Weirton, West Virginia
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Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 20,411 (16,525 in Hancock County, 3,886 in Brooke County).
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Geography
WVMap-doton-Weirton.PNG
Location of Weirton, West Virginia
The City of Weirton is located at 40°24'31" North, 80°34'33" West (40.408567, -80.575959)Template:GR. It extends from the Ohio border on the west to the Pennsylvania border on the east at a point where the northern extension of West Virginia is only about 5 miles across. Therefore, it is the only city in the United States that borders two other states on two sides, and its own state on the other two sides.
Weirton is across the Ohio River from Steubenville, Ohio, and about 35 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along U.S. Route 22. Pittsburgh International Airport is less than 30 miles away.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.9 km² (19.3 mi²). 46.3 km² (17.9 mi²) of it is land and 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.22% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 20,411 people, 8,958 households, and 5,885 families residing in the city. The population density is 441.0/km² (1,142.2/mi²). There are 9,546 housing units at an average density of 206.3/km² (534.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.52% White, 3.86% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,958 households out of which 23.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% are married couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% are non-families. 30.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.25 and the average family size is 2.79.
The age distribution is 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,212, and the median income for a family is $42,466. Males have a median income of $37,129 versus $19,745 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,853. 10.3% of the population and 8.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.0% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
The small village called Holliday's Cove -- which is now most of downtown Weirton -- was founded in the late 1700s. (It eventually lost the apostrophe.) In 1909, Ernest T. Weir, built a steel mill later known as Weirton Steel Company just north of Hollidays Cove. An unincorporated settlement called Weirton grew up around the mill, that by 1940 was said to be the largest unincorporated city in the United States. By then Hollidays Cove and two other outlying areas, Weirton Heights and Marland Heights, had also incorporated.
On July 1, 1947, all of these areas -- Hollidays Cove, Marland Heights, Weirton Heights, and unincorporated Weirton -- merged and formed the City of Weirton as it currently exists. Thomas E. Millsop, the head of the Weirton Steel division of the National Steel Corporation, was elected as the city's first mayor.
ISG Weirton Inc. (http://www.intlsteel.com/content/facilities/fac_Weirton.aspx), formerly the Weirton Steel Company (http://www.weirton.com/company/index.html), is the country's second largest tin maker, the city's largest employer, and the fourth largest private employer in the state (http://www.dailymail.com/static/specialsections/employers/emp4.html).
External links
- City of Weirton Homepage (http://www.cityofweirton.com)
- City of Weirton Fire Department (http://weirfire.org)
- History of Weirton (http://weirton.lib.wv.us/hancock/weir/maryhweir/reference/usgovt/WeirHist.html) from the Mary H. Weir Public Library (http://weirton.lib.wv.us/)