Eleanor, West Virginia

Eleanor, West Virginia
Town
Location of Eleanor, West Virginia
Coordinates: 38°32′21″N 81°55′52″W / 38.53917°N 81.93111°W / 38.53917; -81.93111Coordinates: 38°32′21″N 81°55′52″W / 38.53917°N 81.93111°W / 38.53917; -81.93111
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Putnam
Area[1]
• Total	2.13 sq mi (5.52 km2)
• Land	2.12 sq mi (5.49 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	604 ft (184 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	1,518
• Estimate (2012[3])	1,550
• Density	716.0/sq mi (276.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	25070
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-24292[4]
GNIS feature ID	1538590[5]

Eleanor is a town in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River.^[6] Its population was 1,518 at the 2010 census.^[7] The town was established as a New Deal project in the 1930s and named for Eleanor Roosevelt.^[8] Like other Franklin D. Roosevelt towns around the nation (such as Greenbelt, Greenhills, Greendale, Hanford, or Norris), it was a "sundown town", for whites only.^[9]

Eleanor is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702. New definitions from February 28, 2013 placed the population at 363,000.^[10]

History

Eleanor was established in 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the county and developed it as a test site for families. It was one of three resettlement communities in West Virginia, the others being Arthurdale and Tygart fu. When the town was developed, the houses were built to look very similar to one another and are now referred to as old Eleanor houses. There are two schools in Eleanor, George Washington Elementary School and George Washington Middle School. G.W. Middle was burned down in 2000 by three students who attended the school at the time.

Eleanor has a well-established reputation as a sundown town,^[11][12] having effectively kept out African Americans by maintaining its "White's only" policy. Eleanor is still currently overwhelmingly White's.

Geography

Eleanor is located at 38°32′21″N 81°55′52″W / 38.53917°N 81.93111°W / 38.53917; -81.93111 (38.539037, -81.931046).^[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.13 square miles (5.52 km²), of which, 2.12 square miles (5.49 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.^[1]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Eleanor has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[14]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 1,518 people, 624 households, and 445 families residing in the town. The population density was 716.0 inhabitants per square mile (276.4/km²). There were 659 housing units at an average density of 310.8 per square mile (120.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 624 households of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the town was 41.9 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,345 people, 574 households, and 416 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,597.1 inhabitants per square mile (618.2/km²). There were 608 housing units at an average density of 722.0 per square mile (279.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.55% White, 0.07% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 574 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,284, and the median income for a family was $43,274. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $21,198 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,104. About 5.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• Community website

Municipalities and communities of Putnam County, West Virginia, United States County seat: Winfield Cities Hurricane Nitro‡ Towns Bancroft Buffalo Eleanor Poca Winfield CDPs Culloden‡ Hometown Teays Valley Other localities Black Betsy Cherry Grove Cheyenne Valley Confidence Eggleton Emma Extra Fairview Fraziers Bottom Hickory Hill Hugo Hometown Lanham Liberty Mesa Manor Midway Montgomery Morgans Landing Mt. Vernon Nye Ortin Heights Paradise Pliny Plymouth Raymond City Red House Robertsburg Scary Scott Depot Sigman Teays Winter Woods and Irons Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area Principal cities Ashland Huntington Ironton Municipalities with population over 5,000 Flatwoods Hurricane Nitro Pea Ridge CDP Teays Valley CDP Municipalities with population 1,000-5,000 Barboursville Buffalo Burlington Catlettsburg Ceredo Coal Grove Culloden CDP Eleanor Greenup Grayson Hamlin Kenova Lesage CDP Milton Olive Hill Raceland Russell Rush CDP South Point South Shore Wayne Westwood CDP Winfield Worthington Wurtland Municipalities with population under 1,000 Athalia Bancroft Bellefonte Chesapeake Fort Gay Hanging Rock Lavalette CDP Poca Proctorville West Hamlin West Virginia counties Cabell Lincoln Putnam Wayne Kentucky counties Boyd Carter Greenup Ohio counties Lawrence