Van, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Van is an unincorporated
census-designated place
in Boone County
, West Virginia
, United States
, along the Pond Fork of the Little Coal River
. As of the 2010 census
, its population was 211. Its ZIP code
is 25206. Van was named after Van Linville, who established its post office
and served as its first postmaster.
Van High School has also been very successful in athletics as it competes in the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission. Its mascot is a Bulldog and its school colors are Blue and Gold. The Bulldogs compete in Class Single A, which is the smallest of three classes in West Virginia. Van High is one of only three high schools in Boone County.
Baseball has won five state championships in 1982 (AA), 1988 (AA), 1991(A), 1992(A), 1993(A) and the state runner-up six times 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996, 2004 and 2007. They have been in the state tournament, which includes the final four from each class a record 19 times since 1981.
Football has appeared in the state playoffs ten times since 1981. Playoff years include 1981(AA), 1983(AA), 1984(AA), 1986(AA), 1991(A), 1992(A), 1993(A), 1996(A), 2001(A), and 2003(A). The Bulldogs advanced to the final eight teams in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1993, and 2001. They advanced to the final four in 1986 and 1992.
Basketball has appeared in the regional finals on four different occasions, which is the last game before the state tournament is held in Charleston. They have won sectional finals in 1977(AA), 1995(A), 1996(A), and 2002(A). In 1991-1992, a multi-million dollar gymnasium was built to take the place of one of the only "domed" gyms in West Virginia.
Girls Basketball has won a state championship (AA) in 1982. They also advanced to the state tournament in 1983.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Boone County
Boone County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,535 people, 10,291 households, and 7,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 11,575 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
, 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...
, along the Pond Fork of the Little Coal River
Coal River (West Virginia)
The Coal River is a tributary of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. It is formed near the community of Alum Creek by the confluence of the Big and Little Coal Rivers, and flows generally northward through western Kanawha County, past the community of Upper Falls and into the Kanawha...
. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, its population was 211. Its ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 25206. Van was named after Van Linville, who established its post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and served as its first postmaster.
Geography
Van is one of the many small communities on West Virginia Route 85, which winds through valley after valley staying close beside the Little Coal River. Van is mostly residential with a gas station, a pharmacy, a flower shop, a few churches, a pizza take out, an elementary school, a junior/senior high school, a Christian school, and a volunteer fire department. The Pond Fork river that runs through Van is a designated stream that the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources stocks fish, such as trout, a few times a year.Schools
Van High School, which was formerly known as Crook District High School, is nestled up on "The Hill" overlooking the rural town of Van. Van High School and Van Elementary School are both located on Bulldog Blvd.Van High School has also been very successful in athletics as it competes in the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission. Its mascot is a Bulldog and its school colors are Blue and Gold. The Bulldogs compete in Class Single A, which is the smallest of three classes in West Virginia. Van High is one of only three high schools in Boone County.
Baseball has won five state championships in 1982 (AA), 1988 (AA), 1991(A), 1992(A), 1993(A) and the state runner-up six times 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996, 2004 and 2007. They have been in the state tournament, which includes the final four from each class a record 19 times since 1981.
Football has appeared in the state playoffs ten times since 1981. Playoff years include 1981(AA), 1983(AA), 1984(AA), 1986(AA), 1991(A), 1992(A), 1993(A), 1996(A), 2001(A), and 2003(A). The Bulldogs advanced to the final eight teams in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1993, and 2001. They advanced to the final four in 1986 and 1992.
Basketball has appeared in the regional finals on four different occasions, which is the last game before the state tournament is held in Charleston. They have won sectional finals in 1977(AA), 1995(A), 1996(A), and 2002(A). In 1991-1992, a multi-million dollar gymnasium was built to take the place of one of the only "domed" gyms in West Virginia.
Girls Basketball has won a state championship (AA) in 1982. They also advanced to the state tournament in 1983.
Notable residents
- Hasil AdkinsHasil AdkinsHasil Adkins was an Appalachian country, rock and roll, and blues musician, though he was frequently considered rockabilly and sometimes primitive jazz...
- Appalachian RockabillyRockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
one man band whom recorded many songs, appeared in movies and TV shows and was featured in a documentary, "The Wild World Of Hasil Adkins." - Robin Jean Davis- West Virginia Supreme Court Justice
- Tony Gibson- University of Michigan Defensive Backs Coach
- Jason PetersJason Peters-Buffalo Bills:Peters was picked up by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent in April 2004. He was cut then re-signed to the Bills' practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on November 12, 2004...
- American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player - Jesco WhiteJesco WhiteJesco White, the "Dancing Outlaw", is an American mountain dancer and entertainer. He is best known as the subject of three American documentary films that detail his desire to follow in his famous father's footsteps, while trying to overcome depression, drug addiction, and the poverty that...
- Mountain dancer who was featured in documentaries, TV shows and countless popular songs among other things. - Michael Wooten- Anchor/Reporter- WGRZ News Channel 2 (Buffalo, NY)- NBC Affiliate