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Morgantown, West Virginia
City of Morgantown
West Virginia University downtown campus from the Monongahela River
Official seal of Morgantown, West Virginia
Seal
Motto(s): 
(Latin) Regina Monongahelae—Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum; (English) "There is nothing left for the Queen of the Monongahela to return to"
Location of Morgantown within Monongalia County and the State of West Virginia
Location of Morgantown within Monongalia County and the State of West Virginia
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Monongalia
Settled 1772
Chartered 1785
Incorporated 1838
Founded by Zackquill Morgan
Named for Zackquill Morgan
Government
 • Type Council–manager
Area
 • City 10.64 sq mi (27.55 km2)
 • Land 10.19 sq mi (26.40 km2)
 • Water 0.45 sq mi (1.16 km2)  4.24%
Elevation
1,041 ft (317 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City 29,660
 • Estimate 
(2019)
30,549
 • Density 2,997.35/sq mi (1,157.25/km2)
 • Urban
70,350 (US: 393rd)
 • Metro
137,251 (US: 298th)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
26501, 26505, 26508
Area code 304, 681 (effective March 2009)
FIPS code 54-55756
GNIS feature ID 1555161
Website www.morgantownwv.gov

Morgantown is the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. West Virginia University is in the city. The population was 30,712 at the 2020 Census Bureau, making Morgantown the largest city in North-Central West Virginia. The Morgantown metropolitan area has a population of 138,176.

History

Lunch-time
Lunch time for two boys employed at the Economy Glass Works in Morgantown, 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine.
Wharf-District
Historic warehouse in Wharf District, converted to restaurant during late-1990s/early-2000s riverfront refurbishing

Morgantown is closely tied to the Anglo-French struggle for this territory. Until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, what is now known as Morgantown was greatly contested by settlers and Native Americans, and by the British and the French. The treaty decided the issue in favor of the British, but Indian fighting continued almost to the beginning of the American Revolution.

Zackquill Morgan, son of Morgan Morgan, and his brother David entered the area of Virginia that would become Morgantown in about 1767, although others such as Thomas Decker are recorded as attempting settlements in the area earlier or at about the same time. As well, several forts were built in the area during this time: Fort Pierpont near the Cheat River, in 1769; Fort Coburn, near Dorsey's Knob, in 1770. Fort Morgan, at the present site of Morgantown, in 1772; Fort Dinwiddle, north several miles at Stewartstown, in 1772; Fort Martin, several miles north on the Monongahela River, in 1773; Fort Burris in the present-day Suncrest area of Morgantown, in 1774; and Fort Kern in the present-day Greenmont area of Morgantown, in 1774, in addition to other, smaller forts.

Zackquill Morgan settled the area about 1772 by establishing a homestead near present-day Fayette Street and University Avenue. Morgan fought in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of colonel. By 1783, following his wartime duties, Colonel Morgan commissioned Major William Haymond to survey his land and divide it into streets and lots. Colonel Morgan then received a legal certificate for 400 acres (1.6 km2) in the area of his settlement near the mouth of Decker's Creek. 50 acres (200,000 m2) were appropriated for Morgan's Town by the Virginia General Assembly in October 1785. On February 3, 1838, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a municipal charter incorporating the city, now with a population of about 700, as Morgantown, Virginia. The town became part of the newly created state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, through the Reorganized Government of Virginia.

Early structures

Notable early structures still standing in Morgantown as of 2012 include the Old Stone House, built in 1795 by Jacob Nuce on Long Alley (the modern-day Chestnut Street) and the John Rogers family home on Foundry Street, built in 1840 and occupied as of 2011 by the Dering Funeral Home.

Personal Rapid Transit System

During the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Transportation built an experimental personal rapid transit system in the city, citing the area's variable seasonal climates and geographic elevations as factors in testing the technology's viability. The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) has been in use since 1975. University students use the system for free to travel between the spread-out campuses.

Geography

Morgantown is located 75 miles (121 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 208 mi (335 km) north-northwest of Washington, D.C., 204 mi (328 km) east of Columbus, Ohio, and 156 mi (251 km) northeast of Charleston, West Virginia. Morgantown is just south of the Mason–Dixon line.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.62 square miles (27.51 km2), of which, 10.17 square miles (26.34 km2) is land and 0.45 square miles (1.17 km2) is water.

