Thomas, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas, West Virginia
|
|
|---|---|
East Avenue in Thomas in 2006
|
|
Location of Thomas in Tucker County, West Virginia.
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Tucker |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.51 sq mi (11.67 km2) |
| • Land | 4.46 sq mi (11.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,035 ft (925 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 623 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
|
614 |
| • Density | 123.32/sq mi (47.61/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
26292
|
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-80020 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555802 |
Thomas is a city and former coal town in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 623 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
Thomas was platted in 1884. Thomas was named for Thomas Beall Davis (1828-1911), brother of Senator Henry Gassaway Davis. The Davis brothers, in 1883, opened a mine near Thomas and had coal ready to ship when their railway arrived a year later. By 1892, Davis Coal and Coke was among the largest and best known coal companies in the world and employed 1,600 people. At the peak of its operations in 1915, there were nine producing mines within a mile of the company's office in Thomas.
Immigrants flocked to the area as miners, railroad laborers, or merchants. The company employed a man named Wladyslaw Dackiewicz as an interpreter. He could speak, read, and write eight languages and his services were much in demand with the influx of immigrants.
In 1901, in less than two hours, nearly half of Thomas (83 buildings) was destroyed by a fire. The city was quickly rebuilt with fine hotels and a new opera house. The Cottrill Opera House had a saloon on the first floor which was by far the most elegant of the eight bars located on Front Street. In 1909, Front Street (also known as First Street, Main Street, and East Avenue) was laid with brick to become the first paved street in the county.
Thomas claimed to have the grandest railway station between Cumberland, Maryland, and Elkins, West Virginia. Built of brick in 1901, it was destroyed by a tornado in 1944.
In 1921, coke production ceased and mining operations slowed.
The Cottrill Opera House, Davis Coal and Coke Company Administrative Building, Fairfax Stone, and Thomas Commercial Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
-
Western Maryland Railroad Depot
-
Thomas in 1906
-
Davis Coal and Coke Co Mining Operation
-
Buxton and Landstreet Company Store
-
Cottrill Opera House
-
Thomas City Hall in 2006
Geography
Thomas is located along the North Fork of the Blackwater River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.51 square miles (11.68 km2), of which 4.46 square miles (11.55 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. Thomas has a humid contintal climate (Koppen: Dfb).
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 269 | — | |
| 1900 | 2,126 | 690.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,354 | 10.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,099 | −10.8% | |
| 1930 | 1,660 | −20.9% | |
| 1940 | 1,449 | −12.7% | |
| 1950 | 1,146 | −20.9% | |
| 1960 | 830 | −27.6% | |
| 1970 | 713 | −14.1% | |
| 1980 | 747 | 4.8% | |
| 1990 | 573 | −23.3% | |
| 2000 | 452 | −21.1% | |
| 2010 | 586 | 29.6% | |
| 2020 | 623 | 6.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 614 | 4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 586 people, 253 households, and 130 families living in the city. The population density was 131.4 inhabitants per square mile (50.7/km2). There were 345 housing units at an average density of 77.4 per square mile (29.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.5% White, 0.2% Native American, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population.
There were 253 households, of which 17.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.6% were non-families. 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.62.
The median age in the city was 56.6 years. 11.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 35.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas (Virginia Occidental) para niños
