Beckley, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beckley
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Main Street in downtown Beckley in 2023
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| Nickname(s):
Smokeless Coal Capital
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| Motto(s):
"The Gateway to Southern West Virginia"
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Location of Beckley in Raleigh County, West Virginia
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 Beckley, West Virginia
Location in West Virginia
Beckley, West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | West Virginia | ||
| County | Raleigh | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 9.51 sq mi (24.63 km2) | ||
| • Land | 9.50 sq mi (24.60 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 2,405 ft (733 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 17,286 | ||
| • Density | 1,821.49/sq mi (703.28/km2) | ||
| • Metro | 123,373 (US: 317th) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP codes |
25801, 25802, 25926
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| Area codes | 304 and 681 | ||
| FIPS code | 54-05332 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2390563 | ||
| Website | http://www.beckley.org/ | ||
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Beckley metropolitan area of Southern West Virginia, home to 115,079 residents in 2020. Beckley was founded on April 4, 1838, and was long known for its ties to the coal mining industry. It is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, as well as an annex of Concord University and the University of Charleston.
Beckley hosts the Beckley VA Medical Center (VAMC) offering comprehensive medical services to veterans. Additionally, the city is home to Raleigh General Hospital and Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital (BARH), both of which provide a wide range of healthcare services to the local and surrounding communities.
Apart from its significance in healthcare, Beckley is renowned for the Tamarack Marketplace. Situated off Interstate 64, Tamarack stands as a cultural cornerstone, showcasing the artistic heritage and craftsmanship of West Virginia. The venue features work from state artisans, offering visitors a glimpse into the region's culture and traditions.
Contents
History
The area surrounding Beckley was long home to many indigenous peoples. Early encounters describe the land as being an ancestral home of the Catawba-speaking Moneton people, who referred to the surrounding area as Okahok Amai, and were allies of the Monacan people. The Moneton's Catawba speaking neighbors to the south, the Tutelo (since absorbed into the Seneca-Cayuga Nation) may have absorbed surviving Moneton communities, and claim the area as ancestral lands. Cherokee and Shawnee and Yuchi peoples also claim the area as included in their traditional lands. Conflicts with European settlers resulted in various displaced Indian tribes settling in West Virginia, where they were known at Mingo, meaning "remote affiliates of the Iroquois Confederacy".
Beckley was named in honor of John James Beckley, who was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives and the first Librarian of Congress. It was founded by his son, Alfred Beckley (US Army lieutenant and brigadier general of Virginia militia), who was from the District of Columbia.
Although founded in 1838, Beckley existed only on paper at that time, "Alfred Beckley said he "was frequently jeered and laughed at for his Paper Town..." Early in its history, the town was known as Beckley, Raleigh Court House, and, occasionally, Beckleyville.
The town was originally located in Fayette County, Virginia. In 1850 the act of the Virginia legislature creating Raleigh County named Beckley the county seat. The city is sometimes called the "Smokeless Coal Capital", "The City of Champions" and the "Gateway To Southern West Virginia."
During the presidential primaries of 1960, the vehicles of rivals John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey stopped at the same streetcorner in Beckley. Recognizing each other, the two men got out and chatted briefly.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.50 square miles (24.60 km2), of which 9.49 square miles (24.58 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.
Geology and topography
The city sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, with the more steeply eroded Logan Plateau bordering to the west and the highland Allegheny Mountains lying to the east. Neighboring ridgelines include Flat Top Mountain to the south, Scott Ridge of Shady Spring Mountain to the southeast, Batoff Mountain to the northeast, and Lilly Mountain to the west.
Water
Beckley is mostly contained in the Piney Creek watershed, which flows into the New River National Park and Reserve. The city is roughly bordered by Piney Creek to the east, and to the south by its tributary Whitestick Creek. Cranberry Creek and its southern tributary Little Whitestick Creek flow through the northern part of the city. The northwestern corner of the city, around Tamarack, includes the headwaters of Paint Creek, another New River tributary. Neighboring watersheds include Glade Creek to the east, headwaters of the Coal River to the west, and headwaters of the Guyandotte River to the southwest.
