Elkins, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Elkins is a city in Randolph County
Randolph County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...

 (1841–1911), a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Randolph County
Randolph County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

. Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College
Davis and Elkins College
Davis & Elkins College, also known as D&E, is a small residential liberal arts college located in Elkins, West Virginia, United States. The school was founded in 1904 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. It was named for Henry G. Davis and his son-in-law Stephen B. Elkins who were both...

 and to the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.

History

The City of Elkins, situated on a bend in the Tygart Valley River, was developed by Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...

 and named for Senator Elkins, in 1890. Elkins became the county seat in 1899. The founders developed railroad lines, coal mines, and timbering
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

. Together, they built the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway into Elkins and opened a vast territory to industrial development
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...

 in the late 1890s. As the railroad (merged into the Western Maryland Railway
Western Maryland Railway
The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...

 in 1905) expanded, Elkins experienced the luxury of passenger train service. In 1904 the Randolph County courthouse was completed in Elkins. It was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. In 1930, 18 passenger trains were arriving and leaving Elkins daily. All passenger service was discontinued in 1958.

Both men built permanent places of residence known as Halliehurst and Graceland
Graceland (Elkins, West Virginia)
Graceland in Elkins, West Virginia is a historic mansion that was the summer home of Henry Gassaway Davis, a United States Senator from 1871–1883. The mansion was completed in 1893. It is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated National Historic...

, where the view of the town was delightful and picturesque.

Today, Elkins has an active economic development authority, chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

, downtown business organization and numerous social, fraternal and service organizations that sponsor annual events like the Mountain State Forest Festival, which brings thousands of people into the city every year.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 7,032 people, 2,988 households, and 1,756 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,207.7 people per square mile (851.1/km²). There were 3,362 housing units at an average density of 1,055.5 per square mile (406.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.94% White, 0.90% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 2,988 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,906, and the median income for a family was $34,291. Males had a median income of $27,012 versus $19,154 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $17,916. About 14.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Elkins is located at 38°55′17"N 79°51′3"W (38.921478, -79.850846), at the confluence of the Tygart Valley River
Tygart Valley River
The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long, in east-central West Virginia, USA...

 and Leading Creek
Leading Creek (Tygart Valley River)
Leading Creek is a tributary of the Tygart Valley River, long, in eastern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Tygart Valley, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in the Allegheny Mountains...

. The average elevation is 2000 feet (609.6 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), all of it land. Elkins is headquarters for the Monongahela National Forest
Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...

, a 910,155 acre (3,683 km²) reserve encompassing the "High Alleghenies
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...

" area to the east of the city.

In 1995, a second edition of The 100 Best Small Towns in America, written by Norman Crampton, featured Elkins among the special places in the United States. Crampton quoted then Editor Emerita of The Inter-Mountain, Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum
Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum
Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum was a American newspaper editor and journalist who interviewed several United States presidents. She was born in Grafton, West Virginia to Roy Everett Bolyard and Georgia Ellen Deavers Bolyard . Eldora Nuzum started her newspaper career in the 1940s at the daily...

, "You can stand on any street in Elkins and turn in all directions and see forest covered mountains rimming the city. It is unbelievable."

Climate

Records
  • The record high of 99 °F (37.2 °C) was reached on July 16, 1988 and on August 6, 1918.
  • The record low of -28 F was reached on December 30, 1917.
  • The highest one day snowfall was 19.9 inches (50.5 cm), recorded on December 19, 2009.
  • The highest one day precipitation was 5.02 inches (12.8 cm), recorded on November 4, 1985.

Note the slight discrepancy from the climatic data. Records for individual dates are held since 1899, while climatic data only reflects norms and extremes between 1971 and 2000.

Events

  • Augusta Heritage Festival
    Augusta Heritage Festival
    Augusta Heritage Festival is a music and heritage festival held each summer at the Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia.Over 20 years old, this five week festival covers music, dance and crafts relating to 10+ themes.These themes include:...

