Petersburg, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Petersburg is a city in Grant County
Grant County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,299 people, 4,591 households, and 3,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 6,105 housing units at an average density of 13 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...

. The population was 2,423 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 Grant County
Grant County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,299 people, 4,591 households, and 3,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 6,105 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

.

History

Petersburg was founded circa 1745 by Jacob Peterson, who owned the area's first merchandising store. It was incorporated in 1910.

Located near Petersburg is the Old Judy Church
Old Judy Church
Old Judy Church, also known as Old Log Church, is a historic Methodist Episcopal church building located near Petersburg, Pendleton County, West Virginia. It was built between 1836 and 1838, and is a rectangular hewn-log building measuring 24 feet wide and 28 feet deep. It was abandoned in 1910,...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1976.

Geography

Petersburg is located at 38°59′36"N 79°7′36"W (38.993339, -79.126582).

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 city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), all of it land.

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 2,423 people, 1,086 households, and 620 families residing in the city. 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 1,482.6 people per square mile (573.9/km²). There were 1,222 housing units at an average density of 747.7 per square mile (289.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.44% White, 1.57% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.29% 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 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.

There were 1,086 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,867, and the median income for a family was $32,941. Males had a median income of $23,654 versus $20,250 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 city was $19,642. About 11.9% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

  • Joan Banks
    Joan Banks
    Joan Banks was an American film, television, stage and radio actress who often appeared in dramas with her husband, Frank Lovejoy....

     - Actress, a regular on Gang Busters
    Gang Busters
    Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935.-History:...

     and 33 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater
    CBS Radio Mystery Theater
    CBS Radio Mystery Theater was a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS affiliates from 1974 to 1982....

    .
  • M. Blane Michael
    M. Blane Michael
    Martin Blane Michael was a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton on August 6, 1993, to a seat vacated by James Marshall Sprouse...

     - Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...

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