Gary, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gary, West Virginia
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Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church
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Location of Gary in McDowell County, West Virginia (left) and of McDowell County in West Virginia (right)
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | McDowell |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Incorporated | July 1, 1971 |
| Named for | Elbert H. Gary |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.26 km2) |
| • Land | 0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,411 ft (430 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 762 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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730 |
| • Density | 936.98/sq mi (361.88/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code |
24836
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| Area codes | 304, 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-30196 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554536 |
Gary is a city in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. It is located along the Tug Fork River. In 2020, about 762 people lived there.
The city was named after Elbert Henry Gary. He was one of the people who started a big company called U.S. Steel. In 1971, several smaller coal towns became part of Gary. These towns included Elbert, Filbert, Thorpe, and Wilcoe.
Contents
History of Gary, West Virginia
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In 1902, the company U.S. Steel started building homes in an area called Gary Hollow. This was for workers at its fourteen coal mines. These mines produced a special type of coal used to make steel.
Gary's Role in World War II
During the early 1940s, Gary Hollow was very important. It produced about a quarter of all the coal mined in McDowell County. This coal was also a quarter of what U.S. Steel used during World War II. Many African American miners worked in the town at this time.
School Integration and City Incorporation
The schools in Gary Hollow began to allow students of all races in the 1950s. However, schools were not fully integrated until 1964. On July 1, 1971, Gary officially became a city. This happened after an election on March 16, 1970.
Changes in the Coal Industry
Starting in the 1970s, many people in Gary lost their jobs. This was because most of the good quality coal had already been mined. In March 1982, about 550 miners working for U.S. Steel were laid off. By the end of 1982, all U.S. Steel mines in Gary had closed.
This caused a lot of job loss in the city. Later, in March 1983, many people were without work. After some time, a company called Gary Enterprise bought one of the mines from U.S. Steel. They reopened it, and other companies also started mining the remaining coal. By 1990, Gary had about 180 mining jobs.
In 2003, U.S. Steel sold its remaining properties in Gary to another company.
Geography and Climate
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gary covers a total area of about 0.87 square miles (2.26 square kilometers). Most of this area is land.
Gary has a railway station that is part of the Norfolk Southern Railway. This railway was once known as the Norfolk and Western network.
Weather in Gary
| Climate data for Gary, West Virginia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
90 (32) |
94 (34) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
100 (38) |
92 (33) |
83 (28) |
79 (26) |
102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
48 (9) |
56 (13) |
67 (19) |
75 (24) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
85 (29) |
78 (26) |
68 (20) |
58 (14) |
48 (9) |
66 (19) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
30 (−1) |
37 (3) |
46 (8) |
55 (13) |
60 (16) |
60 (16) |
53 (12) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
24 (−4) |
40 (5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−6 (−21) |
−6 (−21) |
15 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
32 (0) |
39 (4) |
40 (4) |
30 (−1) |
14 (−10) |
1 (−17) |
−9 (−23) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.61 (92) |
3.00 (76) |
3.40 (86) |
3.73 (95) |
4.25 (108) |
3.54 (90) |
4.20 (107) |
3.89 (99) |
2.87 (73) |
2.73 (69) |
2.74 (70) |
2.70 (69) |
40.66 (1,033) |
| Source: The Weather Channel. | |||||||||||||
People of Gary
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 1,393 | — | |
| 1980 | 2,233 | — | |
| 1990 | 1,355 | −39.3% | |
| 2000 | 917 | −32.3% | |
| 2010 | 968 | 5.6% | |
| 2020 | 762 | −21.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 730 | −24.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 968 people living in Gary. There were 391 households and 244 families. The city had about 1152 people per square mile.
Most of the people in Gary were White (70.8%). About 27.7% were African American. A small number were Native American or Asian.
About 26.3% of households had children under 18. Many households (38.4%) were married couples. The average household had 2.20 people. The average family had 2.77 people.
The average age in the city was 52.4 years old. About 16.9% of residents were under 18. About 30.7% were 65 years or older.
Notable Person from Gary
- Johnny Bero was a professional baseball player. He played as an infielder for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns.
See also
In Spanish: Gary (Virginia Occidental) para niños
