Gary, West Virginia
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| Gary, West Virginia | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 37°21′41″N 81°32′11″W / 37.36139°N 81.53639°WCoordinates: 37°21′41″N 81°32′11″W / 37.36139°N 81.53639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | McDowell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
| • Land | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,411 ft (430 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 968 |
| • Density | 1,024.0/sq mi (395.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 24836 |
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-30196[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554536[2] |
Gary is a city in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States, along the Tug Fork River. The population was 968 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in McDowell County.
Gary was once a booming coal mining company town run by the United States Steel Corporation. Gary was incorporated on July 1, 1971, by popular vote of residents in an election held on March 16, 1970. Incorporation includes five communities: Elbert, Filbert, Gary, Thorpe, and Wilcoe. The town was named in honor of Judge Elbert Gary, one-time president of U.S. Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel shut down its Gary Operations in 1986. The principal industry is coal mining, but poverty and unemployment have plagued the area since the closing of U.S. Steel. Gary was home to the coal diggers before Gary High School and Gary Elementary School closed.
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[edit] History
Gary was given its name in honor of former U.S. Steel Chairman Judge Elbert H. Gary.[3]
The now demolished U.S. Coal and Coke Company Store at Ream was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[4]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 917 people, 420 households, and 260 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,024.0 people per square mile (393.4/km²). There were 542 housing units at an average density of 605.2 per square mile (232.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.40% White, 35.55% African American, 0.11% Native American, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 420 households out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.3% 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 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 18.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 32.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,857, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $17,019 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,233. About 24.2% of families and 30.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 58.2% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Geography
Gary is located at 37°21′41″N 81°32′11″W / 37.36139°N 81.53639°W (37.361378, −81.536347)[5]. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city covers a total land area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2).
The city is located in the Appalachian Mountains, along the Tug Fork River.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Gary, West Virginia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
90 (32) |
94 (34) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
100 (38) |
92 (33) |
83 (28) |
79 (26) |
91 (33) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
48 (9) |
56 (13) |
67 (19) |
75 (24) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
85 (29) |
78 (26) |
68 (20) |
58 (14) |
48 (9) |
66 (19) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
30 (−1) |
37 (3) |
46 (8) |
55 (13) |
60 (16) |
60 (16) |
53 (12) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
24 (−4) |
40 (4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−6 (−21) |
−6 (−21) |
15 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
32 (0) |
39 (4) |
40 (4) |
30 (−1) |
14 (−10) |
1 (−17) |
−9 (−23) |
13 (−11) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.61 (91.7) |
3.00 (76.2) |
3.40 (86.4) |
3.73 (94.7) |
4.25 (108) |
3.54 (89.9) |
4.20 (106.7) |
3.89 (98.8) |
2.87 (72.9) |
2.73 (69.3) |
2.74 (69.6) |
2.70 (68.6) |
40.66 (1,032.8) |
| Source: The Weather Channel.[6] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Education
After the closure of the Gary Elementary School (formerly Gary High School) no school systems were located in the city. Currently the elementary students attend Welch Elementary School, while junior high and high school students attend Mount View High School.
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/flattop/gary/gary.htm
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "MONTHLY AVERAGES for Gary, WV". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USWV0273. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
[edit] External links
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