Mullens, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mullens, West Virginia
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Howard Avenue in downtown Mullens in 2007
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Location of Mullens in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Wyoming |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.90 sq mi (4.91 km2) |
| • Land | 1.84 sq mi (4.77 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,417 ft (432 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,475 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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1,445 |
| • Density | 719.33/sq mi (277.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
25882
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| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-57148 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1543986 |
Mullens is a city in Wyoming County, West Virginia. The population was 1,475 at the time of the 2020 census.
Located in a valley along the Guyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001. While the town has attempted to redevelop with the aid of state and federal recovery money, many local businesses and residents have left the area permanently.
Contents
History
Mullens was incorp-orated as a town on September 17, 1912, and operated under a charter issued by the Circuit Court of Wyoming County. It was named for A. J. Mullins, who owned the land upon which the town is built. The town's original name was spelled with an "i"; a recording error accounts for the error in spelling, which was never corrected. An Act of the West Virginia Legislature granting a charter to the City of Mullens was passed February 22, 1929.
The early growth of the Mullens community came with development of the lumber and coal mining industries. In the early 20th century, coal-mining manager and developer William Nelson Page of Ansted helped open the Winding Gulf Coalfield with plans for the Deepwater Railway, a new short-line railroad. When Page ran into competitive collusion by the bigger railroads which would have wrecked his project, backed by his silent partner, wealthy industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers, the plan was expanded in a secretive and massive way to build a line all the way east to the port of Hampton Roads.
Completed in 1909, the Virginian Railway (VGN) established engine terminal and yard facilities near Mullens which employed hundreds of workers during the first half of the 20th century. The VGN was merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1959, and both later became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). A caboose museum in Mullens celebrates the history of the railroad in the region.
The Mullens Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The nearby Wyco Church was listed in 2010.
A Beckley to Mullens section of State Route 121, the Coalfields Expressway, was opened on October 1, 2020 and dedicated in a ceremony by the Governor.
Geography
Mullens is located at 37°35′5″N 81°23′5″W / 37.58472°N 81.38472°W (37.584678, -81.384736), at the confluence of the Guyandotte River and the Slab Fork.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.85 square miles (4.79 km2), of which 1.80 square miles (4.66 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mullens has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Mullens, West Virginia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
81 (27) |
88 (31) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
97 (36) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
84 (29) |
78 (26) |
100 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.2 (19.0) |
69.1 (20.6) |
77.3 (25.2) |
86.3 (30.2) |
88.4 (31.3) |
91.3 (32.9) |
92.8 (33.8) |
91.3 (32.9) |
89.2 (31.8) |
83.0 (28.3) |
76.1 (24.5) |
67.0 (19.4) |
93.9 (34.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.7 (5.9) |
46.9 (8.3) |
55.9 (13.3) |
68.3 (20.2) |
75.7 (24.3) |
82.0 (27.8) |
85.1 (29.5) |
83.7 (28.7) |
78.4 (25.8) |
68.0 (20.0) |
56.5 (13.6) |
46.3 (7.9) |
65.8 (18.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) |
35.7 (2.1) |
43.0 (6.1) |
53.5 (11.9) |
62.3 (16.8) |
69.8 (21.0) |
73.5 (23.1) |
72.2 (22.3) |
66.2 (19.0) |
54.6 (12.6) |
43.7 (6.5) |
36.2 (2.3) |
53.6 (12.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.4 (−5.3) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
38.6 (3.7) |
48.9 (9.4) |
57.5 (14.2) |
61.9 (16.6) |
60.8 (16.0) |
54.1 (12.3) |
41.3 (5.2) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
41.4 (5.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 4.0 (−15.6) |
8.5 (−13.1) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
35.9 (2.2) |
47.3 (8.5) |
54.6 (12.6) |
52.8 (11.6) |
42.4 (5.8) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
19.1 (−7.2) |
11.9 (−11.2) |
1.2 (−17.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−17 (−27) |
−4 (−20) |
20 (−7) |
29 (−2) |
40 (4) |
48 (9) |
46 (8) |
32 (0) |
22 (−6) |
7 (−14) |
1 (−17) |
−17 (−27) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.90 (99) |
3.50 (89) |
4.50 (114) |
4.22 (107) |
5.05 (128) |
4.50 (114) |
5.53 (140) |
4.20 (107) |
3.11 (79) |
2.94 (75) |
3.13 (80) |
4.06 (103) |
48.64 (1,235) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.8 (22) |
5.1 (13) |
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) |
0.5 (1.3) |
3.2 (8.1) |
20.1 (50.75) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 13.1 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 14.3 | 13.1 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 13.1 | 145.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 1,425 | — | |
| 1930 | 2,356 | 65.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,026 | 28.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,470 | 14.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,544 | 2.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,967 | −16.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,919 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 2,006 | −31.3% | |
| 2000 | 1,769 | −11.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,559 | −11.9% | |
| 2020 | 1,475 | −5.4% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 1,445 | −7.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,559 people, 682 households, and 409 families living in the city. The population density was 866.1 inhabitants per square mile (334.4/km2). There were 837 housing units at an average density of 465.0 per square mile (179.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.5% White, 2.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.1% of the population.
There were 682 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
Transportation
Highways
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Notable people
- Jerome Anderson, basketball player and coach
- Mike D'Antoni, a former basketball player and current NBA basketball coach
- Dan D'Antoni, current head men's basketball coach at Marshall University
- Christy Martin, professional female boxer
- David Stover, member of the West Virginia Senate
- Rick Tolley, Marshall University head football coach killed in the Southern Airways Flight 932 airplane crash
See also
In Spanish: Mullens para niños
