Masontown, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Masontown is a town in Preston County
Preston County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,334 people, 11,544 households, and 8,357 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 13,444 housing units at an average density of 21 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 population was 647 at the 2000 census.

History

Located near Masontown is the Ralphsynder Decagonal Barn
Ralphsynder Decagonal Barn
Ralphsynder Decagonal Barn is a historic decagonal barn located near Masontown, Preston County, West Virginia. The 10-sided barn was built in 1890, and is a frame building with an unusual steeple-shaped cupola. The barn was moved to its present site in 1981, which necessitated a number of...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1985.

Geography

Masontown is located at 39°33′7"N 79°48′1"W (39.551821, -79.800156). It has also been host to the All Good Music Festival
All Good Music Festival
The All Good Music Festival and Camp Out is a weekend-long event held annually in July. Since its inception in 1997, it has been held at venues along the Mid-Atlantic, including Masontown, West Virginia and locations in Maryland and Virginia...

 for the past few years.

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 town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all land.

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 647 people, 280 households, and 180 families residing in the town. 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 2,299.2 inhabitants per square mile (892.2/km²). There were 339 housing units at an average density of 1,204.7 per square mile (467.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.07% White, 0.15% African American, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.
There were 280 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,750, and the median income for a family was $29,886. Males had a median income of $24,219 versus $21,250 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 town was $12,927. About 17.0% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

West Preston Middle School is a small middle school located in Masontown, West Virginia
Masontown, West Virginia
Masontown is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 647 at the 2000 census.-History:Located near Masontown is the Ralphsynder Decagonal Barn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.-Geography:...

, and consists of two main buildings. As of 2011, the school is 93 years old. The current principal is Stephen Plum. In 2015, a new middle school will be built, as the levy held in 2010 gave permission to go ahead. The school was founded in 1918, by citizens of Masontown (the location) selling pies. This school was built as the Valley district high school, and consisted of the main building with three stories. Later, the second building was built. This was at first an elementary school, but later was combined with West Preston to form one big high school. Later, after the construction of Preston High School
Preston High School (West Virginia)
Preston High School is a four-year public high school in Kingwood, West Virginia that houses over 1,600 students from all of Preston County, West Virginia, United States and operates under the direction of the Principal Karen Finamore. The school colors are black and silver and the mascot is the...

, it was made into a middle school.
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