Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Main Street in downtown Beckley in 2007 | |
| Motto(s): The Gateway to Southern West Virginia | |
 Location of Beckley in Raleigh County, West Virginia | |
  Beckley Location in West Virginia | |
| Coordinates: 37°46′41″N 81°11′17″W / 37.77806°N 81.18806°WCoordinates: 37°46′41″N 81°11′17″W / 37.77806°N 81.18806°W[6] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Raleigh |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rob Rappold[1][2] |
| Area | |
| • City | 9.51 sq mi (24.63 km2) |
| • Land | 9.50 sq mi (24.60 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,421 ft (738 m) |
| Population | |
| • City | 17,614 |
| • Estimate (2019)[4] | 15,940 |
| • Density | 1,678.25/sq mi (647.96/km2) |
| • Metro | 123,373 (US: 317th) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 25801, 25802, 25926 |
| Area code(s) | 304 and 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-05332 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1553831[6] |
| Website | http://www.beckley.org/ |
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838.[7]
History[]
The area surrounding Beckley was long home to many indigenous peoples. Early encounters describe the land as being an ancestral home of the Catawba-speaking Moneton people, who referred to the surrounding area as "okahok amai", and were allies of the Monacan people .[8] The Moneton's Catawba speaking neighbors to the south, the Tutelo (since absorbed into the Seneca-Cayuga Nation[9]) may have absorbed surviving Moneton communities, and claim the area as ancestral lands. Cherokee and Shawnee and Yuchi peoples also claim the area as included in their traditional lands.[10] Waves of conflict and displacement connected to European settler-colonial conquest also resulted in varied communities finding home and refuge in southern West Virginia, becoming identified as Mingo-- remote affiliates of the Iroquois Confederacy. [11]
Beckley was named in honor of John James Beckley, who was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives and the first Librarian of Congress. It was founded by his son, Alfred Beckley (US Army lieutenant and brigadier general of Virginia militia), who was from the District of Columbia.
Although founded in 1838, Beckley existed only on paper at that time, "Alfred Beckley said he "was frequently jeered and laughed at for his Paper Town..."[12] Early in its history, the town was known as Beckley, Raleigh Court House, and, occasionally, Beckleyville.
The town was originally located in Fayette County, Virginia. In 1850 the act of the Virginia legislature creating Raleigh County named Beckley the county seat.
The city is sometimes called the "Smokeless Coal Capital", "The City of Champions" and the "Gateway To Southern West Virginia."[citation needed]
During the presidential primaries of 1960, the vehicles of rivals John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey stopped at the same streetcorner in Beckley. Recognizing each other, the two men got out and chatted briefly.[13]
Geography[]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.50 square miles (24.60 km2), of which 9.49 square miles (24.58 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[14]
Geology and topography[]
The city sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, with the more steeply eroded Logan Plateau bordering to the west and the highland Allegheny Mountains lying to the east. [15] Neighboring ridgelines include Flat Top Mountain to the south, Scott Ridge of Shady Spring Mountain to the southeast, Batoff Mountain to the northeast, and Lilly Mountain to the west.[16]
Water[]
Beckley is contained in the Piney Creek watershed, which flows into the New River National Park and Reserve. The city is roughly bordered by Piney Creek to the east, and to the south by Whitestick Creek. Cranberry Creek and its southern tributary Little Whitestick Creek flow through the northern part of the city. Neighboring watersheds include Glade Creek to the east, headwaters of the Coal River to the west, and headwaters of the Guayandotte River to the southwest. [17]
Climate[]
Due to its elevation, the climate of Beckley is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) bordering on both an oceanic (Köppen Cfb) and humid continental (Köppen Dfa/Dfb), and the city straddles the border between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6B and 7A.[18] Summers are warm and humid, usually a few degrees cooler than lower-elevation places within the state, with an average of only 1.3 days of a maximum at or above 90 °F (32 °C) annually. Winters are generally cold and snowy with occasional intervening milder periods and an average of 1.4 nights annually with a minimum of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower.[19] Normal monthly daily mean temperatures range from 32.2 °F (0.1 °C) in January to 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) in July.[19] Snowfall varies with an average of 55.9 inches (142 cm)[19] per season and mostly occurs from December to March with an occasional snowfall in November of (usually) 2–3 inches (5–8 cm). Record temperatures range from −22 °F (−30 °C) on January 21, 1985, up to 103 °F (39 °C) on July 21 and August 11, 1926;[19] the extreme coldest daily maximum was −3 °F (−19 °C) on February 13, 1899, while, conversely, the extreme warmest daily minimum was 79 °F (26 °C) on July 7, 1924 and August 22, 1926.[19] On average, the first and last occurrences of freezing temperatures in the cooler season are October 13 and April 30, respectively, allowing for a growing season of 165 days.[19]
