Crum is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in southern Wayne County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 182. It is the home to Crum Pre K-8 school opened in 2017. It is a part of the Huntington-Ashland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Town information

Crum is the home of Silver Creek United Baptist Church (the second oldest church in West Virginia), Crum Separate Baptist Church, Crum Church of Christ, and Crum Missionary Baptist Church. Many other small churches are located in nearby hollows and roads.

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

runs directly through Crum, as does the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

's Kenova District. The town is bordered on the west by the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River (also known locally as the Tug River). This river is part of the boundary between West Virginia and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. A mile section of the future

King Coal Highway King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

is built just east of Crum, with access from Silver Creek Rd.

Demographic information

Whites make up 99.2% of the population at 1,537 (note that this is at considerable odds with the 2010 Census population figure of 182), with blacks and other groups at 0.8% with a population of 12. There were 657 households with an average household size of 2.63. The average house value is listed at $52,100, with an average household income of $15,449. The median age of the general population is 35.10 years, with the male median age at 35.60, and the females at 36.20.

Crum: The Novel

Written by former Crum resident

Lee Maynard Lee Maynard (born 1936) (died June 6, 2017) was an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist born in the small town of Crum, West Virginia. Education Maynard attended Ceredo-Kenova High School where his father was a teacher and coach ...

, it is a fictionalized account of life in Crum in the 1950s. When it was released in 1988, the book stirred up hostility in the town as many Crum residents took offense to Maynard's portrayal of Crum, despite the inclusion of a disclaimer at the beginning of the book explaining that the work is fictional except for the town name of "Crum." Still, a few Crum residents claim that characters and incidents in the book are clearly inspired by real-life people and events. Considered a "cult classic" by some, original copies were selling for large amounts on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

before the book was re-released in 2001 by

West Virginia University Press West Virginia University Press (WVU Press) is a university press and publisher in the state of West Virginia. A part of West Virginia University, the press publishes books and journals with a particular emphasis on Appalachian studies, history, hi ...

. In 2006, actor/producer Ross Ballard and MountainWhispers.com audiobooks produced an audio version of Maynard's classic to a receptive national audience.

Cities / Towns near Crum, West Virginia

Beauty, Kentucky Beauty (formerly Himlerville) is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Martin County, Kentucky, Martin County, Kentucky, United States. During the early 1920s the community was the home of the Himler Coal Company, a cooperative minin ...

(10 miles) * Dunlow (9.2 miles) *

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

(9.1 miles) *

Inez, Kentucky Inez ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Martin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 546 at the 2020 census. Geography Inez is located at (37.866431, -82.539058). According to the United States Census Burea ...

(17 miles) * Kermit (7 miles) * Kiahsville (12.7 miles) *

River, Kentucky River is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States. The post office was first established on September 6, 1890, and its current ZIP code is 41254. Its telephone area code is 606.Retrieved on 2009-08-29 Its geographi ...

(10.8 miles) * Tomahawk, Kentucky (25 miles) * Warfield, Kentucky (8 miles) * Wilsondale (10 miles)

References

''Crum - The Novel'' at MountainWhispers.com (Audiobook)

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Wayne County, West Virginia