Climate
Due to its elevation, the climate of Beckley is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) bordering on both an oceanic (Köppen Cfb) and humid continental (Köppen Dfa/Dfb), and the city straddles the border between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6B and 7A. Summers are warm and humid, usually a few degrees cooler than lower-elevation places within the state, with an average of only 1.3 days of a maximum at or above 90 °F (32 °C) annually. Winters are generally cold and snowy with occasional intervening milder periods and an average of 1.4 nights annually with a minimum of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower. Normal monthly daily mean temperatures range from 32.2 °F (0.1 °C) in January to 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) in July. Snowfall varies with an average of 55.9 inches (142 cm) per season and mostly occurs from December to March with an occasional snowfall in November of (usually) 2–3 inches (5–8 cm). Record temperatures range from −22 °F (−30 °C) on January 21, 1985, up to 103 °F (39 °C) on July 21 and August 11, 1926; the extreme coldest daily maximum was −3 °F (−19 °C) on February 13, 1899, while, conversely, the extreme warmest daily minimum was 79 °F (26 °C) on July 7, 1924, and August 22, 1926. On average, the first and last occurrences of freezing temperatures in the cooler season are October 13 and April 30, respectively, allowing for a growing season of 165 days.
| Climate data for Beckley, West Virginia (Raleigh County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
77 (25) |
85 (29) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
103 (39) |
97 (36) |
91 (33) |
80 (27) |
75 (24) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 62.3 (16.8) |
64.5 (18.1) |
72.8 (22.7) |
80.8 (27.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
86.1 (30.1) |
87.5 (30.8) |
86.5 (30.3) |
84.6 (29.2) |
78.5 (25.8) |
71.3 (21.8) |
63.6 (17.6) |
88.8 (31.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) |
44.2 (6.8) |
52.5 (11.4) |
64.4 (18.0) |
71.5 (21.9) |
77.8 (25.4) |
80.7 (27.1) |
79.9 (26.6) |
74.4 (23.6) |
64.3 (17.9) |
53.2 (11.8) |
43.9 (6.6) |
62.3 (16.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.2 (0.1) |
35.4 (1.9) |
42.8 (6.0) |
53.5 (11.9) |
61.3 (16.3) |
68.2 (20.1) |
71.6 (22.0) |
70.5 (21.4) |
64.7 (18.2) |
54.3 (12.4) |
44.0 (6.7) |
36.0 (2.2) |
52.9 (11.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.0 (−4.4) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
33.1 (0.6) |
42.6 (5.9) |
51.1 (10.6) |
58.7 (14.8) |
62.4 (16.9) |
61.1 (16.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
44.2 (6.8) |
34.7 (1.5) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
43.5 (6.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 2.0 (−16.7) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
12.2 (−11.0) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
34.9 (1.6) |
45.5 (7.5) |
52.3 (11.3) |
50.8 (10.4) |
40.2 (4.6) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
9.1 (−12.7) |
−1.0 (−18.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−20 (−29) |
−7 (−22) |
8 (−13) |
21 (−6) |
32 (0) |
38 (3) |
33 (1) |
23 (−5) |
9 (−13) |
−1 (−18) |
−20 (−29) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.13 (80) |
3.12 (79) |
4.03 (102) |
3.58 (91) |
4.68 (119) |
4.30 (109) |
5.00 (127) |
3.68 (93) |
3.20 (81) |
2.73 (69) |
2.80 (71) |
3.29 (84) |
43.54 (1,106) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.5 (39) |
15.2 (39) |
8.9 (23) |
1.5 (3.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.4 (3.6) |
2.3 (5.8) |
11.1 (28) |
55.9 (142) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 15.0 | 14.4 | 16.2 | 14.1 | 15.0 | 13.7 | 13.5 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 14.6 | 160.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.5 | 7.2 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 6.6 | 32.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 74 | 71 | 67 | 62 | 70 | 76 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 73 | 70 | 74 | 73 |
| Source: NOAA (humidity 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 144 | — | |
| 1890 | 158 | 9.7% | |
| 1900 | 342 | 116.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,161 | 531.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,149 | 92.0% | |