| hideClimate data for Beckley, West Virginia (Raleigh County Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
76 (24) |
85 (29) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
103 (39) |
97 (36) |
91 (33) |
80 (27) |
75 (24) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
65 (18) |
73 (23) |
81 (27) |
83 (28) |
86 (30) |
88 (31) |
87 (31) |
85 (29) |
78 (26) |
71 (22) |
64 (18) |
89 (32) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) |
44.2 (6.8) |
52.5 (11.4) |
64.4 (18.0) |
71.5 (21.9) |
77.8 (25.4) |
80.7 (27.1) |
79.9 (26.6) |
74.4 (23.6) |
64.3 (17.9) |
53.2 (11.8) |
43.9 (6.6) |
62.3 (16.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.2 (0.1) |
35.4 (1.9) |
42.8 (6.0) |
53.5 (11.9) |
61.3 (16.3) |
68.2 (20.1) |
71.6 (22.0) |
70.5 (21.4) |
64.7 (18.2) |
54.3 (12.4) |
44.0 (6.7) |
36.0 (2.2) |
52.9 (11.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 24.0 (−4.4) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
33.1 (0.6) |
42.6 (5.9) |
51.1 (10.6) |
58.7 (14.8) |
62.4 (16.9) |
61.1 (16.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
44.2 (6.8) |
34.7 (1.5) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
43.5 (6.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 2 (−17) |
6 (−14) |
12 (−11) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
45 (7) |
52 (11) |
51 (11) |
40 (4) |
28 (−2) |
17 (−8) |
9 (−13) |
−1 (−18) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−20 (−29) |
−7 (−22) |
8 (−13) |
21 (−6) |
32 (0) |
38 (3) |
33 (1) |
23 (−5) |
9 (−13) |
−1 (−18) |
−20 (−29) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.13 (80) |
3.12 (79) |
4.03 (102) |
3.58 (91) |
4.68 (119) |
4.30 (109) |
5.00 (127) |
3.68 (93) |
3.20 (81) |
2.73 (69) |
2.80 (71) |
3.29 (84) |
43.54 (1,106) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.5 (39) |
15.2 (39) |
8.9 (23) |
1.5 (3.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.4 (3.6) |
2.3 (5.8) |
11.1 (28) |
55.9 (142) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 15.0 | 14.4 | 16.2 | 14.1 | 15.0 | 13.7 | 13.5 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 14.6 | 160.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.5 | 7.2 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 6.6 | 32.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 74 | 71 | 67 | 62 | 70 | 76 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 73 | 70 | 74 | 73 |
| Source: NOAA (humidity 1981–2010)[19][20][21] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[]
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 144 | — | |
| 1890 | 158 | 9.7% | |
| 1900 | 342 | 116.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,161 | 531.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,149 | 92.0% | |
| 1930 | 9,357 | 125.5% | |
| 1940 | 12,852 | 37.4% | |
| 1950 | 19,397 | 50.9% | |
| 1960 | 18,642 | −3.9% | |
| 1970 | 19,884 | 6.7% | |
| 1980 | 20,492 | 3.1% | |
| 1990 | 18,274 | −10.8% | |
| 2000 | 17,254 | −5.6% | |
| 2010 | 17,614 | 2.1% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 15,940 | [4] | −9.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] | |||
2010 census[]
As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 17,614 people, 7,800 households, and 4,414 families living in the city. The population density was 1,856.1 inhabitants per square mile (716.6/km2). There were 8,839 housing units at an average density of 931.4 per square mile (359.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.3% White, 21.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 7,800 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census[]
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,254 people, 7,651 households, and 4,590 families living in the city.[23] The population density was 1,874.9 people per square mile (724.1/km2). There were 8,731 housing units at an average density of 948.8 per square mile (366.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.64% White, 22.89% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 7,651 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,122, and the median income for a family was $38,110. Males had a median income of $35,780 versus $23,239 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,912. About 16.4% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture[]
Notable sites include:
- The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, a preserved coal mine that offers daily tours and a history lesson on coal mining in Appalachia.
