Kingwood is a city in

Preston County, West Virginia Preston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood, West Virginia, Kingwood. The county was fo ...

, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The population was 2,980 at the 2020 census. The city sits within the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range ( ) — also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, less formally the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada. Historically it represented a significant barr ...

above the Cheat River valley. It hosts the annual Preston County Buckwheat Festival, a county fair known for making

buckwheat pancake A buckwheat pancake is a pancake made with buckwheat flour. Types of buckwheat pancake associated with specific regions include: * ''Blini'', Eastern Europe, with a buckwheat variety particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine (''hrechanyky'' or ''г ...

History

The site of Kingwood was once a forest owned partly by John Miller and Hugh Morgan. The

Northwestern Turnpike The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the ...

leading from

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

to Morgantown passed through the area. Kingwood was settled sporadically in the 1790s and 1800s until it was formally established 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, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

on January 23, 1811. It was named for a grove of tall, stately trees. The town was made the county seat of the new Preston County in 1818, and chartered in 1853. The James Clark McGrew House was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1993; the Kingwood Historic District was added in 1994.

Geography

Kingwood is located at (39.4713, -79.6848). 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 , all land. It has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb'') and average monthly temperatures range from 28.7 °F in January to 70.2 °F in July

The local

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6a.

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 2,939 people, 1,291 households, and 818 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 1,454 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.3%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% 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 0.5% of the population. There were 1,291 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.5% 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 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% 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 2,944 people, 1,283 households, and 844 families living in the city. The

was 1,192.9 people per square mile (460.2/km²). There were 1,417 housing units at an average density of 574.2 per square mile (221.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.69%

, 1.02%

, 0.44% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population. There were 1,283 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were

living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,155, and the median income for a family was $36,313. Males had a median income of $30,658 versus $18,190 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 $16,299. About 16.3% of families and 17.0% 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 25.2% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The annual Preston County Buckwheat Festival takes place in Kingwood over the last weekend of September. Farmers in the county grew

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

to stimulate agricultural economic growth, with the festival starting in 1938 as an end-of-harvest celebration. The festival resembles a county

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

, with livestock exhibitions and carnival rides. The festival also features three days of parades. Thousands of the namesake buckwheat pancake meals are prepared for the event. Kingwood is home to Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo, also known as the West Virginia Zoo.

Education

Kingwood contains three public schools serviced by the Preston County School District: * Kingwood Elementary School – grades K-4 * Central Preston Middle School – grades 5-8 * Preston High School – grades 9-12

Notable people

* Robert E. Lee Allen,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from West Virginia's 2nd district *

William G. Brown Sr. William Gay Brown Sr. (September 25, 1800 – April 19, 1884) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia, who was twice elected to the Virginia General Assembly and thrice to the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served at ...

from Virginia's 15th, Virginia's 10th, and West Virginia's 2nd district * William Gay Brown Jr.,

from West Virginia's 2nd district * William G. Conley, 18th

Governor of West Virginia A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Robert E. Cowan Robert Edwin Cowan (November 9, 1830 – July 14, 1887) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 and as a Confederate officer. After the American Civil War ...

, lawyer, member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from

Preston County Preston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood, West Virginia, Kingwood. The county was fo ...

* T. Stephen Crawford, chemical engineer known for his research in

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

coal tar Coal tar is a thick dark liquid which is a by-product of the production of coke and coal gas from coal. It is a type of creosote. It has both medical and industrial uses. Medicinally it is a topical medication applied to skin to treat psoria ...

and

coal gasification In industrial chemistry, coal gasification is the process of producing syngas—a mixture consisting primarily of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (), carbon dioxide (), methane (), and water vapour ()—from coal and water, air and/or oxygen. H ...

Jonathan P. Dolliver Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver (February 6, 1858October 15, 1910) was a Republican orator, U.S. Representative, then U.S. Senator from Iowa at the turn of the 20th century.Thomas Richard Ross, ''Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver: A Study in Political Inte ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

* Robert Halbritter, member of the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature in West Virginia. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular se ...

and judge of the

West Virginia Circuit Courts The West Virginia Circuit Courts are the West Virginia State court (United States), state trial courts of general jurisdiction. They are the only state trial courts in West Virginia that are Court of record, courts of record. List of counties in W ...

Izetta Jewel Izetta Jewel Kenney (November 24, 1883 – November 14, 1978) was an American stage actress, women's rights activist and politician. She became the first woman to deliver a seconding speech for a presidential nominee at a major American politica ...

, actress and women's rights advocate * Trena King, professional

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

* James McGrew,

from West Virginia's 2nd district and founding father of West Virginia * Melvin C. Snyder,

from West Virginia's 2nd district and later judge * Christopher Sperandio, artist * David Sypolt, member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the West Virginia Democratic Party, Democratic P ...

from the 14th district * William B. Zinn, member of the

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 ...

and

from

and founding father of West Virginia

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in West Virginia Cities in Preston County, West Virginia County seats in West Virginia Morgantown metropolitan area Coal towns in West Virginia 1811 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1811

History

Geography

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Arts and culture

Education

Notable people

See also

References

External links