Moundsville, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Moundsville, West Virginia
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Jefferson Avenue in downtown Moundsville
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Location of Moundsville in Marshall County, West Virginia.
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | West Virginia | ||
| County |  Marshall |
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| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-Manager | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 3.36 sq mi (8.70 km2) | ||
| • Land | 2.91 sq mi (7.53 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.45 sq mi (1.17 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 696 ft (212 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,122 | ||
| • Estimate
(2021)
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7,981 | ||
| • Density | 2,417/sq mi (933.6/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
26041
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| Area code(s) | 304 | ||
| FIPS code | 54-56020 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1543607 | ||
Moundsville is a city in West Virginia, United States. It is located along the Ohio River. Moundsville is also the county seat of Marshall County, West Virginia. This means it's where the main government offices for the county are.
In 2020, about 8,122 people lived here. Moundsville is part of the larger Wheeling metropolitan area. The city got its name from a very old structure nearby called the Grave Creek Mound. This mound was built by ancient people of the Adena culture between 250 and 100 BC.
Contents
Discovering Moundsville's Past
Early Settlements and Growth
In 1771, two English colonists, Samuel and James Tomlinson, built a cabin in the area that would become Moundsville. They didn't stay through the winter and left for a few years because of attacks by Native Americans.
The community they started was first called Elizabethtown. It became an official town in 1830. When Marshall County was created in 1835, Elizabethtown became its county seat. Another town, Mound City, was formed nearby in 1832. In 1865, these two towns joined together to form Moundsville.
Railroads and Industry
A major railroad line, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, opened in 1852. This connected the eastern rail system to the Ohio and Mississippi riverboat system. Moundsville became an important port for trade.
However, during the American Civil War (1861-1865), river travel stopped. The railroad also suffered a lot of damage. After the war, the city continued to grow.
From 1891 to 1986, the Fostoria Glass Company was based in Moundsville. They were famous for making beautiful hand-blown glass items. The West Virginia State Penitentiary, a large prison, operated in Moundsville from 1867 to 1995.
A Famous Visitor
On August 4, 1927, a very famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh, landed his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, at Langin Field in Moundsville. This was a big event for the city!
Exploring Moundsville's Environment
Land and Water Features
Moundsville covers a total area of about 3.36 square miles (8.70 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 2.91 square miles (7.53 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.45 square miles (1.17 square kilometers), is water.
Understanding Moundsville's Climate
Moundsville has a type of weather called a Humid subtropical climate. This means the area has fairly high temperatures. It also gets rain spread out pretty evenly throughout the year.
| Climate data for Moundsville, West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
80 (27) |
86 (30) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
101 (38) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
97 (36) |
93 (34) |
82 (28) |
78 (26) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 64.0 (17.8) |
66.2 (19.0) |
75.4 (24.1) |
84.4 (29.1) |
88.7 (31.5) |
92.8 (33.8) |
94.6 (34.8) |
93.2 (34.0) |
90.9 (32.7) |
82.8 (28.2) |
74.5 (23.6) |
64.2 (17.9) |
95.7 (35.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.3 (4.1) |
42.7 (5.9) |
52.1 (11.2) |
65.1 (18.4) |
74.5 (23.6) |
82.2 (27.9) |
85.8 (29.9) |
84.6 (29.2) |
78.5 (25.8) |
66.7 (19.3) |
54.2 (12.3) |
43.6 (6.4) |
64.1 (17.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.5 (−1.4) |
32.0 (0.0) |
40.4 (4.7) |
51.5 (10.8) |
61.7 (16.5) |
69.9 (21.1) |
73.8 (23.2) |
72.6 (22.6) |
65.9 (18.8) |
54.2 (12.3) |
42.8 (6.0) |
34.3 (1.3) |
52.4 (11.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.7 (−6.8) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
38.0 (3.3) |
48.9 (9.4) |
57.5 (14.2) |
61.9 (16.6) |
60.5 (15.8) |
53.3 (11.8) |
41.6 (5.3) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
40.6 (4.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 1.7 (−16.8) |
6.1 (−14.4) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
36.8 (2.7) |
47.1 (8.4) |
53.7 (12.1) |
52.9 (11.6) |
43.2 (6.2) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
20.6 (−6.3) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
−1.3 (−18.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−15 (−26) |
−3 (−19) |
11 (−12) |
25 (−4) |
36 (2) |
44 (7) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
18 (−8) |
6 (−14) |
−11 (−24) |
−20 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.77 (96) |
3.13 (80) |
3.87 (98) |
3.68 (93) |
4.47 (114) |
4.89 (124) |
4.52 (115) |
3.82 (97) |
3.88 (99) |
3.23 (82) |
3.15 (80) |
3.72 (94) |
46.13 (1,172) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.0 (15) |
4.7 (12) |
2.4 (6.1) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
2.5 (6.4) |
15.8 (40) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 14.2 | 11.7 | 12.3 | 14.0 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 10.9 | 13.2 | 144.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.1 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 10.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Understanding Moundsville's Population
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Moundsville has changed a lot over the years. In 1850, there were only 445 residents. By 1930, the population had grown to over 14,000 people.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 445 | — | |
| 1860 | 515 | 15.7% | |
| 1870 | 1,500 | 191.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,774 | 18.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,688 | 51.5% | |
| 1900 | 5,362 | 99.5% | |
| 1910 | 8,918 | 66.3% | |
| 1920 | 10,669 | 19.6% | |
| 1930 | 14,411 | 35.1% | |
| 1940 | 14,168 | −1.7% | |
| 1950 | 14,772 | 4.3% | |
| 1960 | 15,163 | 2.6% | |
| 1970 | 13,560 | −10.6% | |
| 1980 | 12,419 | −8.4% | |
| 1990 | 10,753 | −13.4% | |
| 2000 | 9,998 | −7.0% | |
| 2010 | 9,318 | −6.8% | |
| 2020 | 8,122 | −12.8% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 7,981 | −14.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2014 Estimate |
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A Look at the 2010 Census
In 2010, there were 9,318 people living in Moundsville. There were 4,016 households, which are groups of people living together. About 2,445 of these were families.
Most of the people in Moundsville were White (97.5%). A small number were African American (0.8%), Native American (0.2%), or Asian (0.4%). About 1.1% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
The average age of people in Moundsville was 45.2 years old. About 19.4% of residents were under 18. About 20.1% were 65 years or older. The city had slightly more females (52.1%) than males (47.9%).
Famous People from Moundsville
Many interesting people have connections to Moundsville. Here are a few:
- Edward L. Athey, a sports coach at Washington College.
- Frank De Vol, a composer for movies and TV, and an actor.
- Virginia B. Evans, a talented painter, glass artist, and teacher.
- Joseph W. Gallaher, a businessman and politician.
- Davis Grubb, a well-known novelist and story writer.
- Kristin Lewicki, a professional ice hockey player.
- Adrian Melott, an expert in astrophysics and astrobiology.
- Arch A. Moore Jr., who used to be the Governor of West Virginia.
- Ed Pastilong, a football player, coach, and athletic director for WVU for 21 years.
- Ted Valentine, a famous NCAA men's basketball referee. He won the Naismith College Official of the Year award in 2005.
Local Media
- Moundsville Echo is the local newspaper for the city.
Images for kids
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The ancient Grave Creek Mound, which gave Moundsville its name.
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The Moundsville Bridge, connecting the city across the Ohio River.
See also
In Spanish: Moundsville para niños