Climate

Morgantown lies in the transition between a humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) and humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool to cold with a January daily mean temperature of 31.3 °F (−0.4 °C), an average seasonal snowfall of 21.0 inches (53 cm) and 1.7 nights of sub-0 °F (−18 °C) readings. Summers are hot and humid with a July daily mean temperature of 73.2 °F (22.9 °C) and 12 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually. Precipitation is generous, with winter being the driest period and May through July the wettest. Extreme temperatures range from −20 °F (−29 °C) on January 16, 1972, up to 108 °F (42 °C) on July 25, 1892, although, as of 2013, 100 °F (38 °C)+ temperatures have only been recorded nine times since record-keeping began in 1877, five of which occurred in 1892 alone.

Climate data for Morgantown, West Virginia (Morgantown Municipal Airport), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1877–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 76
(24)
77
(25)
86
(30)
92
(33)
95
(35)
98
(37)
108
(42)
99
(37)
102
(39)
98
(37)
83
(28)
77
(25)
108
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 39.0
(3.9)
42.9
(6.1)
52.0
(11.1)
63.9
(17.7)
72.1
(22.3)
80.0
(26.7)
83.4
(28.6)
82.3
(27.9)
75.7
(24.3)
64.7
(18.2)
53.6
(12.0)
42.4
(5.8)
62.7
(17.1)
Average low °F (°C) 23.7
(−4.6)
25.5
(−3.6)
32.2
(0.1)
41.6
(5.3)
50.2
(10.1)
58.7
(14.8)
62.9
(17.2)
61.7
(16.5)
54.7
(12.6)
43.8
(6.6)
36.1
(2.3)
27.2
(−2.7)
43.2
(6.2)
Record low °F (°C) −20
(−29)
−10
(−23)
−3
(−19)
14
(−10)
25
(−4)
30
(−1)
41
(5)
38
(3)
30
(−1)
17
(−8)
3
(−16)
−13
(−25)
−20
(−29)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.81
(71)
2.60
(66)
3.65
(93)
3.52
(89)
4.61
(117)
4.11
(104)
4.62
(117)
3.55
(90)
3.21
(82)
2.78
(71)
3.46
(88)
2.91
(74)
41.83
(1,062)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 9.1
(23)
5.5
(14)
7.0
(18)
1.0
(2.5)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.25)
1.1
(2.8)
3.8
(9.7)
27.6
(70)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 15.2 12.3 13.9 13.4 14.0 12.6 11.7 10.1 9.9 10.6 12.4 13.7 149.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 6.1 4.3 3.3 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 1.1 3.5 18.8
Source: NOAA

Neighborhoods

City of Morgantown from the west side of the Monongahela River, May 2012
Morgantown from the west side of the Monongahela River

Morgantown is made up of several neighborhoods, some of which had been independent towns that were annexed by the city as it continued to grow. Neighborhoods include First Ward, Woodburn, South Park, Jerome Park, South Hills, Second Ward, Greenmont, Suncrest, Evansdale, Wiles Hill, Sunnyside, Sabraton, the Mileground, and North Hills. While some of these, such as the Mileground, Easton, and Sabraton, are in part or entirely outside the city limits, they are still considered part of Morgantown. The City of Morgantown contained an estimated 31,073 residents in 2014. The Morgantown MSA contains roughly 117,000 permanent residents, including over 30,000 full-time students at West Virginia University.

Suncrest

Fort Burris was erected in 1774 in what became the Suncrest area of Morgantown. The fort was a settler's blockhouse located in what as of 2010 is the Summers Masonic Lodge at the intersection of Burroughs and Windsor streets.

During 1885–1888, the land in the Evansdale/Suncrest area was agricultural, with farms of 400–1,000 acres (1.6–4.0 km2). Drummond's Chapel was named after a minister who then moved to Missouri. The Evans Farm was located on land near Riverview Drive and 8th Street and was named for Colonel John Evans, who fought in the American Revolution with Morgantown founder Zack Morgan. The Krepps farmhouse was located on land where the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center, Engineering and Agricultural buildings would later be built. Dilley Farm was located on the other side of 8th street. The Van Voorhis Farm was large. Down Collins Ferry Road was the Anderson Farm. The Jacobs Farm was below Elmhurst and Mulberry.

