Luke, Maryland
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| Luke, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 39°28′32″N 79°3′28″W / 39.47556°N 79.05778°WCoordinates: 39°28′32″N 79°3′28″W / 39.47556°N 79.05778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Allegany |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 961 ft (293 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 80 |
| • Density | 288.9/sq mi (111.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 21540 |
| Area code(s) | 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-48775 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0590707 |
Luke is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States located along the Georges Creek Valley. Known originally as West Piedmont,[1] the town is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 80 at the 2000 census.[2]
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[edit] History
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This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (February 2010) |
The town of Luke was settled in the early 1770s. Luke is located along the Potomac River basin at the foot of Backbone Mountain and is home to the largest private employer in Allegany County. Among the first settlers to arrive were the Davis brothers, who established a saw mill where the town of Luke now stands. The mill provided cross-ties to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as it pushed its rails westward through the Piedmont area of what is now West Virginia. When the railroad suspended building in the 1880s, the Davis brothers disbanded and sold their property to the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.
About that same time, William Luke and two of his sons arrived. They assiduously applied themselves to developing the place they had adopted. When the railroad needed a name for the stop it established there, it happily accepted "Luke".
Over the next several decades, Luke prospered with the operation of the paper mill, the influx of other "heavy" industrial concerns, and the establishment of the usual supporting Mom and Pop businesses. Nearby, along the Savage River, there was a gun factory that provided muskets with bayonets for the United States Army at Harpers Ferry.
With Luke's growth came citizens' concerns about educational and social issues. Schooling in private homes and business buildings was relocated to a two-room schoolhouse. Growing enrollment in the first through eighth grades brought about construction of a fine new school that opened in September, 1913. It served the town well for forty-six years, sending well educated students off to Bruce High School in Westernport. When the school closed in 1959, the building was converted for use as the town's administrative offices—the City Building.
Luke is home for a NewPage Corporation facility, successor to the Westvaco Corporation and West Virginia Pulp and Paper Mill.
The United States lists the paper plant as one of the largest polluters of mercury in Maryland. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin.[3]
[edit] Geography
Luke is located at 39°28′32″N 79°3′28″W / 39.47556°N 79.05778°W (39.475619, -79.057915)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 80 people, 39 households, and 23 families residing in the town. The population density was 288.9 people per square mile (110.3/km²). There were 58 housing units at an average density of 209.4 per square mile (80.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.50% of the population.
There were 39 households out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 28.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.3% under the age of 18, 2.5% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 35.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 110.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,406, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,488. There were 11.8% of families and 13.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including 33.3% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
[edit] References
- ^ Chidester, Robert C.. "A Historic Context for the Archaeology of Industrial Labor in the State of Maryland". heritage.umd.edu. University of Maryland. http://www.heritage.umd.edu/chrsweb/AssociatedProjects/chidesterreport/Chapter%20VIII.htm. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ "Luke, Maryland Census Information". localcensus.com. http://www.localcensus.com/city/Luke/Maryland. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ Timothy B. Wheeler (October 30, 2008). "Groups asking state to crack down on mercury". Baltimore Sun. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2008-10-30/news/0810290075_1_mercury-pollution-mercury-emissions-down-on-mercury. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
