Thurmond, West Virginia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thurmond, West Virginia
Location of Thurmond, West Virginia
Location of Thurmond, West Virginia
Coordinates: 37°57′40″N 81°4′54″W / 37.96111, -81.08167
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Fayette
Area
 - Total 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
 - Land 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation 1,070 ft (326 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 7
 - Density 70.5/sq mi (27.2/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 25936
Area code(s) 304
FIPS code 54-80284[1]
GNIS feature ID 1555811[2]
Downtown Thurmond, along the CSX New River line.
Downtown Thurmond, along the CSX New River line.
Thurmond Depot, now a New River Gorge National River visitor center, and a single lane bridge which crosses the New River.
Thurmond Depot, now a New River Gorge National River visitor center, and a single lane bridge which crosses the New River.

Thurmond is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States, on the New River. The population was 7 at the 2000 census. During the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge, Thurmond was a prosperous town with a number of businesses and facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The town was the filming location for John Sayles' 1987 movie Matewan since it still possesses many of the characteristics of a 1920s Appalachian coal mining town.

Today, much of Thurmond is owned by the National Park Service for the New River Gorge National River. The C&O passenger railway depot in town was renovated in 1995 and now functions as an NPS visitor center.

During the June 14, 2005 city elections, six of the city's seven residents sought elected office.

Contents

[edit] Rail Transportation

See also: Thurmond (Amtrak station)

Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Thurmond under the Cardinal route.

[edit] Geography

Thurmond is located at 37°57′40″N, 81°4′54″W (37.961038, -81.081759)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1920 285
1930 462 62.1%
1940 339 −26.6%
1950 219 −35.4%
1960 189 −13.7%
1970 86 −54.5%
1980 67 −22.1%
1990 39 −41.8%
2000 7 −82.1%

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7 people, 5 households, and 1 family residing in the town. The population density was 27.0/km² (70.5/mi²). There were 7 housing units at an average density of 27.0/km² (70.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.

There were 5 households out of which none had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.0% were married couples living together, and 80.0% were non-families. 60.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 40.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.40 and the average family size was 2.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 14.3% from 18 to 24, 14.3% from 25 to 44, 42.9% from 45 to 64, and 28.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 40.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 40.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $0. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,782. There were no families living below the poverty line and 54.5% of the population, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

[edit] Sights

The New River Gorge Bridge, one of the longest bridges in the world and the second-highest in the world, is just two miles away.

[edit] See also

  • List of places with fewer than ten people
  • Matewan, a John Sayles produced movie that was filmed in the Thurmond area even though the real life events actually took place in Matewan, WV which borders the Kentucky state line about 100 miles away.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links