McMechen, West Virginia

McMechen, West Virginia
—  City  —
Location of McMechen, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°59′14″N 80°43′53″W / 39.98722°N 80.73139°W / 39.98722; -80.73139Coordinates: 39°59′14″N 80°43′53″W / 39.98722°N 80.73139°W / 39.98722; -80.73139
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Marshall
Area
– Total	0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2)
– Land	0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
– Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation	679 ft (207 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	1,937
– Density	3,352.4/sq mi (1,294.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26040
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-50260[1]
GNIS feature ID	1543032[2]

McMechen is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,937 at the 2000 census.

History

McMechen is named after William McMechen (1724 - 1797) and his family, who settled on the land in the early 1770s. William's son, Benjamin McMechen (1777 - 1855), is the namesake of the neighboring city of Benwood.

The McMechen Lockmaster Houses on the Ohio River were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.^[3]

Geography

McMechen is located at 39°59′14″N 80°43′53″W / 39.98722°N 80.73139°W / 39.98722; -80.73139 (39.987201, -80.731348)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.2 km²), of which, 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (30.95%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,937 people, 865 households, and 559 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,352.4 people per square mile (1,289.4/km²). There were 953 housing units at an average density of 1,649.4 per square mile (634.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.55% White, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.

There were 865 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,179, and the median income for a family was $33,080. Males had a median income of $27,357 versus $16,862 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,935. About 15.6% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.1% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

The city is home to Patrick Tribett, whose mugshot became an internet phenomenon on Fark and The Smoking Gun after being arrested repeatedly for huffing gold paint.^[5][6]

McMechen is also the hometown of award winning singer/songwriter Craig J Martin. A former Mercury/Polygram recording artist and composer of songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Western Flyer, Clinton Gregory, Rod Stewart, Cledus T Judd, George Jones and others. Close friends with the Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash families. Martin is one of only two writers ever to have the same song nominated two years in a row for CMA "Song of the year" Category with the song "Don't Take The Girl" By Tim McGraw.

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ WTOV-TV. "Man Arrested At Ball Field With Gold Paint On Face Again". http://www.wtov9.com/news/24685101/detail.html.  Retrieved on 20 Aug 2010
6. ^ Fark. "Internet legend returns in a huff to defend his gold". http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=5563639.  Retrieved on 20 Aug 2010