| Grafton, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Grafton, West Virginia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Taylor |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | G. Thomas Bartlett III |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Land | 3.7 sq mi (9.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,024 ft (312 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 5,489 |
| • Density | 1,491.1/sq mi (575.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 26354 |
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-32716[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554590[2] |
Grafton is a city in, and county seat[3] of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's Day Shrine. Grafton was one of the first places to observe Memorial Day in the United States.
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The City of Grafton was chartered in 1856. It is believed to have been named after John Grafton, a civil engineer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
The Grafton Downtown Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and the Grafton National Cemetery was listed in 1982.[4]
Grafton is located at (39.341757, -80.019817)[5], along the Tygart Valley River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) (3.16%) is water.
Tygart Lake State Park is a major nearby tourist attractions. Six different accounts of Bigfoot sightings keep tourists at the lake on their toes.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,489 people, 2,277 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,491.1 people per square mile (575.9/km²). There were 2,575 housing units at an average density of 699.5 per square mile (270.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% White, 0.84% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race comprised 0.67% of the population.
There were 2,277 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $18,981, and the median income for a family was $25,161. Males had a median income of $22,765 versus $16,629 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,616. About 26.6% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
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