Friendly is a town in Tyler County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, 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 ...

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 Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

railway between Wheeling and Parkersburg. 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 has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Friendly is located at (39.514888, -81.061011), along 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 ...

; directly across from Matamoras,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. 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 town has a total area of , all land.

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 132 people, 55 households, and 37 families living in the town. 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 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 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 ...

. There were 55 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 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

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 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 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 ...

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

References