- Tamarack, a showcase of Appalachian arts and crafts built in 1996 at a cost of $10 million and dedicated to former Governor Gaston Caperton.
- The Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia, which includes a planetarium, boxcars and a homestead with a weaver's shed.[24]
Education[]
Woodrow Wilson High School is Beckley's public high school.
Three universities are located in Beckley: West Virginia University Institute of Technology, University of Charleston-Beckley, and a branch campus of Concord University. Additionally, a branch campus of Valley College is located in Beckley;[25] New River Community and Technical College is in the nearby community of Beaver; and the nonprofit, nondenominational Appalachian Bible College is located just outside the city limits, in nearby Bradley.
Infrastructure[]
Transportation[]
The city is the regional hub for over 100,000 Southern West Virginia residents. It is the ninth-largest city in West Virginia, exceeded in population by Martinsburg and followed by Clarksburg.
Highways[]
|
Rail[]
Amtrak serves Beckley at Prince Station in Prince as part of the Cardinal line running from Chicago to Washington DC.
Air[]
Greater Beckley's only airport is Raleigh County Memorial Airport. Raleigh County Memorial Airport is served by Contour Airlines with service to Charlotte.
Media[]
Newspaper[]
The Register Herald
Radio[]
WVBY public radio translator WJLS local commercial radio network
Television[]
West Virginia Public Broadcasting's WSWP WVVA WOAY WVNS-TV
Notable people[]
- Rob Ashford, choreographer
- Mark Carman, Producer Songwriter, Musician
- Tom Carper, U.S. Senator from Delaware
- Barbara M. Clark, New York state legislator
- Cora Sue Collins, actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, singer
- Davy DMX, musician
- B. Kwaku Duren, American lawyer, educator, writer, editor
- Joe Goddard, professional baseball player
- Doug Legursky, professional football player
- Jon McBride, astronaut
- Scott McClanahan, writer
- Stephen M. Pachuta, retired United States Navy admiral.
- Christa Pike, convicted murderer
- Bob Pruett, American football coach
- Nick Rahall, U.S. Representative
- Chris Sarandon, actor
- Art Simmons, musician
- Calvin Simon, musician
- Tamar Slay, basketball player for Sutor Basket Montegranaro, formerly with the New Jersey Nets
- Hulett C. Smith, Governor of West Virginia
- Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker
- Al Thompson, casino executive
- Bill Withers, musician
References[]
- ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-04-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "WV MetroNews – New mayor in Beckley". Wvmetronews.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Beckley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ Wood, Jim (1994). Raleigh County West Virginia. Beckley, WV: BJW Printing and Office Supplies. p. 76.
- ^ https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/5543/
- ^ Vest, Jay Hansford C. (2005). "An Odyssey among the Iroquois: A History of Tutelo Relations in New York". American Indian Quarterly. 29 (1/2): 124–155. doi:10.1353/aiq.2005.0072. JSTOR 4138803. S2CID 201754013.
- ^ https://native-land.ca/
- ^ https://academic.oup.com/jah/article/80/3/1056/697282
- ^ Wood, p.77
- ^ Boothe, Dallas (April 12, 1960). "Stoplight Meeting". West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
- ^ "The Logan Plateau, a Young Physiographic Region in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1620.
- ^ "Raleigh County Mountains". PeakVisor. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "West Virginia Watersheds - WV DEP".
- ^ "facebook-circle". Arborday.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Station: Beckley Raleigh CO AP, WV". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Local Climatological Data Annual Summary with Comparative Data for Beckley, West Virginia (KBKW)" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved August 27, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Beckley Youth Museum
- ^ "Career Training Trade School in West Virginia | Valley College". Valley.edu. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
External links[]
| show Municipalities and communities of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States |
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- Beckley, West Virginia
- Cities in West Virginia
- Cities in Raleigh County, West Virginia
- County seats in West Virginia
- Mining communities in West Virginia
- Micropolitan areas of West Virginia
- Populated places established in 1838
- Coal towns in West Virginia
- 1838 establishments in Virginia