Trolley cars determined how far people lived outside of the city, and did not reach to what is now Suncrest. By 1920, however, cars were becoming common.

In 1923, the Monongahela Development Company bought land from Krepps and most others else in the area. Suncrest Park bought Sears Roebuck house plans and divided Suncrest into three areas: Fairfield Street, Suncrest Park and Suncrest. No African-Americans, Jews or immigrants were permitted to buy land there. In 1928, the Suncrest Home Association developers gave 30 acres (120,000 m2) for what became Krepps Park. A civic group built facilities and the park was given to Morgantown, which made some improvements.

By 1937, Suncrest needed a town government to pave streets and provide water and sewer. Dr. Julian Leach, a WVU plant pathologist, was elected mayor; Bill Hart was a later mayor. Suncrest finally became part of Morgantown. In 1940 the Dupont industrial park around the Kenmore Street area built 100 homes with six different floor plans. From 1947 to 1950, Gunnison homes were built in the Mulberry and Lake Street areas. The development of the DuPont Ordnance Works during World War II in Westover resulted in a large number of prefabricated homes being constructed in Suncrest. Old Suncrest and Suncrest Addition were among the names given to various subsections of this growing community. The names of some streets reflected the community's participation in various service organizations, such as Civitan, Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary. Before Suncrest became part of Morgantown in 1949, it had first been incorporated in 1937 as the town of Suncrest; the name came from a developer who looked out one morning and saw the sun crest over a hill.

The area from University Avenue to the university's medical school held a racetrack at one point. When there was talk of building a medical school in West Virginia, Charleston and Huntington vied for it, but Morgantown offered to give 60 acres (240,000 m2) and provide a county hospital. A cemetery with 200 graves near what is now Ruby Memorial Hospital had to be relocated to the West Run area. Around 1928, there was an airport near where the West Virginia University Coliseum was later built.

Suncrest students attend three or four schools throughout their K-12 education, starting at Suncrest Primary School or North Elementary School, Suncrest Middle School and Morgantown High School depending on where they live.

In 2000, the White House Millennium Council designated Suncrest as a Millennium Community.

Sunnyside

Sunnyside, located just north of downtown Morgantown, is an older neighborhood adjacent to West Virginia University's downtown campus. The neighborhood is bounded by University Avenue to the east and Campus Drive to the south. Close to the downtown campus of West Virginia University and for decades known as a neighborhood of student housing, is also the scene of many off-campus parties and post-game celebrations including, until 1995, to the unsanctioned annual back-to-school block party that would annually draw upward of 10,000 revelers to celebrate the start of fall classes. The university and city put an end to the tradition that year after two students, Monica Potter of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Jason Callahan of Pennsauken, New Jersey, were shot in the leg the previous year.

The City of Morgantown and West Virginia University jointly established the Sunnyside Up Project: Campus Neighborhoods Revitalization Corporation, dedicated to the redevelopment of this area. The first step was to create a comprehensive revitalization plan, which was published in fall 2004.

The university's Summit Hall Dormitory and the Honors Hall Dormitory are located in the southern part of the neighborhood.

First Ward

First Ward is located south of High Street in Morgantown. First Ward Elementary School was formerly located there; however, it was demolished and the playground area converted to Jack Roberts Park, one of two parks in the area along with White Park. Both include recreational facilities. The city's reservoir is in this neighborhood and sports several biking and hiking trails on almost all sides. White Park is the location of the Morgantown Municipal Ice Arena and also features athletic fields and wooded hiking trails. The Mountaineer Mall, Morgantown's first mall, is located here, as are South Middle School and the Monongalia County Technical Education Center. The Wharf District is located along the west side of First Ward, on the banks of the Monongahela River.

South Park

South Park is across Deckers Creek from downtown Morgantown. Originally farmland, it was one of the first suburbs of Morgantown. In the early 20th century, South Park experienced a housing boom, with wealthy and influential citizens settling there. The neighborhood is home to Morgantown High School, built in 1924 and later expanded. The neighborhood is designated a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places.

