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Bramwell, West Virginia
Bramwell, with the Bluestone River in the foreground
Bramwell, with the Bluestone River in the foreground
Location of Bramwell in Mercer County, West Virginia.
Location of Bramwell in Mercer County, West Virginia.
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Mercer
Area
 • Total 0.58 sq mi (1.51 km2)
 • Land 0.56 sq mi (1.44 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation
2,244 ft (684 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 277
 • Estimate 
(2021)
274
 • Density 607.21/sq mi (234.60/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
24715
Area code(s) 304, 681
FIPS code 54-09796
GNIS feature ID 2390747
Website https://www.bramwellwestva.com

Bramwell is a town in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States, along the Bluestone River. The population was 277 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578.

History

In the 1880s the region around Bramwell began to rapidly grow as a coal mining center with several coal camps operating in the area. The town of Bramwell was officially established in 1888, and was named after J.H. Bramwell, a civil engineer. In the late 1800s the town acquired some notoriety for having the largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States. Numerous large homes were built in the town by wealthy coal operators.

On January 7, 1910, part of the downtown area was destroyed by a major fire. Twenty-one buildings were burned to the ground. In 1984, the town was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Many of the houses are early 20th century in design. There is a museum largely devoted to the local coal and train history of the area.

Geography

Bramwell is situated along the Bluestone River, just east of the Virginia-West Virginia state line. U.S. Route 52 passes through the eastern part of Bramwell, connecting the town with Bluefield to the south and Northfork the northwest. Pinnacle Rock State Park lies just southeast of Bramwell.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2), of which 0.56 square miles (1.45 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.

Bramwell is located 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from an access point to the Pocohontas Trail system, a component of the Hatfield-McCoy trails. The Hatfield-McCoy trails include over 700 miles (1127 km) of primitive roads typically utilized by dirt bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). These trails are managed by the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Trail Authority.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 499
1900 825 65.3%
1910 1,458 76.7%
1920 1,690 15.9%
1930 1,574 −6.9%
1940 1,494 −5.1%
1950 1,587 6.2%
1960 1,195 −24.7%
1970 1,125 −5.9%
1980 989 −12.1%
1990 620 −37.3%
2000 426 −31.3%
2010 364 −14.6%
2020 277 −23.9%
2021 (est.) 274 −24.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 364 people, 164 households, and 105 families living in the town. The population density was 650.0 inhabitants per square mile (251.0/km2). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 382.1 per square mile (147.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.4% White, 3.3% African American, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population.

Bramwell Main Street
Bramwell Main Street

There were 164 households, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the town was 49.7 years. 16.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.5% were from 45 to 64; and 23.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bramwell (Virginia Occidental) para niños

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