Summersville, West Virginia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Summersville is a town in Nicholas County, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 3,194 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

of Nicholas County.

Geography

Summersville is located at 38°17′0"N 80°50′39"W (38.283342, -80.844207). It is located just north of the Gauley River

Gauley River

The Gauley River is a river in West Virginia. It merges with the New River to form the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. It is one of the most popular advanced whitewater runs in the Eastern United States and is the chief feature of the Gauley River National Recreation Area.-Headwaters...

which is famous for its challenging whitewater. The river is impounded by a large dam which creates Summersville Lake

Summersville Lake

Summersville Lake is a reservoir located in the US state of West Virginia. The lake is formed by a rock-fill dam on the Gauley River, south of Summersville in Nicholas County...

, creating flatwater recreation as well.

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.0 km²). 4.2 square miles (11.0 km²) of it is land and 0.23% is water.

Summersville is home to the annual Potato Festival.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 3,294 people, 1,476 households, and 890 families residing in the town. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

was 775.4 inhabitants per square mile (299.3/km²). There were 1,598 housing units at an average density of 376.2 per square mile (145.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.06% White, 0.06% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.52% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 1,476 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,783, and the median income for a family was $43,314. Males had a median income of $33,633 versus $22,348 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

for the town was $23,217. About 6.9% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Speed limit enforcement

Summersville, especially along U.S. Route 19

U.S. Route 19

U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie....

, is well-known as a speed trap

Speed Trap

Speed Trap is a live jazz album by Peter King, recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in September 1994, and released in 1996 under the Ronnie Scotts Jazz House label...

. In 2001 the police department of Summersville issued 18,133 tickets. Because of this, the city has been seen on several network TV programs including CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

, CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

, CBC

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

, and the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. As late as 2007, the National Motorists Association ranked Summersville as the worst speed trap in the state of West Virginia. The city has been further seen in Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...

, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

, and dozens of local newspapers in the Midwest. Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park

Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park

Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is an American Civil War battle site that commemorates the Battle of Carnifex Ferry. It is located on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near Summersville, a town in Nicholas County, West Virginia. The park features Patterson House Museum, three views of the...

is near the town.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Geography

Demographics

Speed limit enforcement

See also

External links