Friendly is a town in Tyler 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 B ...

, United States. The population was 100 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was likely named for Friend Cochrane Williamson, an early settler. Friendly was incorporated in 1898. It is the setting of the novel '' Shiloh''. The 1884

Heirloom tomato An heirloom tomato (also called heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom cultivar of tomato. They are classified as family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, or created heirlooms. They usually have a ...

variety was said to be discovered by James Lyde Williamson growing in a pile of flood debris along the Ohio River near Friendly, after the Great Flood of 1884. In 1903 the Parkersburg and Ohio Valley Electric Railway began to build a major electric

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

railway between Wheeling and

Parkersburg Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...

. It only opened five miles (8 km) between Sistersville and Friendly, and operated until 1918. Friendly was claimed to have been one of the smallest settlements in the US with a dedicated interurban service, since it only had 217 residents at the time. The

Friendly City Building and Jail Friendly City Building and Jail is a historic town hall and jail located at Friendly, Tyler County, West Virginia. It was built in 1901, and is a small, one story frame building. It has a gable roof and sits on a stone foundation. It has two room ...

has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Friendly is located at (39.514888, -81.061011), along the Ohio River; directly across from Matamoras,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 132 people, 55 households, and 37 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 73 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 100.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

. There were 55 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 10.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age in the town was 47 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 159 people, 62 households, and 47 families living in the town. The

was 1,664.3 inhabitants per square mile (613.9/km²). There were 70 housing units at an average density of 732.7 per square mile (270.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.99%

. There were 62 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,571, and the median income for a family was $34,821. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $15,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $15,386. About 13.2% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 26.7% of those 65 or over.

References