Woodburn

Woodburn used to be farmland on the hills to the east of downtown Morgantown. It encompasses the area enclosed by Richwood Avenue in the south and Willey Street in the north. Monongalia Avenue serves as the western boundary and the eastern boundary begins in the south at the intersection of Richwood Avenue and Darst Street, and continues north until Darst intersects with Willey Street at the beginning of the Mileground.

While it used to be home to small hillside farmsteads, Woodburn grew into a typical city neighborhood in the late 19th century. Many of the street names, such as Louise Avenue, James Street, and Ridgeway Avenue, are named for early farm families, and many of the original farmhouses remained standing in the first decade of the 21st century. The area saw a rapid growth in population at the beginning of the 20th century as home to tinsmiths from Wales who came to work in the tinplate mill that later became the Sterling Faucet plant in Sabraton. A trolley line ran the length of Richwood Avenue and originally connected downtown with Sabraton. The Welsh community was active in the Methodist Church at the intersection of High Street and Willey Street, and held picnics in Whitemoore Park, the main green space in Woodburn. Many of these immigrants retained the Welsh language, and as late as the 1930s it was common to hear Welsh spoken on the streets of Woodburn and the community was known for carrying on a traditional eisteddfod every year. Woodburn Elementary School was the neighborhood school built in 1910.

Following World War II, many new families came to Woodburn, attracted by the parkland, close proximity to downtown, community atmosphere, and nearby school. In 1950, Tom and Anna Torch opened the Richwood Avenue Confectionery, a corner store and lunch counter that served beer in large Weiss goblets from the Morgantown Glassworks. When they sold the operation in 1963 to Mario and Rose Spina, the establishment was nicknamed "Marios Fishbowl" in honor of the goblets.

A neighborhood newspaper was published here in the 1980s.

Jerome Park

Primarily residential, Jerome Park is located to the east of Woodburn. In 2012, the city bought two acres that include the old Jerome Park Elementary School playground, and made it a park called the Paul Preserve. The neighborhood also contains Whitemoore Park.

Sabraton

The site of the tinplate mill that later became the Sterling Faucet plant, this neighborhood in its early days was connected to downtown Morgantown by a trolley line that ran the length of Richwood Avenue. Its amenities include the recreation area Marilla Park.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 741
1870 797 7.6%
1880 745 −6.5%
1890 1,011 35.7%
1900 1,895 87.4%
1910 9,150 382.8%
1920 12,127 32.5%
1930 16,186 33.5%
1940 16,655 2.9%
1950 25,525 53.3%
1960 22,487 −11.9%
1970 29,431 30.9%
1980 27,605 −6.2%
1990 25,879 −6.3%
2000 26,809 3.6%
2010 29,660 10.6%
2020 30,347 2.3%
Sources: 1900–2010
U.S. Decennial Census

Following the 2010 census, Monongalia County and neighboring Preston County were acknowledged as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) by the United States government. Estimates from 2010 put the Metropolitan Statistical Area population at 129,709; as of July 2013, the estimate was 136,133. Of the 10 largest cities in West Virginia, only Morgantown and Martinsburg have shown positive population growth since the 2010 census, with Morgantown growing from 29,660 to a 2012 estimate of 31,000.

West Virginia University constitutes 913 acres (3.69 km2) of the city and vicinity, and with the fall 2012 enrollment added an additional population of 29,707 students.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgantown had some of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States as of early 2009.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,660 people, 11,701 households, and 3,827 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,916.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,126.0/km2). There were 12,664 housing units at an average density of 1,245.2 per square mile (480.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 4.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 11,701 households, of which 12.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 67.3% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.71.

The median age in the city was 22.6 years. 8.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 52.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.5% male and 46.5% female.

Arts and culture

Points of interest

  • Core Arboretum
  • Dorsey Knob
  • Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park
  • The Metropolitan Theatre (former vaudeville house)
  • Warner Theatre (closed September 10, 2010)
  • Monongalia Arts Center (MAC)
  • Monongalia County Courthouse
  • Mountaineer Field
  • WVU Coliseum
  • Caperton and Deckers Creek Rail-Trails
  • Personal Rapid Transit system (PRT)
  • West Virginia University Art Museum

Twin cities/sister cities

Morgantown is twinned with

Morgantown established Friendship City relations with Quanshan District, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, in 2012.

