Mason, also known as Mason City, is a town in Mason 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 ...

, United States. The population was 865 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Point Pleasant, WV– OH Micropolitan Statistical Area. Mason was initially known as Waggener's Bottom. It was chartered by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...

in 1856, and named for Mason County, which was named for

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention.

History

The Gold Houses and Shumaker-Lewis House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Mason is located at (39.019760, -82.030952), along the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

. 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 th ...

, 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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 968 people, 428 households, and 272 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 RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 495 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.8%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 1.4% Asian, and 1.8% from two or more races. There were 428 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% 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 ...

living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age in the town was 45.3 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,064 people, 475 households, and 317 families living in the town. The

was 1,900.8 inhabitants per square mile (733.6/km²). There were 535 housing units at an average density of 955.8 per square mile (368.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.71%

, 0.09%

, 1.60% Native American, 0.28% Asian, and 1.32% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population. There were 475 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were

living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.75. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,621, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $31,389 versus $17,500 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 $14,020. About 15.6% of families and 19.8% 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 37.2% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Official Town of Mason Website
{{authority control Towns in Mason County, West Virginia Towns in West Virginia Point Pleasant micropolitan area Populated places established in 1856 West Virginia populated places on the Ohio River 1856 establishments in Virginia