     -- A music and heritage festival, with 10+ themes ranging from Old Time, Blue Grass, Cajun, Irish, dance, wood and metal working and more. Attracting musicians and students from around the world, it is held on the Davis and Elkins College campus and in town over 5 consecutive weeks every summer, typically in July and August. There is also a week long Old Time event in October, and a dulcimer week in the spring.
  • Mountain State Forest Festival -- An annual, early fall festival and fair held on the streets of Elkins and on the Davis and Elkins College Campus. Lasts several days in early fall; the 70th annual event was held in 2006.
  • Pickin' in the Park—A Wednesday afternoon Old Time fiddling get-together in the park. Every Wednesday, all year long; indoors in the winter, nearby.
  • Randolph County International Ramp Cookoff and Festival—An annual festival at city park and on the Davis & Elkins College campus at the end of April. The focus of this celebration is the ramp
    Wild leek
    Allium tricoccum — known as the ramp, spring onion, ramson, wild leek, wild garlic, and, in French, ail sauvage and ail des bois — is an early spring vegetable, a perennial wild onion. It has a strong garlic-like odor and a pronounced onion flavor. Ramps are found across North America, from the...

    , an indigenous herb which is prevalent in the Elkins region. Featuring a cooking competition of ramp inclusive recipes, other activities include concerts, craft vendors and more.
  • Elkins Live Fantasy -- A live action role play organization who yearly, hold a number of events based in and around the Elkins area. At these events people come in costume of characters they have made or come to play the townspeople in a medieval fantasy setting of NERO (New England Role Playing Organization). Then players play through story, puzzle, and battles held by the staff of the event for the duration (usually 1 to 3 days). There are monthly meets but no clear schedule has been set yet.


Transportation

  • Highways. Elkins sits at the junction of US 33, US 219, and US 250 in West Virginia
    U.S. Route 250
    U.S. Route 250 is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of Richmond, Virginia,...

    . Heading west of the city, US 33 is Corridor H, a major four-lane highway connecting to Interstate 79
    Interstate 79
    Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania...

     at Weston
    Weston, West Virginia
    Weston is a city in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County, and home to the West Virginia Museum of American Glass.-History:...

    . Long-term plans call for Corridor H to be extended further past Elkins eventually to Interstate 81
    Interstate 81
    Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...

     at Strasburg
    Strasburg, Virginia
    Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town, population-wise, in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history...

    , Virginia
    Virginia
    The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

    .
  • Airport. Elkins-Randolph County
    Randolph County, West Virginia
    As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

     Airport (Jennings Randolph
    Jennings Randolph
    Jennings Randolph was an American politician from West Virginia. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was the last surviving member of the United States Congress to have served during the first 100 days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.-Early life and career:Randolph was born in...

     Airfield) (

code
International Civil Aviation Organization airport code
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...

 KEKN) is a regional airport with two large runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s, each over 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) long with plans for lengthening the runways by at least 500 feet (152.4 m). The community leaders are planning to expand the facilities at the airport in order to serve the growing need for a regional air service and the increase in federal usage and general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

 activity.

Notable people

  • James E. Allen, Jr.
    James E. Allen, Jr.
    James Edward Allen, Jr. was the Commissioner of Education of the State of New York from 1955 to 1969 and served briefly as Richard Nixon's Commissioner of Education. He ordered New York school boards to comply with the 1962 U. S...

    , educator
  • Herman Ball
    Herman Ball
    Herman Ball was a football player and coach who was a long-time assistant in the National Football League and served as head coach of the Washington Redskins from 1949 to 1951....

     — Football
    American football
    American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

     player.
  • William Wallace "Wally" Barron
    William Wallace Barron
    William Wallace "Wally" Barron was a Democratic machine politician in West Virginia. He was the state's 26th Governor from 1961 to 1965. He later served a prison term due to his corrupt actions....

     — Former West Virginia governor, who was later indicted for bribery and jury tampering.
  • Henry Gassaway Davis — U.S. senator from West Virginia from 1871–1883 and 1904 Democratic candidate for Vice-President
    United States presidential election, 1904
    The United States presidential election of 1904 held on November 8, 1904, resulted in the election to a full term for President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt had succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley. The Republican Party unanimously nominated him for president at...

  • Stephen Benton Elkins
    Stephen Benton Elkins
    Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...

     — U.S. senator from West Virginia from 1895–1911, Secretary of War
    United States Secretary of War
    The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...

     and namesake of the town
  • Dellos Clinton "Sheriff" Gainer — Major league baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     player.
  • Marshall Goldberg
    Marshall Goldberg
    Marshall Goldberg was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.- Football career :Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia...

     – NFL football player.
  • Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum
    Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum
    Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum was a American newspaper editor and journalist who interviewed several United States presidents. She was born in Grafton, West Virginia to Roy Everett Bolyard and Georgia Ellen Deavers Bolyard . Eldora Nuzum started her newspaper career in the 1940s at the daily...

    – First female editor of a daily newspaper in West Virginia and interviewer of U.S. Presidents


External links

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