Whitesville is a town and former

coal town A coal town, also known as a coal camp or patch, is a type of company town or mining community established by the employer, a mining company, which imports workers to the site to work the mineral find. The company develops it and provides residen ...

in Boone 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, along the

Big Coal River The Coal River is a tributary of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. It is formed near the community of Alum Creek by the confluence of the Big and Little Coal Rivers, and flows generally northward through western Kanawha County, ...

. The population was 361 at the 2020 census. Whitesville was incorporated on August 15, 1935 by the Boone County Circuit Court. The town derives its name from B. W. White, a pioneer settler. Whitesville was formerly known as Jarrold's Valley and Pritchard City.

Geography

Whitesville is located at (37.981297, -81.534055). The town occupies a narrow section of land along both sides of the Big Coal River that stretches from the river's confluence with Toms Branch on the south to just north of the river's confluence with Seng Creek.

West Virginia Route 3 West Virginia Route 3 is a state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It runs from West Virginia Route 10 in West Hamlin in a general easterly direction via Beckley to West Virginia Route 311 at Sweet Springs, most of the way across t ...

(Coal River Road) traverses Whitesville, connecting the town with Sylvester to the northwest and the Beckley area to the southeast. 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 the ...

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

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 514 people, 247 households, and 125 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 304 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.1%

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 on ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, and 1.8% from two or more races. There were 247 households, of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.4% were non-families. 44.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the town was 42.5 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 520 people, 255 households, and 139 families living in the town. The

was 1,244.7 inhabitants per square mile (478.0/km²). There were 346 housing units at an average density of 828.2 per square mile (318.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.23%

, 0.19%

, 0.19% Native American, 0.19%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 0.19% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 255 households, out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were

living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 42.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.75. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $19,250, and the median income for a family was $31,500. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $15,417 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 $13,217. About 23.1% of families and 29.9% 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 40.2% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial

Whitesville is home to the Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial, a monument dedicated to the miners who were killed in the

Upper Big Branch Mine disaster The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010 roughly underground in Raleigh County, West Virginia at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. Twenty-nine out of thirty-one miners at the site were killed ...

in nearby Montcoal in April 2010.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Boone County, West Virginia Towns in West Virginia Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area Coal towns in West Virginia