Ripley is a city in and 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 Jackson 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 3,074 at the 2020 census.

History

Ripley was originally owned and settled by William, John, and Lewis Rodgers. They received a grant of in 1768 where "Sycamore Creek joins Big Mill Creek" (the current site of Ripley). The land was later sold to Jacob (and Ann) Starcher, most probably in 1803. Jacob Starcher erected a grist mill in 1824 and laid out the town in 1830, naming it in honor of Harry Ripley, a young minister who was to be married, but drowned in Big Mill Creek, about one and a half miles north of the town, shortly before the ceremony took place.O'Brien, Winnifred E. 1979. ''Early Settlers and their Contributions to Jackson County and its County Seat Ripley, West Virginia''. Ripley: Jackson County Public Library.
- Jackson County Historical Society. 1982. ''The Emergence of Jackson County and of Ripley, Its Seat of Justice''. Jackson County Historical Society: Ripley, West Virginia. When Jackson County was formed in 1831, the residents of the county could not decide where to locate the county seat. The people who lived along the Ohio River near the Ravenswood settlement favored that location. The people who lived farther inland objected. The Virginia General Assembly appointed an independent commission to make the final decision which selected Ripley. In 1832, the Starchers donated of land to the county, for the location of the county courthouse and jail, and six for the general use of the new county (a public school and a cemetery were later located on the land). The town was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1832. The post office was established in 1832 with the name Jackson Court House. The name was shortened in 1893 to Jackson. In 1897, the name became Ripley. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Ripley remained under the control of the Union except for a brief incursion by the Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins in September 1862. The last public

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

in West Virginia took place in Ripley in 1897, when John Morgan was hanged for murder. The spectacle prompted the

West Virginia Legislature The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI ...

to ban public executions soon after.

Geography

Ripley is located at (38.821078, -81.714264), along Mill 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

At the 2010

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 ...

, there were 3,252 people, 1,476 households and 854 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 1,614 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.2%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% 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 1,476 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 46.1 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 25% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.6% male and 55.4% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, there were 3,263 people, 1,423 households and 893 families living in the city. The

was 1,056.3 per square mile (407.7/km²). There were 1,543 housing units at an average density of 499.5 per square mile (192.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.22%

, 0.06%

, 0.06% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population. There were 1,423 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.78. 19.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $25,861 and the median income for a family was $37,027. Males had a median income of $29,531 and females $20,881. 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 ...

was $15,451. About 12.1% of families and 16.4% 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 21.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Ripley claims to host the "Biggest Small Town

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

Celebration" in the United States. On 4 July 2002, then President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

gave a public speech at the town's courthouse.

Education

Ripley is served by the Jackson County School District. Schools located in Ripley are: * Ripley High School (grades 9 through 12) *Ripley Middle School (grades 6 through 8) *Ripley Elementary School (grades PreK through 5) *Fairplain Elementary School (grades PreK through 5) *Jackson County Center of

West Virginia University at Parkersburg West Virginia University at Parkersburg, abbreviated WVUP and WVU Parkersburg, is a public community college in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although it was originally part of West Virginia University, it is now an independent public institution w ...

*Ripley Christian Academy

Media

Radio

*WVRP (90.7 FM)-- Public Radio * WCEF (98.3 FM)-- Country

Notable people

* Dee Caperton Kessel, First Lady of West Virginia, 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 ...

from the 23rd district and Miss West Virginia 1964 *

Kane Davis Kane Thomas Davis (born June 25, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB), as wel ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher * Charles C. Lanham, 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

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

* Warren Miller, U.S. Representative from West Virginia’s 4th district

References

{{authority control Cities in West Virginia County seats in West Virginia Cities in Jackson County, West Virginia 1830 establishments in Virginia