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Rivesville, West Virginia facts for kids

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Rivesville, West Virginia
Location of Rivesville in Marion County, West Virginia.
Location of Rivesville in Marion County, West Virginia.
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Marion
Area
 • Total 0.59 sq mi (1.54 km2)
 • Land 0.52 sq mi (1.36 km2)
 • Water 0.07 sq mi (0.18 km2)
Elevation
866 ft (264 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 934
 • Estimate 
(2019)
903
 • Density 1,723.28/sq mi (664.98/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
26588
Area code(s) 304
FIPS code 54-68908
GNIS feature ID 1545784

Rivesville is a town and former coal town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 934 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Rivesville is located at 39°31′49″N 80°7′9″W / 39.53028°N 80.11917°W / 39.53028; -80.11917 (39.530276, -80.119063) in the heart of the Fairmont coal field on the north-west bank of the Monongahela River around its confluence with Paw Paw Creek.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 square miles (1.53 km2), of which, 0.52 square miles (1.35 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 54
1870 63 16.7%
1880 136 115.9%
1890 165 21.3%
1900 164 −0.6%
1910 190 15.9%
1920 1,061 458.4%
1930 1,700 60.2%
1940 1,552 −8.7%
1950 1,343 −13.5%
1960 1,191 −11.3%
1970 1,108 −7.0%
1980 1,327 19.8%
1990 1,064 −19.8%
2000 913 −14.2%
2010 934 2.3%
2019 (est.) 903 −3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 934 people, 402 households, and 261 families living in the town. The population density was 1,796.2 inhabitants per square mile (693.5/km2). There were 430 housing units at an average density of 826.9 per square mile (319.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, and 0.1% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population.

There were 402 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the town was 42.1 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

History

The first stories of temporary European settlement in the Rivesville area involve a Boston native, Pompey Leggett, who settled briefly in the area in 1694, but the first permanent settlements along the Monongahela were not established until after the French and Indian War in 1763. Frontier forts and frequent clashes between Europeans and Native Americans continued for several decades.

Rivesville was platted in 1837, and named after William Cabell Rives.

In 1900, it was a very small town, population 164, growing to 190 in 1910. This was immediately before the development of large-scale coal mining in the area and the subsequent population growth.

In the early 20th century, Rivesville was at the junction between the Pawpaw branch of the B&O Railroad and the Buckhannon & Northern Railroad, a branch of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie a predecessor that was incorporated into the Monongahela Railway formed in 1915.

Rivesville was also served by the Fairmont-Clarksburg Division of the Monongahela-West Pen Railways, originally the Monongahela Power and Railway Company. This electric interurban line ran from Fairmont through Rivesville to the Rivesville Power Station, just north of town.

Notable person

  • Harrison C. Summers, WWII hero

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rivesville (Virginia Occidental) para niños

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