Mullens, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Howard Avenue in downtown Mullens in 2007 | |
 Location of Mullens in Wyoming County, West Virginia. | |
| Coordinates:37°35′5″N81°23′5″W / 37.58472°N 81.38472°W /37.58472; -81.38472 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Wyoming |
| Incorporated | 1912[1] |
| Chartered | 1929[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.90 sq mi (4.91 km2) |
| • Land | 1.84 sq mi (4.77 km2) |
| • Water | 0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,417 ft (432 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,475 |
• Estimate (2021)[3] | 1,445 |
| • Density | 719/sq mi (277.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 25882 |
| Area code | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-57148[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1543986[5] |
| Website | www |
Mullens is a city inWyoming County,West Virginia. The population was 1,475 at the time of the2020 census.[3]
Located in a valley along theGuyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001. While the town has attempted to redevelop with the aid of state and federal recovery money, many local businesses and residents have left the area permanently.
Each spring, Mullens hosts the Dogwood Festival, a community celebration held at the end of April. The festival includes a parade through downtown, food and craft vendors, car shows, live music, and other family-oriented activities. Named for the blooming dogwood trees common in the area, the event serves as both a seasonal celebration and a homecoming, drawing visitors and former residents back to the city. It has become one of the community's most recognizable annual traditions, reflecting Mullens' small-town character and emphasis on civic pride.[6][7]
Mullens wasincorporated as a town on September 17, 1912, and operated under a charter issued by theCircuit Court of Wyoming County. It was named for A. J. Mullins, who owned the land upon which the town is built. The town's original name was spelled with an "i"; a recording error accounts for the error in spelling, which was never corrected.[8] An Act of theWest Virginia Legislature granting a charter to the City of Mullens was passed February 22, 1929.
The early growth of the Mullens community came with development of the lumber and coal mining industries. In the early 20th century, coal-mining manager and developerWilliam Nelson Page ofAnsted helped open theWinding Gulf Coalfield with plans for theDeepwater Railway, a newshort-line railroad. When Page ran into competitive collusion by the bigger railroads which would have wrecked his project, backed by his silent partner, wealthy industrialistHenry Huttleston Rogers, the plan was expanded in a secretive and massive way to build a line all the way east to the port ofHampton Roads.
Completed in 1909, theVirginian Railway (VGN) established engine terminal and yard facilities near Mullens which employed hundreds of workers during the first half of the 20th century. The VGN was merged with theNorfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1959, and both later became part of theNorfolk Southern Railway (NS). A caboose museum in Mullens celebrates the history of the railroad in the region.
TheMullens Historic District was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1993.[9] The nearbyWyco Church was listed in 2010.[10]
A Beckley to Mullens section of State Route 121, theCoalfields Expressway, was opened on October 1, 2020 and dedicated in a ceremony by GovernorJim Justice.
Mullens is located at the confluence of theGuyandotte River and theSlab Fork.[11]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.85 square miles (4.79 km2), of which 1.80 square miles (4.66 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[12]
The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Mullens has amarine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.[13]
| Climate data for Mullens, West Virginia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) | 81 (27) | 88 (31) | 92 (33) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 99 (37) | 97 (36) | 99 (37) | 93 (34) | 84 (29) | 78 (26) | 100 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.2 (19.0) | 69.1 (20.6) | 77.3 (25.2) | 86.3 (30.2) | 88.4 (31.3) | 91.3 (32.9) | 92.8 (33.8) | 91.3 (32.9) | 89.2 (31.8) | 83.0 (28.3) | 76.1 (24.5) | 67.0 (19.4) | 93.9 (34.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.7 (5.9) | 46.9 (8.3) | 55.9 (13.3) | 68.3 (20.2) | 75.7 (24.3) | 82.0 (27.8) | 85.1 (29.5) | 83.7 (28.7) | 78.4 (25.8) | 68.0 (20.0) | 56.5 (13.6) | 46.3 (7.9) | 65.8 (18.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) | 35.7 (2.1) | 43.0 (6.1) | 53.5 (11.9) | 62.3 (16.8) | 69.8 (21.0) | 73.5 (23.1) | 72.2 (22.3) | 66.2 (19.0) | 54.6 (12.6) | 43.7 (6.5) | 36.2 (2.3) | 53.6 (12.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.4 (−5.3) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 38.6 (3.7) | 48.9 (9.4) | 57.5 (14.2) | 61.9 (16.6) | 60.8 (16.0) | 54.1 (12.3) | 41.3 (5.2) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 26.2 (−3.2) | 41.4 (5.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 4.0 (−15.6) | 8.5 (−13.1) | 15.4 (−9.2) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 35.9 (2.2) | 47.3 (8.5) | 54.6 (12.6) | 52.8 (11.6) | 42.4 (5.8) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 19.1 (−7.2) | 11.9 (−11.2) | 1.2 (−17.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) | −17 (−27) | −4 (−20) | 20 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 40 (4) | 48 (9) | 42 (6) | 32 (0) | 22 (−6) | 7 (−14) | 1 (−17) | −17 (−27) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.90 (99) | 3.50 (89) | 4.50 (114) | 4.22 (107) | 5.05 (128) | 4.50 (114) | 5.53 (140) | 4.20 (107) | 3.11 (79) | 2.94 (75) | 3.13 (80) | 4.06 (103) | 48.64 (1,235) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.8 (22) | 5.1 (13) | 2.4 (6.1) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 3.2 (8.1) | 20.1 (50.75) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 13.1 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 14.3 | 13.1 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 13.1 | 145.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 5.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1,425 | — | |
| 1930 | 2,356 | 65.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,026 | 28.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,470 | 14.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,544 | 2.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,967 | −16.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,919 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 2,006 | −31.3% | |
| 2000 | 1,769 | −11.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,559 | −11.9% | |
| 2020 | 1,475 | −5.4% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 1,445 | [3] | −2.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] | |||
As of thecensus[17] of 2010, there were 1,559 people, 682 households, and 409 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 866.1 inhabitants per square mile (334.4/km2). There were 837 housing units at an average density of 465.0 per square mile (179.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.5%White, 2.2%African American, 0.1%Native American, 0.2% fromother races, and 1.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.1% of the population.
There were 682 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% weremarried couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 1,769 people, 771 households, and 502 families living in the city.[4] Thepopulation density was 927.5 people per square mile (357.6/km2). There were 904 housing units at an average density of 474.0 per square mile (182.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.03%White, 3.45%African American, 0.06%Native American, 0.51%Asian, and 0.96% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.17% of the population.
There were 771 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% weremarried couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,742, and the median income for a family was $37,438. Males had a median income of $32,197 versus $20,917 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,314. About 11.9% of families and 15.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Municipalities and communities ofWyoming County, West Virginia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
