Williamson, West Virginia
Location of Williamson, West Virginia
Coordinates: 37°40′26″N 82°16′47″W / 37.67389, -82.27972
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Mingo
Area
- Total	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km²)
- Land	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	653 ft (199 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,414
- Density	1,022.6/sq mi (394.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	25661
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-87508[1]
GNIS feature ID	1549185[2]

Aerial view of Williamson, West Virginia, during construction of its current floodwall, completed in 1991. The Tug Fork river is the border between West Virginia and Kentucky and the highway on the left (US-119) is in Kentucky.

Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, USA, along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,414 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County^[3], and is the county's largest and most populous city. Williamson is home to Southern West Virginia Community College. The Tug Fork River separates Williamson from South Williamson, Kentucky.

Williamson is the site of a large rail yard built by the former Norfolk and Western Railroad (now Norfolk Southern Railway), which was built to service the many coal mines of the region. The city is protected by a floodwall, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1991^[4] in response to a devastating flood along the Tug Fork River in 1977. Floodgates were also built on the river's main entrance to Williamson, to completely close the city from floodwaters. There have only been two uses of the gates thus far, the first occurred in 2002 during a major flood in the region. And the second occurred in 2003, only two lower lying gates were closed, due to anticipation of the rising river getting higher.

The local Williamson, West Virginia economy is largely fueled by Coal mining, Transportation, Healthcare and Retail.

The Coal House in Williamson, West Virginia

Brass plaque on The Coal House in Williamson, West Virginia

History

Williamson, was incorporated in 1892. Most historians believe that Williamson was named in honor of Wallace J. Williamson. He owned the land where Williamson now stands, had earned a fortune in real estate investments in the area, and founded the city's first bank and its first hotel. Others claim that the city was named for Wallace's father, Benjamin F. Williamson. He owned most of the land in the region before dividing it among his sons.

Williamson grew rapidly once the railroad connected into the town. Its population, just 688 in 1900, jumped to 6,819 in 1920 and 9,410 in 1930.

Geography

The Tug Fork River at Williamson

Williamson is located at 37°40′26″N, 82°16′47″W (37.673936, -82.279613)^[5]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,414 people, 1,566 households, and 903 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,022.6 people per square mile (394.7/km²). There were 1,892 housing units at an average density of 566.7/sq mi (218.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.51% White, 13.65% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 1,566 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,635, and the median income for a family was $35,893. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $20,291 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,303. About 22.1% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.5% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

People From Williamson, West Virginia

• Ulvert M. Moore - Decorated Naval aviator, Deceased

• S.U.G. Rhodes - Attorney, Politician, Deceased

• Don Blankenship Chairman/CEO/President of Massey Energy

• Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong - Former President of Mississippi State Univ./ Retired Air Force Four Star General.

• H. Truman Chafin - Democratic State Senator (Majority Leader), Attorney

• Mary Conley - The Amazing Race 10, The Amazing Race 11 (All-Stars)

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. ^ (2006) "Williamson", in Ken Sullivan (ed.): The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Charleston, W.Va.: West Virginia Humanities Council, p. 798. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5. 
5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

Mingo County History *[1]

• Williamson Daily News
• Riverside Elementary School

• Williamson, West Virginia is at coordinates 37°40′26″N 82°16′47″W / 37.673936, -82.279613 (Williamson, West Virginia)Coordinates: 37°40′26″N 82°16′47″W / 37.673936, -82.279613 (Williamson, West Virginia)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Mingo County, West Virginia County seat: Williamson City Williamson Towns Delbarton | Gilbert | Kermit | Matewan CDPs Chattaroy | Gilbert Creek | Red Jacket Other localities Baisden | Borderland | Breeden | Dingess | Edgarton | Isaban‡ | Justice | Lenore | Meador | Naugatuck | Newtown | Nolan | Ragland | Rawl | Varney | Verner | Wharncliffe | Wilsondale Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties