Oak Hill is a city in

Fayette County, West Virginia Fayette County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,488. Its county seat is Fayetteville. It is part of the Beckley, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area in Southern West Virginia. Hi ...

, United States. The population was 8,179 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beckley metropolitan area. Country singer

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

died in Oak Hill on his way to a concert on January 1, 1953. The city is also home to the historic Oak Hill Railroad Depot which still stands today as an artisan shop. More recently, recreation has become a leading industry as the city neighbors the

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1978 as a national river ...

History

Oak Hill was settled in 1820. The community was so named on account of an oak tree at the elevated town site. It was incorporated as a town in 1905. Oak Hill is the supposed place of death of

. According to his driver Charles Carr, they had stopped at a gas station in Oak Hill and found Williams dead in the backseat. On March 26, 2016, the city was honored with a historical marker to pay tribute to Williams' memory.

Geography

Oak Hill is located at (37.982775, -81.145334). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 7,730 people, 3,398 households, and 2,085 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,703 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 3,398 households, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with only a computer present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 43.3 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 7,589 people, 3,297 households, and 2,123 families living in the city. The

was 1,570.9 people per square mile (606.7/km²). There were 3,619 housing units at an average density of 749.1 per square mile (289.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.02%

, 4.80%

, 0.32% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.24% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 3,297 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.80. The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,792, and the median income for a family was $33,183. Males had a median income of $27,595 versus $18,760 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,347. About 14.8% of families and 17.7% 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 ...

, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Oak Hill is located in West Virginia's southern coalfields and, as such,

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

has played a primary role in the area's employment. Oak Hill also has a light manufacturing base.

Parks and recreation

Oak Hill is home to several rafting companies, adventure resorts, and parks. Just a ten-minute drive from the

, Oak Hill has a large portfolio of outdoor and recreational activities. In June 2022, Governor Jim Justice unveiled a new route on The WV Rides program in which runs through Route 16 in Oak Hill.
Needles Eye Park

Oak Hill City Park

Collins Park and Disc Golf course

Doc Hamilton Dog Park

The Lively Family Amphitheater

Government

Oak Hill uses a city council consisting of eight members including the mayor. The city also employs a city manager to assist in organizing its day-to-day operations. As of 2023, the current mayor of Oak Hill is Charles H. Briscoe and the current city manager is Damita Johnson.

Education

Public Schools: New River Intermediate School, New River primary School, Oak Hill Middle School, Oak Hill High School, Fayette Institute of Technology Private Schools: St. Peter & Paul Catholic School Mountain View Christian School

Notable people

* Randy Gilkey, American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording engineer (born in Oak Hill) * Hannah Jiles, who appeared in season 7 of Love Is Blind (TV series), was born and raised in Oak Hill. *

Charlie McCoy Charlie McCoy (born Charles Ray McCoy, March 28, 1941) is an American harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist in country music. He is best known for his harmonica solos on iconic recordings such as " Candy Man" ( Roy Orbison), "He Stoppe ...

, session musician and multi-instrumentalist.

References

{{authority control Cities in West Virginia Cities in Fayette County, West Virginia Micropolitan areas of West Virginia Populated places established in 1820 1820 establishments in Virginia 1905 establishments in West Virginia Populated places established in 1905 West Virginia populated places on the New River