| 1930 | 9,357 | 125.5% | |
| 1940 | 12,852 | 37.4% | |
| 1950 | 19,397 | 50.9% | |
| 1960 | 18,642 | −3.9% | |
| 1970 | 19,884 | 6.7% | |
| 1980 | 20,492 | 3.1% | |
| 1990 | 18,274 | −10.8% | |
| 2000 | 17,254 | −5.6% | |
| 2010 | 17,614 | 2.1% | |
| 2020 | 17,286 | −1.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 17,614 people, 7,800 households, and 4,414 families living in the city. The population density was 1,856.1 inhabitants per square mile (716.6/km2). There were 8,839 housing units at an average density of 931.4 units per square mile (359.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.3% White, 21.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 7,800 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
Arts and culture
The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is a preserved coal mine that offers daily tours and a history lesson on coal mining in Appalachia. Tamarack Marketplace, a showcase of Appalachian arts and crafts, was built in 1996 at a cost of $10 million and dedicated to former Governor Gaston Caperton. The city also hosts the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia, which includes a planetarium, boxcars and a homestead with a weaver's shed.
Education
Woodrow Wilson High School is Beckley's public high school.
Four universities are located in Beckley: West Virginia University Institute of Technology, University of Charleston-Beckley, and a branch campus of Concord University. Additionally, a branch campus of Valley College is located in Beckley; New River Community and Technical College is in the nearby community of Beaver; and the nonprofit, nondenominational Appalachian Bible College is located just outside the city limits, in nearby Bradley.
Media
Newspaper
The Register Herald, a six-day morning daily newspaper, serves Beckley and the surrounding area. It had a circulation of 19,237 in 2016 and is owned by Community Newspaper Newspaper Holdings. The newspaper traces its history to The Raleigh Register, the Raleigh Herald, and the Beckley Evening Post which were among a dozen weekly and monthly publications published in and around Beckley as early as the 1880s.
Radio
Radio stations based in Beckley include West Virginia Public Broadcasting's WVBY public radio, WJLS (AM), a talk radio and country music station that was a CBS affiliate from 1943 to 1990, WJLS-FM, which syndicates country music, and WCIR-FM, a contemporary radio station based in Downtown Beckley.
Television
Beckley shares a media market with Bluefield and Oak Hill. Stations in this market include ABC affiliate WOAY-TV, NBC affiliate WVVA, and CBS/FOX affiliate WVNS-TV. Beckley is also served by West Virginia Public Broadcasting's station WSWP, which carries PBS programming.
Transportation
The city is the regional hub for over 100,000 Southern West Virginia residents. It is the ninth-largest city in West Virginia, exceeded in population by Martinsburg and followed by Clarksburg.
Highways
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Rail
Amtrak serves the Beckley area at Prince Station in Prince, a stop on the Cardinal service between Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Air
Greater Beckley's only airport is Raleigh County Memorial Airport. Raleigh County Memorial Airport is served by Contour Airlines with service to Charlotte and Parkersburg.
Notable people
Arts
- Rob Ashford, choreographer
- Mark Carman, producer, songwriter, musician
- Cora Sue Collins, actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, singer
- Tom Maddox, author
- Scott McClanahan, writer
- Chris Sarandon, actor
- Art Simmons, musician
- Calvin Simon, musician
- Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker
- Bill Withers, musician
Sports
- Joe Goddard, professional baseball player
- Doug Legursky, professional football player
- Bob Pruett, American football coach
- Tamar Slay, basketball player for Sutor Basket Montegranaro, formerly with the New Jersey Nets
Other notable individuals
- B. Kwaku Duren, American lawyer, educator, writer, editor
- George Joseph, founder of Mercury General
- Jon McBride, astronaut
- Stephen M. Pachuta, retired United States Navy admiral.
- Christa Pike, convicted murderer
- Al Thompson, casino executive
See also
In Spanish: Beckley (Virginia Occidental) para niños
