Whitby, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Whitby
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Postmark from Whitby, West Virginia
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 Whitby
Location in West Virginia
Whitby
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Raleigh |
| Elevation | 2,310 ft (700 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
25939
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| GNIS feature ID | 1555966 |
Whitby is a small place in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It's not a city or town with its own government. Instead, it's an unincorporated community. Whitby is also known as a coal town because it was important for mining coal in the Winding Gulf Coalfield area of southern West Virginia.
Contents
A Look Back at Whitby's History
Whitby has had a few different names over the years! At first, it was called Stahl. Before 1919, people also knew it as Bowyer. But by 1919, the name Whitby began to be used.
How Whitby Got Its Name
By 1927, the United States Post Office officially recognized Whitby as the town's name. The post office there stayed open for many years. However, it finally closed its doors in June 1988.
Whitby's Coal Mining Past
From 1917 to 1982, Whitby was a very busy place for coal mining. Several companies, like Bowyer Smokeless Coal Company and Sterling Smokeless Coal Company, mined a huge amount of coal. They dug up almost 9 million tons of coal during that time! This shows how important coal was to Whitby.
How Many People Lived Here?
Whitby is part of a larger area called Coal City, West Virginia. This area is used for counting people in a census.
Whitby's Population Peak
When coal mining was at its busiest in the 1940s, Whitby was home to about 400 people. This was the largest number of residents the community ever had.
Important People from Whitby
One important person connected to Whitby was Alexander Halstead. He was the first person to settle in the area. He lived there when Raleigh County, West Virginia was first created in 1850.
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