Clinchco is a town in Dickenson County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. The town, formerly known as Moss, was named for both the

Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...

and the Clinchfield Coal Corporation. The population was 337 at the 2010 census, down from 424 at the 2000 census. The Clinchco post office was established in 1917.

Geography

Clinchco is located in north-central Dickenson County at (37.162466, −82.359951). The town is situated in the valley of the

McClure River The McClure River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 13, 2011 tributary of the Russell Fork in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located in Dickenson County in th ...

, a northeast-flowing tributary of the

Russell Fork The Russell Fork, 1975 Board on Geographic Names decision is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 tributary of the Levisa Fork in southwestern Virginia and sout ...

, part of the

Levisa Fork The Levisa Fork (also known as the Levisa Fork River or the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River) is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...

/ Big Sandy River system leading north to the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. Virginia State Routes 63 and 83 run through the center of town. VA 83 leads northeast (downriver) to Haysi, while VA 63 follows a ridge route that takes to reach Haysi. The two highways run south (upriver) together to Fremont.

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

is south of Clinchco via VA 63, and

Pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

is west via VA 83. 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 ...

, Clinchco has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 424 people, 189 households, and 113 families in the town. The population density was 153.8 people per square mile (59.3/km). There were 226 housing units at an average density of 82.0 per square mile (31.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 90.57% White, 8.96% African American, 0.24% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42%. Of the 189 households 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 37.0% of households were one person and 18.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 3.00. The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. The median household income was $18,393 and the median family income was $23,750. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $19,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,257. About 26.0% of families and 30.1% 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 40.0% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* Darrell "Shifty" Powers,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(

D-day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

) veteran, Company E (" Easy Company"), 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division (portrayed in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers''). Powers described his hometown thus:

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

, and uses the abbreviation ''Cfa''.Climate Summary for Clinchco, Virginia
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References

{{authority control Towns in Dickenson County, Virginia Towns in Virginia Coal towns in Virginia