Summersville, West Virginia
Broad Street (West Virginia Routes 39 and 41) in downtown Summersville in 2007
Location of Summersville, West Virginia
Coordinates: 38°17′0″N 80°50′39″W / 38.28333, -80.84417
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Nicholas
Area
- Total	4.3 sq mi (11.0 km²)
- Land	4.2 sq mi (11.0 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	1,880 ft (573 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,294
- Density	775.4/sq mi (299.4/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26651
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-77980[1]
GNIS feature ID	1547739[2]

The Nicholas County Courthouse in 2007

Summersville is a town in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nicholas County^[3]. Summersville, especially along U.S. 19, is well-known as a speed trap. 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, CBS, CBC, and the BBC. The city has been further seen in Money Magazine, USA Today, and dozens of local newspapers in the Midwest. The myth that this town is a speedtrap is widespread. The speedlimit drops upon entering the city and is advertised by giant signs with flashing lights. The reason for the drop in speedlimit is due to the fact that the highway runs through the town and has virtually no offramps. This caused massive amounts of car accidents and loss of life in the eighties and early nineties. CBS did a story on this stretch of highway during this time and called it "The Most Dangerous Road in America". Dropping the speedlimit and patrolling it tightly has eliminated most of the problems, but most travelers don't know the history and continue to label it as a "speedtrap".^{[citation needed]} Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is near the town.

Geography

Summersville is located at 38°17′0″N, 80°50′39″W (38.283342, -80.844207)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.0 km² (4.3 mi²). 11.0 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.23% is water.

Summersville is home to the annual Potato Festival.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,294 people, 1,476 households, and 890 families residing in the town. The population density was 299.3/km² (775.4/mi²). There were 1,598 housing units at an average density of 145.2/km² (376.2/mi²). 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, 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 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 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.

See also

• Summersville Lake
• Summersville Dam
• Gauley River National Recreation Area

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. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• City of Summersville official website
• Summersville Community TV

• Summersville, West Virginia is at coordinates 38°17′00″N 80°50′39″W / 38.283342, -80.844207 (Summersville, West Virginia)Coordinates: 38°17′00″N 80°50′39″W / 38.283342, -80.844207 (Summersville, West Virginia)

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