Beckley, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beckley, West Virginia
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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 West Virginia, United States. It is the main city of Raleigh County. In 2020, about 17,286 people lived there. This makes it the ninth-largest city in West Virginia.
Beckley is the biggest city in the Beckley metropolitan area. This area in Southern West Virginia had about 115,079 residents in 2020. The city was founded on April 4, 1838. For a long time, it was famous for its connection to the coal mining industry.
Today, Beckley is home to several colleges. These include the West Virginia University Institute of Technology. It also has parts of Concord University and the University of Charleston. The city has important hospitals that serve the community.
Beckley is also known for the Tamarack Marketplace. This special place shows off the amazing art and crafts from West Virginia. It's a great spot to see the region's culture and traditions.
Contents
History of Beckley
The land around Beckley was once home to many Native American groups. These included the Moneton people, who spoke a language called Catawban. They called the area Okahok Amai. Other groups like the Tutelo, Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi also lived here.
Beckley was named after John James Beckley. He was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives. He was also the first Librarian of Congress. His son, Alfred Beckley, founded the city. Alfred was an army lieutenant and a general in the Virginia militia.
Even though it was founded in 1838, Beckley was just a plan on paper at first. Alfred Beckley was often made fun of for his "Paper Town." In its early days, the town was called "Beckley," "Raleigh Court House," or sometimes "Beckleyville."
The town was first part of Fayette County, Virginia. In 1850, the Virginia government made Raleigh County. Beckley was chosen as the county seat, which means it became the main government town. People sometimes call Beckley the "Smokeless Coal Capital." It is also known as "The City of Champions" and the "Gateway To Southern West Virginia."
Geography and Climate
Beckley covers about 9.5 square miles (24.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.
Land and Water Features
The city sits on top of the Allegheny Plateau. To the west, there is the Logan Plateau. To the east, you can find the high Allegheny Mountains. Nearby mountains include Flat Top Mountain and Lilly Mountain.
Most of Beckley is in the Piney Creek watershed. This creek flows into the New River National Park and Reserve. Piney Creek is to the east of the city. Whitestick Creek, which flows into Piney Creek, is to the south. Other creeks like Cranberry Creek also flow through the city.
Beckley's Climate
Beckley has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, humid summers. Summers are usually a bit cooler than other places in West Virginia. Temperatures rarely reach 90°F (32°C).
Winters are generally cold and snowy. Sometimes, there are milder periods. It snows about 55.9 inches (142 cm) each winter. Most snow falls from December to March. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -22°F (-30°C). The hottest was 103°F (39°C).
| Climate data for Beckley, West Virginia (Raleigh County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | |||||||||||||
People and Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
In 2010, there were 17,614 people living in Beckley. There were 7,800 households and 4,414 families. The city had about 1,856 people per square mile.
Most people in Beckley were White (72.3%). About 21.2% were African American. There were also smaller groups of Native American and Asian people. About 1.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 25.6% of households had children under 18. Many households (36.8%) were married couples. The average age in the city was 41.6 years. About 20.2% of residents were under 18.
Things to See and Do
The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is a cool place to visit. It's a preserved coal mine where you can take tours. You can learn about the history of coal mining in the Appalachia region.
The Tamarack Marketplace is another popular spot. It opened in 1996. It's a place where you can see and buy amazing arts and crafts made by artists from Appalachia.
Beckley also has the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia. This museum has a planetarium where you can learn about space. It also has old boxcars and a homestead that shows how people used to live.
Education in Beckley
Woodrow Wilson High School is the public high school in Beckley.
Beckley is home to several universities and colleges:
- West Virginia University Institute of Technology
- University of Charleston-Beckley
- A branch campus of Concord University
- A branch campus of Valley College
Nearby, you can find New River Community and Technical College in Beaver. The Appalachian Bible College is just outside the city limits in Bradley.
Media and News
Beckley has its own newspaper, radio stations, and television channels.
Newspaper
The Register Herald is the local newspaper. It comes out six days a week in the morning. It covers news for Beckley and the areas around it. The newspaper has been around since the 1880s.
Radio
You can listen to several radio stations based in Beckley. These include:
- WVBY, which is a public radio station.
- WJLS (AM), which plays talk radio and country music.
- WJLS-FM, which also plays country music.
- WCIR-FM, a modern radio station in Downtown Beckley.
- WIWS radio, an internet station that plays vintage AM radio style music.
Television
Beckley shares its TV market with Bluefield and Oak Hill. Local TV stations include:
- WOAY-TV (ABC)
- WVVA (NBC)
- WVNS-TV (CBS/FOX)
- WSWP, which is a West Virginia Public Broadcasting station that shows PBS programs.
Getting Around Beckley
Beckley is an important center for over 100,000 people in Southern West Virginia. It is the ninth-largest city in the state.
Highways
Many important roads pass through or near Beckley:
Interstate 64
Interstate 77
U.S. Highway 19
U.S. Highway 121 (partially built)
West Virginia Route 3
West Virginia Route 10
West Virginia Route 16
West Virginia Route 210
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Train Travel
Amtrak trains serve the Beckley area at Prince Station. This station is in Prince. You can catch the Cardinal train service there. It travels between Chicago and Washington, D.C..
Air Travel
The only airport for the Greater Beckley area is Raleigh County Memorial Airport. You can fly from this airport to Charlotte and Parkersburg with Contour Airlines.
Famous People from Beckley
Many well-known people have come from Beckley.
Arts and Entertainment
- Rob Ashford, a choreographer
- Mark Carman, a producer, songwriter, and musician
- Cora Sue Collins, an actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, a singer
- Tom Maddox, an author
- Scott McClanahan, a writer
- Chris Sarandon, an actor
- Art Simmons, a musician
- Calvin Simon, a musician
- Morgan Spurlock, a filmmaker
- Bill Withers, a musician
Sports Stars
- Joe Goddard, a professional baseball player
- Doug Legursky, a professional football player
- Bob Pruett, an American football coach
- Tamar Slay, a basketball player
Other Notable People
- B. Kwaku Duren, a lawyer, educator, and writer
- George Joseph, who started Mercury General insurance company
- Jon McBride, an astronaut
- Stephen M. Pachuta, a retired United States Navy admiral
See also
In Spanish: Beckley (Virginia Occidental) para niños
