Belington, West Virginia
Location of Belington, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°1′33″N 79°56′17″W / 39.02583, -79.93806
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Barbour
Area
- Total	2.2 sq mi (5.6 km²)
- Land	2.1 sq mi (5.3 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation	1,703 ft (519 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,788
- Density	870.2/sq mi (336.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26250
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-05788[1]
GNIS feature ID	1535594[2]

Belington is a town in Barbour County, West Virginia, along the Tygart Valley River. The population was 1,788 as of the 2000 census.

Geography

Belington is located at 39°1′33″N, 79°56′17″W (39.025706, -79.938166)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.65%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,788 people, 713 households, and 518 families residing in the town. The population density was 336.8/km² (870.2/mi²). There were 790 housing units at an average density of 148.8/km² (384.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.66% White, 0.06% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 713 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,154, and the median income for a family was $28,500. Males had a median income of $25,809 versus $15,050 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,905. About 18.3% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.9% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Belington was founded in 1769. Originally it was known as the Barker Settlement, after Elias Barker who had settled there with his brother William Barker. In 1785 or so, it was called Yeagers, taking its name from a settler, George Yeager, and his sons. In 1855, it took its current name, Belington, from John Bealin who had opened up a store there, and who would later move to Kansas.

After the June 3, 1861 Battle of Philippi, considered by some to be the first land battle of the Civil War, the Confederate forces, having been routed by the Union Army in Philippi, retreated south. The Confederates made camp near the Laurel Mountain Road, today, a winding single lane dirt road that crosses the mountain and connects Belington, WV to Elkins, WV.

Belington Fire Department

Established in 1939, Belington Fire Department has been providing Service to the community. The Belington Fire Department has been a volunteer fire Department since it was established. Before 1939 the community was protected by Enterprise Hose Company. The Belington Fire Department was first housed in a garage beside city hall, later it was moved on the other side of city hall to be housed on Crim Ave. In 1939 the City of Belington received a grant from WPA to construct a town hall, with the building of the town hall the first fire department was built along with the new city hall. The first piece of apparatus was Engine 39 this vehicle was purchased by the City of Belington. The Enterprise Hose Company later that year purchased Engine 39 from the City of Belington and Mayor Doc Guy Michaels, and in doing so formed the Belington Fire Department Inc. Engine 39 is still housed inside Station 3. In 1970, the Belington Fire Department moved from its house on Walnut St. behind city hall to a location on the main road through town Crim Ave, And during the flood of 1985 the Station 3 was flooded with at least 4 foot of water. In 2003, the Belington Fire Department was moved for a third time to its current location on the corner of Elliot Ave and Watkins. The new house includes a chief’s office, a dispatch room, 2 restrooms, a shower, dayroom, tool room, 7 truck bays, and a wash bay. www.belingtonfire.com

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Belington, West Virginia is at coordinates 39°01′33″N 79°56′17″W / 39.025706, -79.938166 (Belington, West Virginia)Coordinates: 39°01′33″N 79°56′17″W / 39.025706, -79.938166 (Belington, West Virginia)
• Belington Fire department official Website, Beligton WV.

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Barbour County, West Virginia
County seat: Philippi
City	Philippi
Towns	Belington | Junior
Unincorporated communities	Adaland | Arden | Audra | Bear Mountain | Berryburg | Berryburg Junction | Boulder | Brownton | Calhoun | Carrollton | Century | Century Junction | Claude | Clemtown | Corder Crossing | Corley | Cove Run | Dartmoor | Dent | Elk City | Finegan Ford | Gage | Galloway | Hall | Hiram | Hopewell | Independence | Jones | Kalamazoo | Kasson | Kirt | Lantz | Longview | Mansfield | Meadowville | Meriden | Middle Fork | Moatsville | Mount Liberty | Murphy | Nestorville | Overfield | Peeltree | Pepper | Pleasure Valley | Rangoon | Stringtown | Tacy | Talbott | Tygart Junction | Union | Valley Bend | Valley Furnace | Vannoys Mill | Volga | Weaver Community | Wellington Heights | Werner | West Junior