Beckley, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beckley, West Virginia
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Main Street in downtown Beckley in 2007
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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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| 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 | 2,421 ft (738 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 | 1553831 |
| Website | http://www.beckley.org/ |
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838.
Contents
History
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 and climate
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.
Due to its elevation, the climate of Beckley is either classified as mountain temperate or humid continental (Köppen Cfb or Dfb, respectively), 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 some days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually. Winters are generally cold and snowy with occasional intervening warm periods and some nights with a sub-10 °F (−12 °C) lows. Temperatures range from (approximate) 31.1 °F (−0.5 °C) in January to (approximate) 86.4 °F (30.2 °C) in July. Snowfall varies with an yearly average of (appromimately) 61.4 inches (156 cm) per season and mostly occurs from December to March with an occasional snowfall in November of (usually) 2–3 inches (5–8 cm).
| Climate data for Beckley, West Virginia (Raleigh County Airport), 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23.3) |
75 (23.9) |
83 (28.3) |
87 (30.6) |
92 (33.3) |
100 (37.8) |
103 (39.4) |
103 (39.4) |
97 (36.1) |
88 (31.1) |
80 (26.7) |
75 (23.9) |
103 (39.4) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 39.4 (4.11) |
43.1 (6.17) |
51.8 (11) |
62.8 (17.11) |
70.2 (21.22) |
77.0 (25) |
79.8 (26.56) |
79.2 (26.22) |
72.9 (22.72) |
63.3 (17.39) |
53.0 (11.67) |
42.3 (5.72) |
61.3 (16.28) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 22.8 (-5.11) |
25.7 (-3.5) |
32.3 (0.17) |
41.4 (5.22) |
49.4 (9.67) |
57.8 (14.33) |
61.4 (16.33) |
60.3 (15.72) |
53.4 (11.89) |
43.1 (6.17) |
34.8 (1.56) |
26.2 (-3.22) |
42.5 (5.83) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (-30) |
−20 (-28.9) |
−7 (-21.7) |
8 (-13.3) |
21 (-6.1) |
32 (0) |
38 (3.3) |
33 (0.6) |
22 (-5.6) |
9 (-12.8) |
−1 (-18.3) |
−20 (-28.9) |
−22 (-30) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 2.81 (71.4) |
2.76 (70.1) |
3.57 (90.7) |
3.36 (85.3) |
4.66 (118.4) |
4.00 (101.6) |
5.03 (127.8) |
3.47 (88.1) |
3.01 (76.5) |
2.57 (65.3) |
2.95 (74.9) |
3.00 (76.2) |
41.19 (1,046.2) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 18.3 (46.5) |
16.4 (41.7) |
7.9 (20.1) |
2.9 (7.4) |
0.1 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (1) |
2.6 (6.6) |
12.9 (32.8) |
61.4 (156) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 15.1 | 13.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 12.2 | 14.9 | 157.1 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 10.1 | 8.4 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 37.2 |
| Source: NOAA (extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
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 per square mile (359.6/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.
Infrastructure
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 Beckley at Prince Station in Prince as part of the Cardinal line running from Chicago to Washington DC.
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.
Media
Newspaper
The Register Herald
Radio
WVBY public radio translator WJLS local commercial radio network
Television
West Virginia Public Broadcasting's WSWP WVVA WOAY WVNS-TV
Tourist attractions
Beckley is well known for two major tourist attractions: The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and Tamarack. The Exhibition Coal Mine is a preserved coal mine that offers daily tours and a history lesson on coal mining in Appalachia. Tamarack, a showcase of Appalachian arts and crafts, was built in 1996 at a cost of $10 million and dedicated to former Governor Gaston Caperton.
Education
Woodrow Wilson High School is Beckley's public high school.
Three 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.
Notable people
- Rob Ashford, choreographer
- Jennifer Belcher, former member of the Washington State House of Representatives and first female Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands
- Mark Carman, Producer Songwriter, Musician
- Tom Carper, U.S. Senator from Delaware
- Barbara M. Clark, New York state legislator
- Cora Sue Collins, actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, singer
- B. Kwaku Duren, American lawyer, educator, writer, editor
- Joe Goddard, professional baseball player
- Doug Legursky, professional football player
- Jon McBride, astronaut
- Scott McClanahan, writer
- Stephen M. Pachuta, retired United States Navy admiral.
- Bob Pruett, American football coach
- Nick Rahall, U.S. Representative
- Chris Sarandon, actor
- Art Simmons, musician
- Calvin Simon, musician
- Tamar Slay, basketball player for Sutor Basket Montegranaro, formerly with the New Jersey Nets
- Hulett C. Smith, Governor of West Virginia
- Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker
- Al Thompson, casino executive
- Bill Withers, musician
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