Elkins, West Virginia
| Elkins, West Virginia | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 38°55′17″N 79°51′3″W / 38.92139°N 79.85083°WCoordinates: 38°55′17″N 79°51′3″W / 38.92139°N 79.85083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Randolph |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Duke Talbott |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2) |
| • Land | 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation[1] | 1,926 ft (587 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,032 |
| • Density | 2,207.7/sq mi (852.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 26241 |
| Area code(s) | 304/681 |
| FIPS code | 54-24580[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1551037[3] |
| Website | www.CityOfElkinsWV.com |
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins (1841–1911), a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County.[4] Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College and to the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.
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[edit] History
The City of Elkins, situated on a bend in the Tygart Valley River, was developed by Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen Benton Elkins and named for Senator Elkins, in 1890. Elkins became the county seat in 1899. The founders developed railroad lines, coal mines, and timbering. Together, they built the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway into Elkins and opened a vast territory to industrial development in the late 1890s. As the railroad (merged into the Western Maryland Railway in 1905) expanded, Elkins experienced the luxury of passenger train service. In 1904 the Randolph County courthouse was completed in Elkins. It was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. In 1930, 18 passenger trains were arriving and leaving Elkins daily. All passenger service was discontinued in 1958.
Both men built permanent places of residence known as Halliehurst and Graceland, where the view of the town was delightful and picturesque.
Today, Elkins has an active economic development authority, chamber of commerce, downtown business organization and numerous social, fraternal and service organizations that sponsor annual events like the Mountain State Forest Festival, which brings thousands of people into the city every year.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 5,260 |
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| 1990 | 7,420 |
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| 2000 | 7,032 | −5.2% | |
| 2010 | 7,094 | 0.9% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 7,032 people, 2,988 households, and 1,756 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,207.7 people per square mile (851.1/km²). There were 3,362 housing units at an average density of 1,055.5 per square mile (406.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.94% White, 0.90% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 2,988 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,906, and the median income for a family was $34,291. Males had a median income of $27,012 versus $19,154 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,916. About 14.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Geography
Elkins is located at 38°55′17″N 79°51′3″W / 38.92139°N 79.85083°W (38.921478, -79.850846),[5] at the confluence of the Tygart Valley River and Leading Creek.[6] The average elevation is 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), all of it land. Elkins is headquarters for the Monongahela National Forest, a 910,155 acre (3,683 km²) reserve encompassing the "High Alleghenies" area to the east of the city.
In 1995, a second edition of The 100 Best Small Towns in America, written by Norman Crampton, featured Elkins among the special places in the United States. Crampton quoted then Editor Emerita of The Inter-Mountain, Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum, "You can stand on any street in Elkins and turn in all directions and see forest covered mountains rimming the city. It is unbelievable." [7]
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Elkins, WV | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
75 (24) |
84 (29) |
89 (32) |
93 (34) |
96 (36) |
99 (37) |
95 (35) |
97 (36) |
87 (31) |
82 (28) |
76 (24) |
99 (37) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
63 (17) |
72 (22) |
79 (26) |
82 (28) |
80 (27) |
74 (23) |
64 (18) |
53 (12) |
44 (7) |
62 (17) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 18 (−8) |
20 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
35 (2) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
58 (14) |
57 (14) |
50 (10) |
37 (3) |
29 (−2) |
22 (−6) |
37 (3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) |
−22 (−30) |
−15 (−26) |
3 (−16) |
20 (−7) |
25 (−4) |
32 (0) |
34 (1) |
27 (−3) |
11 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
−24 (−31) |
−24 (−31) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.4 (86) |
3.2 (81) |
3.9 (99) |
3.5 (89) |
4.8 (122) |
4.6 (117) |
4.8 (122) |
4.3 (109) |
3.8 (97) |
2.9 (74) |
3.4 (86) |
3.4 (86) |
46.1 (1,171) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 21.2 (53.8) |
17.8 (45.2) |
11.9 (30.2) |
4.4 (11.2) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
6.3 (16) |
14.6 (37.1) |
77.1 (195.8) |
| Avg. rainy days | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 164 |
| Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center[8] | |||||||||||||
- Records
- The record high of 99 °F (37 °C) was reached on July 16, 1988 and on August 6, 1918.
