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Weirton, West Virginia

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City of Weirton
City
Nickname: 
"Gateway To The Valley"
Location of Weirton, West Virginia
Location of Weirton, West Virginia
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesHancock, Brooke
Area
 • Total19.3 sq mi (49.9 km2)
 • Land17.9 sq mi (46.3 km2)
 • Water1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
Elevation
755 ft (230 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total20,411
 • Density1,142.2/sq mi (441.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
26062
Area code304
FIPS code54-85156Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1555932Template:GR

Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,411 (16,525 in Hancock County, 3,886 in Brooke County). It is a part of the Weirton-Steubenville Metropolitan Statistical area.[1]

History

The small village called Holliday's Cove—which is now most of downtown Weirton—was founded in the late 18th century. (It eventually lost the apostrophe.) In 1909, Ernest T. Weir arrived from neighboring Pittsburgh and built a steel mill later known as Weirton Steel Corporation just north of Holliday's Cove. [1] An unincorporated settlement called Weirton grew up around the mill that by 1940 was said to be the largest unincorporated city in the United States. By then Hollidays Cove and two other outlying areas, Weirton Heights and Marland Heights, which as their names suggest were on hilltops or ridges surrounding the "Weir–Cove" area, had also incorporated.

On July 1, 1947, all of these areas — Hollidays Cove, Marland Heights, Weirton Heights, and unincorporated Weirton — merged and formed the City of Weirton as it currently exists. Thomas E. Millsop, the head of the Weirton Steel division of the other Ernest T. Weir company, National Steel Corporation, was elected as the city's first mayor. The City Charter was approved by voters in 1950.

Also home to Weirton is the Weirton Steel Corporation which was once a fully integrated steel mill employing over 12,000 people. It was the largest private employer and the largest taxpayer in West Virginia. This is no longer true. Due to reorganization of the steel industry, not only within the United States but worldwide, the Weirton plant, now part of the international giant Arcelor Mittal, currently operates only the tin-plating section of the mill (though still one of the country's largest tin-plate makers), with only 1,200 workers. During the early 1980s the employees of Weirton Steel endeavored to purchase the mill from National Steel Corporation as the largest ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program) in the nation, saving the mill from bankruptcy.[2]

Some civic leaders are attempting to attract businesses and homeowners from the neighboring Pittsburgh metropolitan area, marketing Weirton as a bedroom community, taking advantage of the close proximity to the Pittsburgh International Airport and major interstates.

Weirton is home to a number of sites on the National Register of Historic Places including: Johnston-Truax House, Marland Heights Park and Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool, People's Bank, Dr. George Rigas House, and the Peter Tarr Furnace Site.[3]

Geography

The City of Weirton is located at 40°24′31″N 80°34′33″W / 40.40861°N 80.57583°W / 40.40861; -80.57583Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.408567, -80.575959).Template:GR It extends from the Ohio border on the west to the Pennsylvania border on the east at a point where the northern extension of West Virginia is only about 5 miles across. Therefore, it is the only city in the United States that borders two other states on two sides, and its own state on the other two sides.

Weirton is across the Ohio River from Steubenville, Ohio, and about 35 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along U.S. Route 22. Pittsburgh International Airport is less than 30 miles away. With the opening of the Findlay Connector (PA Turnpike 576, future I-576) in October, 2006, the highway distance to the airport has decreased to about 20 miles, but it is a toll road (fifty cents).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.3 square miles (49.9 km²), of which, 17.9 square miles (46.3 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (7.22%) is water.

Surrounding areas

Follansbee, Paris/Hanover Township (Pennsylvania), New Cumberland, and Steubenville, Ohio (via U.S. Route 22)

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
195024,005—
196028,20117.5%
197027,131−3.8%
198024,736−8.8%
199022,124−10.6%
200020,411−7.7%
2009 (est.)18,574

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,411 people, 8,958 households, and 5,885 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,142.2 people per square mile (441.0/km²). There were 9,546 housing units at an average density of 534.2 per square mile (206.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.52% White, 3.86% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 8,958 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.

