Letart and Lebanon Townships, in Meigs County, Ohio.
Streams
The principal streams in the Western District are Mill Creek, which with its numerous tributaries drains the central and southern portions of the county, and Sandy Creek, the lower course of which runs along the boundary between the Western and Northern Districts.
The upper waters of Mill Creek arise in western Roane County, and the main course of the creek is formed in the Eastern District, several miles above Ripley. Mill Creek enters the Western District as it leaves Ripley, and meanders westward through a broad valley, turning northwest below Angerona, and continuing to Ripley Landing, where it abruptly turns southwest just short of the Ohio River, and continues across the floodplain for a mile before joining the river at Millwood.
Mill Creek's main tributaries in the Western District include Sycamore Creek, which forks several times in the hills north of Ripley; Parchment Creek, which flows northward out of the southern part of the district; Cow Run, with its upper waters in eastern Mason County, flowing northeast into Mill Creek between Angerona and Cottageville; and Lick Run, which drains the hills east of Ripley Landing.
The upper course of Sandy Creek is largely within the Northern District, although its upper waters also extend into western Roane County. The creek enters the Western District at The Y, and winds northwest through the hills before emptying into the Ohio at Ravenswood. The lower course of Sandy Creek, between The Y and Ravenswood, is in the Western District, while Ravenswood and the mouth of the creek are in the Northern District. Sandy Creek's main tributary in the Western District is the Crooked Fork, which drains the hills between Ripley and Ravenswood.
Other important streams in the district include Little Mill Creek, which flows northeastward out of Mason County, then turns north above Millwood and enters the Ohio below the mouth of Big Mill Creek; and the headwaters of Thirteenmile Creek, which flows out of the hills around Rockcastle, then enters Mason County, where it winds through the hills until emptying into the Kanawha River at Leon.
Communities
There are no incorporated towns in the Western District, but there are several unincorporated villages, of which the largest are Cottageville and Evans. Angerona, Cottageville, Ripley Landing, and Millwood all lie on the waters of Mill Creek, while Evans is on Isaacs Run, a small tributary of Mill Creek above Angerona.
Other communities in the Western District include Pleasant View, along the Ohio River in the northern part of the district; Flatwoods and Hemlock, on the Crooked Fork of Sandy Creek; Sidneyville and Pleasant Hill, on the Left Fork of Sycamore Run; Danstown, Mount Moriah, Parchment Valley, and Given on Parchment Creek and its tributaries.
The village of Mount Alto is in the westernmost part of the county; Rockcastle is located on Thirteenmile Creek, in the southwestern part of the district; and Foster Chapel is in the hills north of Rockcastle and Given. A small portion of Ripley is within the boundaries of the Western District, although the main portion of the town is in the Eastern District. Similarly, Silverton, on Sandy Creek, lies on the boundary between the Northern and Western Districts, while Fairplain, on the Charleston Road south of Ripley, is on the boundary between the Eastern and Western Districts.