- The record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was reached on December 30, 1917.
- The highest one day snowfall was 19.9 inches (51 cm), recorded on December 19, 2009.
- The highest one day precipitation was 5.02 inches (12.8 cm), recorded on November 4, 1985.
Note the slight discrepancy from the climatic data. Records for individual dates are held since 1899, while climatic data only reflects norms and extremes between 1971 and 2000.[9]
[edit] Events
- Augusta Heritage Festival -- A music and heritage festival, with 10+ themes ranging from Old Time, Blue Grass, Cajun, Irish, dance, wood and metal working and more. Attracting musicians and students from around the world, it is held on the Davis and Elkins College campus and in town over 5 consecutive weeks every summer, typically in July and August. There is also a week long Old Time event in October, and a dulcimer week in the spring.[10]
- Mountain State Forest Festival -- An annual, early fall festival and fair held on the streets of Elkins and on the Davis and Elkins College Campus. Lasts several days in early fall; the 70th annual event was held in 2006.[11]
- Pickin' in the Park—A Wednesday afternoon Old Time fiddling get-together in the park. Every Wednesday, all year long; indoors in the winter, nearby.
- Randolph County International Ramp Cookoff and Festival—An annual festival at city park and on the Davis & Elkins College campus at the end of April. The focus of this celebration is the ramp, an indigenous herb which is prevalent in the Elkins region. Featuring a cooking competition of ramp inclusive recipes, other activities include concerts, craft vendors and more.[12]
- Elkins Live Fantasy -- A live action role play organization who yearly, hold a number of events based in and around the Elkins area. At these events people come in costume of characters they have made or come to play the townspeople in a medieval fantasy setting of NERO (New England Role Playing Organization). Then players play through story, puzzle, and battles held by the staff of the event for the duration (usually 1 to 3 days). There are monthly meets but no clear schedule has been set yet.
[edit] Transportation
- Highways. Elkins sits at the junction of US 33, US 219, and US 250 in West Virginia. Heading west of the city, US 33 is Corridor H, a major four-lane highway connecting to Interstate 79 at Weston. Long-term plans call for Corridor H to be extended further past Elkins eventually to Interstate 81 at Strasburg, Virginia.
- Airport. Elkins-Randolph County Airport (Jennings Randolph Airfield) (code KEKN) is a regional airport with two large runways, each over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) long with plans for lengthening the runways by at least 500 feet (150 m). The community leaders are planning to expand the facilities at the airport in order to serve the growing need for a regional air service and the increase in federal usage and general aviation activity.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable people
- James E. Allen, Jr., educator
- Herman Ball — Football player.
- William Wallace "Wally" Barron — Former West Virginia governor, who was later indicted for bribery and jury tampering.
- Henry Gassaway Davis — U.S. senator from West Virginia from 1871–1883 and 1904 Democratic candidate for Vice-President
- Stephen Benton Elkins — U.S. senator from West Virginia from 1895–1911, Secretary of War and namesake of the town
- Dellos Clinton "Sheriff" Gainer — Major league baseball player.
- Marshall Goldberg – NFL football player.
- Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum – First female editor of a daily newspaper in West Virginia and interviewer of U.S. Presidents
[edit] References
- ^ "Elkins, West Virginia". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1551037.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. p. 37. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
- ^ Crampton, Norman, The 100 Best Towns in America, 2nd Edition, McMillan, Inc., New York, New York, 134-37.
- ^ "Comparative Climatic Data Center". Northeast Regional Climate Center. http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/page_ccd.html. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rlx/
- ^ Augusta Heritage Center
- ^ Mountain State Forest Festival
- ^ Randolph County Festival
- ^ http://www.sunnflare.com
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elkins, West Virginia |
- City website
- The InterMountain - daily newspaper
- Picture of the Randolph County Courthouse, in Elkins
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