In popular culture

MountaineerManiacsVillanova
WVU Student Section at Mountaineer Field

The cable television network MTV announced in October 2006, that it would tape an eight-episode reality TV series, Show Choir, following Morgantown High School's show choir, which performs songs in four-part harmony, with costumes and choreography, on a competitive circuit. The show was scheduled to premiere Spring 2007, but as of 2012 has yet to air.

The Joni Mitchell song "Morning Morgantown" is popularly believed to be written about Morgantown, West Virginia.

The 2006 film We Are Marshall has two brief scenes set in, but not filmed in, Morgantown.

Morgantown is the title and location of the second volume of Keith Maillard's quartet of novels, Difficulty at the Beginning. The town is also mentioned in other novels by Maillard, where it is placed near the fictitious town of Raysburg, West Virginia.

Awards

  • 2010 Forbes "Best Small Places For Business And Careers" #10
  • 2010 "America's Top College Towns"
  • 2009 Forbes "Best Small Places For Business And Careers" #3
  • 2008 "Best Walking City in West Virginia", "34th Best in Country" (out of 500) by Prevention magazine & American Podiatric Medical Association
  • 2007 Morgantown Named One of "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • 2007 Forbes "Best Small Places for Business and Careers" #9
  • 2006 Forbes "Best Small Places"#5
  • History of the Making of Morgantown, West Virginia, by Callahan, James Morton (Morgantown, W.Virginia, West Virginia University, 1926)
  • Morgantown a Bicentennial History, by West Virginia University Public History Option for the Morgantown Bicentennial Commission (Morgantown, W.Virginia, Monongalia Historical Society, 1985)




Sports

Baseball

The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Morgantown. The team is part of the MLB Draft League. Games are played at the Monongalia County Ballpark in nearby Granville.

Running

The inaugural Morgantown Marathon was held in September 2015. The 26.2-mile (42.2 km) course winds through Morgantown's seven wards and is characterized by its elevation changes. Official times from the Morgantown Marathon can be used for Boston Marathon qualification. In addition to the full marathon race, the Morgantown Marathon also includes The Mountain Mama 8k and a half-marathon.

Education

The city is served by Monongalia County Schools. Public elementary schools in Morgantown and its surrounding area include Cheat Lake, North, Brookhaven, Ridgedale, Mountainview, Mylan Park, Skyview, Suncrest Elementary, and Eastwood. There are four middle schools: Mountaineer Middle, South, Westwood, and Suncrest Middle. The city's two high schools are University High School, the mascot of which is the Hawks, and Morgantown High School, whose mascot is the Mohigans. The latter's name is that of a non-existent Native American tribe whose name is a combination of the words Morgantown (MO) High (HIG) Annual (AN), which was the school's yearbook. The Native American mascot and logo were adopted because of the close relation to the name Mohican, a real Native American tribe. Notable Morgantown High School alumni include screenwriterfilm director Lawrence Kasdan (class of 1966), actor Don Knotts (class of 1942), college football coach Tommy Bowden (class of 1972), and TV college football analyst Terry Bowden (class of 1974).

As of April 2005, Monongalia County Schools employed 897 professional personnel and 490 service personnel, and carries an enrollment of 10,076 students, including 156 adult students at the Monongalia County Technical Education Center. Three of Monongalia County's 23 schools have earned Exemplary Achievement status, according to the West Virginia Office of Educational Performance Audits' (OEPA) report issued November 2004. In 2004, Suncrest Middle became a National Blue Ribbon School for the No Child Left Behind Act.

Other private schools include: Morgantown Christian Academy, Maranatha Christian Academy, Covenant Christian School, Trinity Christian School, St. Francis Elementary/Middle School, and the alternative, non-religious Morgantown Learning Academy.

Early schools

While informal schools existed from Morgantown's earliest days, the town established a one-story, coeducational, Virginia common school in July 1803, that students attended on a tuition basis. On Nov. 29, 1814, the Virginia General Assembly incorporated Monongalia Academy, the county's first public school. Supported by obligatory surveyors' fees, the male-only institution was the equivalent of a modern-day high school. The Academy moved to a new two-story building in 1830, with principal Jonathan Haddock offering courses in geography, surveying, and navigation in addition to traditional subjects. Presbyterian minister Reverend James Robertson Moore was principal during the Academy's 1852–1864 heyday, when its enrollment included students from 14 states. In 1867, the Academy closed, and donated its land toward the establishment of West Virginia University.