The age distribution is 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,212, and the median income for a family was $42,466. Males had a median income of $37,129 versus $19,745 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,853. About 8.0% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

By 2011, the city and its two counties had attracted the attention of the New York Times which noted the town was dwindling in population. The article reported that Brooke County had just 71 live births for every 100 deaths and that Hancock County was in similar straits. This has led, the article claimed, to a reduction in civic institutions. [4]

Climate

Climate data for Weirton, West Virginia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24) 		77
(25) 		84
(29) 		89
(32) 		93
(34) 		98
(37) 		102
(39) 		100
(38) 		101
(38) 		91
(33) 		85
(29) 		77
(25) 		102
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 36
(2) 		40
(4) 		51
(11) 		62
(17) 		72
(22) 		80
(27) 		83
(28) 		82
(28) 		75
(24) 		64
(18) 		52
(11) 		41
(5) 		62
(16)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 20
(−7) 		23
(−5) 		30
(−1) 		39
(4) 		49
(9) 		58
(14) 		63
(17) 		62
(17) 		55
(13) 		43
(6) 		34
(1) 		25
(−4) 		42
(5)
Record low °F (°C) −22
(−30) 		−8
(−22) 		−1
(−18) 		15
(−9) 		24
(−4) 		34
(1) 		43
(6) 		40
(4) 		33
(1) 		19
(−7) 		−1
(−18) 		−14
(−26) 		−22
(−30)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.85
(72.4) 		2.46
(62.5) 		3.29
(83.6) 		3.20
(81.3) 		4.11
(104.4) 		4.37
(111.0) 		4.26
(108.2) 		3.84
(97.5) 		3.26
(82.8) 		2.53
(64.3) 		3.38
(85.9) 		3.00
(76.2) 		40.6
(1,030)
Source: weather.com[5]
  • Annual Average High Temperatures: 82 °F (summer) 40 °F (winter)
  • Annual Average Low Temperatures 60 °F (summer) 25 °F (winter)
  • Highest Recorded Temperature: 102 °F (1988)
  • Lowest Recorded Temperature: -22 °F (1994)
  • Warmest Month: July
  • Coolest Month: January
  • Highest Precipitation: June
  • Annual Precipitation: 40.55 inches

Government

The following people have been elected Mayor of Weirton since the city's incorporation in 1947:

Thomas E. Millsop 1947–1955
Samuel Kusic 1955–1959
David T. Frew 1959–1963
Frank A. Rybka 1963–1971
Mike A. Andochick, Jr. 1971–1979
Donald T. Mentzer 1979–1987
Edwin J. Bowman 1987–1995
Dean M. Harris 1995–2003
William M. Miller 2003–2007
Mark Harris 2007–2011
George Kondik 2011-present

Notable natives

Weirton has attracted the attention of Hollywood filmmakers and writers on several occasions:

  • The movie Super 8 was filmed in downtown Weirton, as well as many other places throughout the town, in late September to mid October, 2010. This movie is produced by Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams.
  • Weirton was also the inspiration and guidance in the 1989 book No Star Nights. According to the author biography included in the book, author Anna Smucker drew upon her memories growing up in Weirton for a tale about childhood spent in an industrial town.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ United States Census Bureau, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Components, December 2005
  2. ^ Fundis, Lois Alete (1992). "Weirton History: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE WEIRTON AREA". Mary H. Weir Public Library, Weirton, West Virginia. Retrieved 2008-10-30. Published since 2004-10-26.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ^ "With Death Outpacing Birth, a County Slows to a Shuffle", by Sabrina Tavernise and Robert Gebeloff, New York Times, 7 May 2011
  5. ^ "Weather.com: Weather Channel Historical Weather for Weirton, West Virginia, United States of America". Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  6. ^ Johnson, Anna Egan Smucker ; paintings by Steve (1994). No star Nights (1st Dragonfly Books ed. ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 0679867244. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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