St. Marys, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Pleasants County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,514 people, 2,887 households, and 2,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 3,214 housing units at an average density of 25 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...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,017 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 Pleasants County
Pleasants County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,514 people, 2,887 households, and 2,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 3,214 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
. St. Marys was established in 1849 by Alexander Creel, who is said to have had a vision of Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
while passing the townsite by boat on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
St. Marys is part of the Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
-Marietta
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
-Vienna
Vienna, West Virginia
Vienna is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is a suburb of Parkersburg. The population was 10,749 at the 2010 census. It is the third largest city by population in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna Metropolitan Statistical Area. Vienna was incorporated in 1935, and was...
, WV-OH
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area
The Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in West Virginia and one in Ohio, anchored by the cities of Parkersburg, West Virginia, Marietta, Ohio, and Vienna, West Virginia...
.
Train tracks run down the middle of 2nd Street in St. Marys, and freight trains running through the middle of downtown St. Marys are a common sight. It is one of the few towns in the United States where freight trains actually share city streets with automotive traffic.
Geography
St. Marys is located at 39°23′47"N 81°11′59"W (39.396393, -81.199701), along the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
at the mouth of Middle Island Creek
Middle Island Creek
Middle Island Creek is a river, 77 miles long, in northwestern West Virginia, USA. It is a tributary of the Ohio River, draining an area of 565 square miles on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau...
. Middle Island
Middle Island (West Virginia)
Middle Island is a bar island on the Ohio River at St. Marys in Pleasants County, West Virginia, USA.Middle Island lends its name to West Virginia's Middle Island Creek and lies at its confluence with "The Thoroughfare", a channel of the Ohio River that separates the island from the riverbank. A...
, which is part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along of the Ohio River, primarily in the U.S. state of West Virginia. There are also a couple of islands upstream in Beaver County, Pennsylvania and a couple downstream...
, is located in the Ohio opposite St. Marys; a bridge connects the city to the island.
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 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 2,017 people, 879 households, and 588 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 2,074.1 people per square mile (802.9/km²). There were 961 housing units at an average density of 988.2 per square mile (382.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.56% White, 0.05% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.15% 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 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.
There were 879 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% 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 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,755, and the median income for a family was $37,621. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $21,522 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 $17,206. About 12.8% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
See also
- List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
- Pleasants County CourthousePleasants County CourthouseThe Pleasants County Courthouse was built in 1924 in St. Marys, West Virginia. The Neo-Classical Revival style building replaced the original courthouse, which was badly damaged by lightning in 1923. The new courthouse was designed by architects Holboe & Pogue of Clarksburg and built by Putnam &...
- Cain HouseCain House (St. Marys, West Virginia)The Cain House, also known as the Alexander Creel Tavern and the St. Marys Lodge #41 A.F. & A. M. was built in 1850 for Alexander H. Creel in St. Marys, West Virginia...