The Virginia Assembly in March 1831 authorized the creation of the Morgantown Female Academy. Proceeds from the sale of the original Monongalia Academy building funded construction of a two-story school at Bumbo Lane (the modern-day Fayette Street) and Long Alley (the modern-day Chestnut Street). This school opened April 1, 1834. After the Assembly approved a charter change in 1838, the school became known as the Methodist Academy. This prompted local Presbyterians to create the Woodburn Female Seminary, for which the Monongalia Academy's Rev. Moore also served as principal. The seminary closed in 1866, and its assets, like those of the Monongalia Academy, were donated toward the future university.

Following the 1863 creation of West Virginia, the new state's first legislature created a public-school system. The act provided for the education of "free colored children", and was adapted three years later to mandate education for all African-American children. However, a two-tier system was created: White children attended a regular term (at the second former Monongalia Academy building, purchased in 1867 from West Virginia Agricultural College, the future West Virginia University), only a short term was provided for African-Americans, who met at St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church, on Beechurst Avenue. In the late 19th and early 20th century, rural educational reformer Alexander Wade lived in Morgantown and was involved in establishing a system of graded education for country schools that was later adopted across the rest of the United States.

Roman Catholic schools

St.-Francis-panorama-03
St. Francis High School building, 2006

A Roman Catholic elementary school, Saint Francis de Sales, began sometime prior to 1915 as a two-room school in a house on McLane Avenue in the Seneca neighborhood, and run by lay teacher Miss Sterbutsal, who became Sister M. Isabelle of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In October 1915, the pastorate of Father Peter Flynn arranged for Ursuline nuns from Louisville, Kentucky, and in 1918, under principal Sister M. Isadore, the school moved to a new building on Beechurst Avenue, adjacent to St. Theresa's Church. On June 9, 1990, the grade school moved into the former St. Francis Central High School building, and eventually into newly built facility at 41 Guthrie Lane. Its mascot is the Trojan.

St. Francis Central High School existed for several decades on Birch Street in the Evansdale neighborhood until that campus was taken over by the elementary school on June 9, 1990. The West Virginia University Foundation purchased its building and land in July 2003, formally selling it to WVU for $11 million in August 2004, with the university then announcing it intended to use the football and adjacent baseball fields as intramural recreation area.

West Virginia University (WVU)

Woodburn-circle-aerial
Woodburn Circle at West Virginia University

WVU is a public land-grant university, founded in 1867. With an operating budget of approximately $980 million as of 2015, it also has $150 million annually in sponsored contracts and research grants conducted by faculty members.

Fall 2014 enrollment was 31,976, with students from all 55 state counties, 50 states plus the District of Columbia, and 89 other nations. Some basic 2008 figures regarding the student body are:

  • 49% residents, 51% nonresidents
  • 22,563 undergraduates
  • 6,612 graduate and professional students
  • 54% male, 46% female
  • 17% minorities
  • Students residing in University housing: approximately 5,535

The 2015–2016 curriculum is supported by 15 colleges and schools offering 193 bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in the arts and sciences; business and economics; creative arts; engineering and mineral resources; human resources and education; journalism; law; agriculture, forestry, and consumer sciences; dentistry; medicine; nursing; pharmacy; physical education; plus programs at Potomac State College.

Some of the famous alumni of WVU: entertainer Steve Harvey, actress Conchata Ferrell, novelist Stephen Coonts, actor Don Knotts, author Matt Carson, astronaut Jon McBride, actor Taylor Kinney, actress Cheryl Hines, NBA player Jerry West, NFL player Pat White, Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, CEO John T. Chambers, country singer Kathy Mattea, General Anthony McAuliffe, NFL player Jerry Porter.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Airports

Morgantown Municipal Airport is one of West Virginia's few commercial airports. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the downtown along U.S. Route 119.

North Central West Virginia Airport is about 35 miles (56 km) away by road, and Pittsburgh International Airport is about 80 miles (130 km) away.

