Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Beckley metropolitan area of Southern West Virginia, home to 115,079 residents in 2020. Beckley was founded on April 4, 1838, and was long known for its ties to the coal mining industry. It is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, as well as campuses of Concord University and the University of Charleston.[7]
Beckley, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Main Street in downtown Beckley in 2007 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Smokeless Coal Capital[1] | |
| Motto: “The Gateway to Southern West Virginia” | |
Interactive map of Beckley | |
  Beckley  Beckley | |
| Coordinates: 37°46′41″N 81°11′17″W[2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Raleigh |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rob Rappold[3][4] |
| 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 | 2,418 ft (737 m) |
| Population | |
| • City | 17,286 |
| • Density | 1,821.49/sq mi (703.28/km2) |
| • Metro | 123,373 (US: 317th) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 25801, 25802, 25926 |
| Area codes | 304 and 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-05332 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1553831[2] |
| Website | http://www.beckley.org/ |
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."[1]
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 mostly 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 its tributary Whitestick Creek. Cranberry Creek and its southern tributary Little Whitestick Creek flow through the northern part of the city. The northwestern corner of the city, around Tamarack, includes the headwaters of Paint Creek, another New River tributary. Neighboring watersheds include Glade Creek to the east, headwaters of the Coal River to the west, and headwaters of the Guyandotte 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]
| Climate data for Beckley, West Virginia (Raleigh County Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[lower-alpha 1] extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
77 (25) |
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) | 62.3 (16.8) |
64.5 (18.1) |
72.8 (22.7) |
80.8 (27.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
86.1 (30.1) |
87.5 (30.8) |
86.5 (30.3) |
84.6 (29.2) |
78.5 (25.8) |
71.3 (21.8) |
63.6 (17.6) |
88.8 (31.6) |
| 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) | 2.0 (−16.7) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
12.2 (−11.0) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
34.9 (1.6) |
45.5 (7.5) |
52.3 (11.3) |
50.8 (10.4) |
40.2 (4.6) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
9.1 (−12.7) |
−1.0 (−18.3) |
| 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
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 17,286 | −1.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] | |||
2010 census
As of the census[6] 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
The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is a preserved coal mine that offers daily tours and a history lesson on coal mining in Appalachia. Tamarack Marketplace, a showcase of Appalachian arts and crafts, was built in 1996 at a cost of $10 million and dedicated to former Governor Gaston Caperton.[24] The city also hosts the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia, which includes a planetarium, boxcars and a homestead with a weaver's shed.[25]
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;[26] 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.
Media
Newspaper
The Register Herald, a six-day morning daily newspaper, serves Beckley and the surrounding area. It had a circulation of 19,237 in 2016 and is owned by Community Newspaper Newspaper Holdings.[27] The newspaper traces its history to The Raleigh Register, the Raleigh Herald, and the Beckley Evening Post which were among a dozen weekly and monthly publications published in and around Beckley as early as the 1880s.
Radio
Radio stations based in Beckley include West Virginia Public Broadcasting's WVBY public radio, WJLS (AM), a talk radio and country music station that was a CBS affiliate from 1943 to 1990, and WJLS-FM, which syndicates country music.[28]
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
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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 and Parkersburg.
Notable people
Politics
- Jennifer Belcher, former member of the Washington State House of Representatives and first female Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands
- Tom Carper, U.S. Senator from Delaware
- Barbara M. Clark, New York state legislator
- Nick Rahall, U.S. Representative
- Hulett C. Smith, Governor of West Virginia
Arts
- Rob Ashford, choreographer
- Mark Carman, Producer Songwriter, Musician
- Cora Sue Collins, actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, singer
- Tom Maddox, author
- Scott McClanahan, writer
- Chris Sarandon, actor
- Art Simmons, musician
- Calvin Simon, musician
- Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker
- Bill Withers, musician
Sports
- Joe Goddard, professional baseball player
- Doug Legursky, professional football player
- Bob Pruett, American football coach
- Tamar Slay, basketball player for Sutor Basket Montegranaro, formerly with the New Jersey Nets
Other notable individuals
- B. Kwaku Duren, American lawyer, educator, writer, editor
- Jon McBride, astronaut
- Stephen M. Pachuta, retired United States Navy admiral.
- Christa Pike, convicted murderer
- Al Thompson, casino executive
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.
- "Best Small Places for Business and Careers 2019: Beckley, WV". Forbes. October 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- "Beckley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- "City of Beckley". Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- "WV MetroNews – New mayor in Beckley". Wvmetronews.com. January 3, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- Wood, Jim (1994). Raleigh County West Virginia. Beckley, WV: BJW Printing and Office Supplies. p. 76.
- Emrick, Isaac J. (2015). Maopewa iati bi: Takai Tonqyayun Monyton "To abandon so beautiful a Dwelling": Indians in the Kanawha-New River Valley, 1500-1755 (PhD dissertation). West Virginia University. doi:10.33915/etd.5543. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- 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.
- "Welcome". Native-Land.ca. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- Jennings, Francis (December 1993). "Review of A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and Its Peoples, 1724-1774 by Michael N. McConnell". The Journal of American History. 80 (3): 1056. doi:10.2307/2080440. JSTOR 2080440.
- 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 January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- "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 February 16, 2021.
- "West Virginia Watersheds - WV DEP". Archived from the original on November 22, 2011.
- "facebook-circle". Arborday.org. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- "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 January 31, 2008.
- "Homepage". Tamarack Marketplace. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- "Youth Museum". Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- "Career Training Trade School in West Virginia | Valley College". Valley.edu. June 20, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- 2016 West Virginia Press Association Newspaper Directory (PDF). West Virginia Press Association. 2016.
- Josephine Mendez (March 9, 2019). "Celebrating eight decades on the airwaves". The Register-Herald. Beckley, West Virginia. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- "For the record: Actions of the FCC–New TV stations–Actions of FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting – Telecasting. November 8, 1954. p. 113.
- "Digital TV Market Listing for WVNS". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
External links
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