Logan is a city in Logan 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, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census. It is the

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 ...

of Logan County.

History

What is now Logan was initially called "Islands of the Guyandot" by explorers who identified the site in the 1780s.Robert Y. Spence,
Logan
" ''West Virginia Encyclopedia'', 2010. In 1827, a town was laid out at the site to serve as a county seat for Logan County, which had been established in 1824. The city was initially known as "Lawsonsville" after Anthony Lawson, an early merchant, but was shortened to "Lawnsville." In the early 1850s, Thomas Dunn English, a poet and future congressman, led efforts to reorganize the town.Robert Y. Spence,
Logan County
" ''West Virginia Encyclopedia'', 2015. When the town incorporated in 1853, it was renamed "Aracoma" after the Shawnee chief

Cornstalk "Corn stalk" or "Cornstalk" may refer to: * The stem of a maize plant * ''Dracaena fragrans'' or cornstalk dracaena, a flowering plant * Cornstalk (Shawnee leader), a Shawnee Indian chief during the American Revolution (1720–1777) * Cornstalk, We ...

's daughter, who had been killed by settlers in the area in 1780. The city was renamed "Logan" in 1907 after the Mingo leader, Chief Logan. Logan grew continuously during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a hub of the regional coal industry. At its height in 1940, the city had a population of over 5,000, and was home to numerous businesses, including furniture stores, hotels, banks, and car dealerships. Logan began to decline following

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 ...

, due in large part to the increased mechanization of the coal industry. The Chafin 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 1994. Logan was home to the Logan Indians, a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team, from 1937 to 1942.

Geography

Logan is located at the confluence of the Guyandotte River and Island Creek. 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 , of which is land and is water.

Climate

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 1,779 people, 808 households, and 469 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 1,016 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.6%

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 ...

, 5.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% 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 2.0% of the population. There were 808 households, of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% 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, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 40.4 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,630 people, 750 households, and 423 families living in the city. The

was . There were 965 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.52%

, 4.79%

, 0.31% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 750 households, out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were

living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% 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 2.78. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,623, and the median income for a family was $26,354. Males had a median income of $26,350 versus $19,167 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 $15,913. About 18.2% of families and 20.7% 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 29.0% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Logan is served by Logan High School, grades 9–12.

Media

* ''The Logan Banner'' is published each Wednesday. * WVOW, a local ABC radio affiliate.

Notable people

* Michael Ammar, magician * Shane Burton, retired defensive tackle for four NFL teams * Don Chafin, sheriff of Logan County during the "armed march" or Battle of Blair Mountain * Thomas Dunn English, mayor and poet * Joanne Dru, film and television actress * Jack Harris, radio and television broadcast personality * Devil Anse Hatfield, patriarch of the Hatfield family during the famous Hatfield & McCoy feud * Frankie Zoly Molnar, recipient of Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War * Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.,

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

singer and winner in the sixth season of '' America's Got Talent'' * Richard Ojeda, West Virginia state senator representing the 7th district * Lea Ann Parsley, Winter Olympics skeleton racing silver medalist * Mamie Thurman, murder victim

References

External links

*
Logan, WV History and Nostalgia
{{authority control Cities in Logan County, West Virginia County seats in West Virginia Logan Coalfield Populated places on the Guyandotte River Cities in West Virginia West Virginia placenames of Native American origin