Rail

The only active rail line near Morgantown is owned by Norfolk Southern with CSX trackage rights and serves a mine northwest of Rivesville, West Virginia. Coal is the major commodity, with a train serving local chemical industries such as Tanner and Addivant (formerly Chemtura) that require tank cars. These are trucked in and then loaded onto high side gondolas or bulkhead flat cars. Conrail was split by Norfolk Southern and CSX in 1999. CSX pays for half of the cost of maintenance for the line. CSX uses it mostly to bring trains from Grafton to load at Consol's Bailey Mine and for direct access to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

River

Morgantown relies heavily on the Monongahela River for shipping coal and other products. The river is fully navigable from its mouth at the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, past Morgantown upstream to Fairmont. Morgantown Lock and Dam, in the southern part of the city, helps provide a continuous pool heading upstream towards the Hildebrand Lock and Dam. Point Marion Lock and Dam, the next downstream dam, is responsible for most of the river's pool in Morgantown.

Major roadways

Transit

Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)

Most of Morgantown is accessible by Mountain Line Transit Authority bus system. Most service operates Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a very limited service operating on Sunday during the WVU school year. Mountain Line's Grey Line bus operates every day of the year between Clarksburg, West Virginia and Pittsburgh International Airport. Morgantown also has the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system. The system has five stations (Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, and Medical) covering 8.65 miles (13.9 km).

Utilities

Electric service is provided by Mon Power, natural gas services by Dominion Resources, and water and sewage by the Morgantown Utility Board.

Cable television and cable Internet are provided by Comcast Communications. Landline telephone and DSL services are offered by Frontier Communications, with West Side Telecommunications telephone and DSL service available in some areas.

Trash pickup in the Morgantown area is provided by Republic Services. The City of Morgantown has adopted a weekly recycling program, as part of the Clean Community Concept, an initiative by the city government.

Notable people

  • Earl E. Anderson, Ret. General, youngest active-duty Marine to become General
  • John O. Bennett, New Jersey state senator
  • Thomas Bennett, U.S. Army medic and conscientious objector, awarded Medal of Honor
  • Jeff Bowden, Terry Bowden, Tommy Bowden, college football coaches
  • Necro Butcher, professional wrestler
  • Rich Braham, professional football player
  • Marion Cannon, U.S. Representative from California
  • Earl Lemley Core, botanist and local historian
  • Lowell Cowell, NASCAR Cup Series driver
  • John Douglas, conductor and educator
  • William Easterly, economist
  • Jack Fleming, American sports announcer
  • Robert C. Frasure, first U.S. Ambassador to Estonia following its independence from Soviet Union
  • Robert P. George, founder of American Principles Project
  • Linda Goodman, astrologer and poet
  • Jedd Gyorko, baseball player
  • Edgar F. Heiskell III, West West Virginia Secretary of State and lawyer
  • Alan Henderson, professional basketball player
  • Charlie Hickman, baseball player, made Morgantown his home
  • Walter Hough, curator of United States National Museum
  • Bob Huggins, West Virginia University head basketball coach
  • Dwayne Jones, professional basketball player
  • Josh Judy, professional baseball player
  • Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter/director
  • Moses Kinkaid, congressman, sponsor of Kinkaid Land Act
  • Hoda Kotb, broadcast journalist
  • Don Knotts, actor (City unveiled statue in 2016)
  • John Laidley, a founder of Marshall University
  • Blanche Lazzell, modern artist, printmaker, and painter
  • Frank Lovece, journalist and author
  • Paul Mainieri, LSU baseball coach
  • William Matheny, singer-songwriter
  • Asra Nomani, journalist, political activist
  • Francis Harrison Pierpont, 19th century Governor
  • Xavier Proctor, football player
  • Freddy Quinn, German film star and singer
  • David Selby, actor
  • Zach Spiker, college basketball coach
  • Kimberley Starr, novelist
  • Michael Tomasky, journalist and author
  • Alexander Wade, educational reformer
  • Michael Wardian, marathoner and ultra-marathoner
  • Kim Weaver, astrophysicist
  • Waitman T. Willey, U.S. Senator
  • Franklin White, British ballet dancer
  • Israel C. White, geologist and professor
  • Allison Williams, Miss West Virginia (2003)
  • Emily Calandrelli: TV host, actor, and engineer

Images for kids

See also

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

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Morgantown, West Virginia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.