Gary, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church | |
 Location of Gary inMcDowell County, West Virginia (left) and of McDowell County inWest Virginia (right) | |
| Coordinates:37°21′41″N81°32′11″W / 37.36139°N 81.53639°W /37.36139; -81.53639 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | McDowell |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Incorporated | July 1, 1971 |
| Named after | Elbert H. Gary |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Larry Hairston[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.26 km2) |
| • Land | 0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,411 ft (430 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 762 |
• Estimate (2021)[4] | 730 |
| • Density | 936.98/sq mi (361.88/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 24836 |
| Area codes | 304, 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-30196 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554536[5] |
Gary is a city located along theTug Fork River inMcDowell County,West Virginia, United States. According to the2020 census,[4] the city had a population of 762. It was named forElbert Henry Gary, one of the founders ofU.S. Steel. The formercoal towns ofElbert,Filbert,Thorpe, andWilcoe became part of Gary at the time of its incorporation in 1971.[6]
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In 1902,U.S. Steel began housing people in Gary Hollow for employment at one of thecoal town's fourteen mines that producedmetallurgical coal.[7]
During the early 1940s, Gary Hollow, named forElbert Henry Gary,[8] produced around a quarter of the amount of coal mined from McDowell County, as well as a quarter of the coal used by U.S. Steel duringWorld War II.[7] At the time, the town boasted a large number ofAfrican American miners and began integrating the school system in the 1950s.[7] However, Gary Hollow's education system was not completely integrated until 1964.[7]
On July 1, 1971, the city of Gary was incorporated after the city held an election on March 16, 1970.[9] Beginning in the 1970s, Gary's unemployment rate began to increase after most of the high-quality metallurgical coal had already been mined.[7] In March 1982 alone, around 550 miners employed by U.S. Steel in the town werelaid off.[7] By the end of 1982, all U.S. Steel mines located in Gary were closed.[7] Former mayor, Charles Hodge claimed that U.S. Steel failed to make an effort help the city.[7]
In March 1983, the unemployment rate rose to 90%, the highest of any town in the United States.[7] Four years later, Gary Enterprise reopened one of the mines after purchasing it from U.S. Steel, and other companies arranged sub-leases to mine the remaining coal that was accessible.[7] In 1990, Gary only had 180 mining jobs.[7] Two years later, the now demolishedU.S. Coal and Coke Company Store atReam was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[10] In July 2003, U.S. Steel announced that they sold their remaining assets to PinnOak Resources.[7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Gary has a total area of 0.87 square miles (2.25 km2), of which 0.84 square miles (2.18 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.[11][12]
Gary has arailway station on theNorfolk Southern Railway, known previously as theNorfolk and Western network.
| Climate data for Gary, West Virginia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) | 79 (26) | 87 (31) | 90 (32) | 94 (34) | 102 (39) | 102 (39) | 100 (38) | 100 (38) | 92 (33) | 83 (28) | 79 (26) | 102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44 (7) | 48 (9) | 56 (13) | 67 (19) | 75 (24) | 82 (28) | 86 (30) | 85 (29) | 78 (26) | 68 (20) | 58 (14) | 48 (9) | 66 (19) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21 (−6) | 24 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 37 (3) | 46 (8) | 55 (13) | 60 (16) | 60 (16) | 53 (12) | 40 (4) | 31 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 40 (5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) | −6 (−21) | −6 (−21) | 15 (−9) | 26 (−3) | 32 (0) | 39 (4) | 40 (4) | 30 (−1) | 14 (−10) | 1 (−17) | −9 (−23) | −26 (−32) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.61 (92) | 3.00 (76) | 3.40 (86) | 3.73 (95) | 4.25 (108) | 3.54 (90) | 4.20 (107) | 3.89 (99) | 2.87 (73) | 2.73 (69) | 2.74 (70) | 2.70 (69) | 40.66 (1,033) |
| Source:The Weather Channel.[13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,393 | — | |
| 1980 | 2,233 | — | |
| 1990 | 1,355 | −39.3% | |
| 2000 | 917 | −32.3% | |
| 2010 | 968 | 5.6% | |
| 2020 | 762 | −21.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 730 | [4] | −4.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
As of thecensus[15] of 2010, there were 968 people, 391 households, and 244 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,152.4 inhabitants per square mile (444.9/km2). There were 536 housing units at an average density of 638.1 per square mile (246.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.8%White, 27.7%African American, 0.1%Native American, 0.2%Asian, 0.2% fromother races, and 1.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.6% of the population.
There were 391 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% weremarried couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% 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 2.77.
The median age in the city was 52.4 years. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 30.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 917 people, 420 households, and 260 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,024.0 people per square mile (393.4/km2). There were 542 housing units at an average density of 605.2 per square mile (232.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 61.40%White, 35.55%African American, 0.11%Native American, and 2.94% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 420 households, out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% weremarried couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 18.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 32.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,857, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $17,019 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $13,233. About 24.2% of families and 30.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 58.2% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.
Municipalities and communities ofMcDowell County, West Virginia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
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| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |