Martinsburg, West Virginia | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 39°27′13″N77°59′44″W / 39.45361°N 77.99556°W | |
Country | United States |
State | West Virginia |
County | Berkeley |
Government | |
• Mayor | Kevin Knowles (D) [1] |
Area | |
6.65 sq mi (17.22 km2) | |
• Land | 6.63 sq mi (17.17 km2) |
• Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
Elevation | 495 ft (151 m) |
Population | |
18,773 | |
18,835 | |
• Density | 2,632.18/sq mi (1,016.31/km2) |
• Urban | 43,441 |
• Metro | 260,070 (US: 167th) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 25401–25405 |
Area code | 304 681 |
FIPS code | 54-52060 |
GNIS feature ID | 2390615 [3] |
Website | City of Martinsburg |
Martinsburg is a city in and the county seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. [6] The population was 18,773 at the 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and the sixth-most populous city in the state. It is a principal city of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area extending into Maryland, which had 293,844 residents in 2020.
Martinsburg was established by an act [7] of the Virginia General Assembly that was adopted in December 1778 [8] during the American Revolutionary War. Founder Major General Adam Stephen named the gateway town to the Shenandoah Valley along Tuscarora Creek in honor of Colonel Thomas Bryan Martin, a nephew of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. [9]
Aspen Hall, a Georgian mansion, is the oldest house in the city.[ citation needed ] Part was built in 1745 by Edward Beeson, Sr. Aspen Hall, and its wealthy residents had key roles in the agricultural, religious, transportation, and political history of the region. Significant events related to the French and Indian War, the Revolution, and the Civil War took place on the property. Three original buildings are still standing, including the rare blockhouse of Mendenhall's Fort.
The first United States post office in what is now West Virginia was established at Martinsburg in 1792. At that time, Martinsburg and the larger territory were still part of Virginia.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) reached Martinsburg in 1842. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops were constructed in 1849 and rebuilt after the American Civil War.[ citation needed ]
According to William Still, "The Father of the Underground Railroad" and its historian: Mr Robert Brown, alias Thomas Jones, escaped from slavery in Martinsburg on Christmas night in 1856. He rode a horse and had it swim across the freezing Potomac River. After riding forty miles, he walked in cold wet clothes for two days, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received assistance there from the Underground Railroad and traveled by train to Philadelphia, and the office of William Still with the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Brown's wife and four children had been sold; he sought help to find them. He had a likeness of his wife, and locks of hair from each of them.[ citation needed ]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2020) |
In 1854, ten-year-old Isabelle Boyd, known as "Belle" and later a noted spy for the Confederacy, moved to Martinsburg with her family, where her father Benjamin operated a general merchandise store. After the Civil War began, Benjamin joined the Second Virginia Infantry, which was part of the Stonewall Brigade. His wife Mary was thus in charge of the Boyd home when Union forces under General Robert Patterson took Martinsburg. When a group of Patterson's men tried to raise a Union flag over the Boyd home, Mary refused. One of the soldiers, Frederick Martin, threatened Mary, and Belle shot him. She was acquitted.
She soon became involved in espionage, sending information to Confederate generals Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and J.E.B. "Jeb" Stuart. Often she was helped by Eliza Corsey, a Boyd family slave whom Belle had taught to read and write. In 1863, Belle was arrested in Martinsburg by the Union Army and imprisoned. Boyd's Greek Revival home, which he had built in 1853 and sold in 1855, had numerous owners over the decades. In 1992 it was purchased by the Berkeley County Historical Society. The historical society renovated the building and now operates it as the Berkeley County Museum. It is also known as the Belle Boyd House.
Residents of West Virginia were split in their allegiance during the war, with half of its soldiers serving in the Confederate army. [10] The vote to create a new state in western Virginia was very low, but statehood was approved by Congress and President Lincoln, and the new state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863. [11]
The city of Martinsburg was incorporated by an act of the new West Virginia Legislature on March 30, 1868.
Martinsburg became a center of the railroad industry and its workers. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began July 14, 1877, in this city at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops. [12] After several unsuccessful attempts to quell the protests, Governor Henry M. Mathews called for federal troops. By the time these troops had restored order, the protest of the rail company had spread across the country. [13]
Telephone service was established in Martinsburg in 1883. In 1889, electricity began to be furnished to Martinsburg as part of a franchise granted to the United Edison Manufacturing Company of New York.[ citation needed ]
The Interwoven Mills began operations in Martinsburg in 1891. [14]
Construction of the Apollo Civic Theatre was completed in 1913. [15]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2020) |
Over one thousand (1,039) men from Berkeley County participated in World War I. Of these, forty-one were killed, and twenty-one were wounded in battle. A monument to those who fell in battle was erected in Martinsburg in 1925.
During World War II, the Newton D. Baker Hospital in Martinsburg treated thousands of soldiers wounded in the war. In 1946 this military hospital became a part of the Veterans Administration (VA). The VA Medical Center in Martinsburg still provides care to United States veterans.
Due to restructuring beginning in the late 1940s and continuing through the 1970s, many of the mills and factories operating in Martinsburg shut down and went out of business, dealing a major blow to the local economy. Jobs were moved to the Deep South and later offshore.
Martinsburg is approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Hagerstown, 73 miles (117 km) west of Baltimore, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., and 134 miles (216 km) east of Morgantown. U.S. Route 11 runs through the center of town, and Interstate 81 passes along the northern side of the town.
Martinsburg is 212 miles (341 km) distant from the state capital of Charleston. However, it is closer to no less than five other state capitals: Harrisburg PA - 80 miles (130 km), Annapolis MD - 85 miles (137 km), Dover DE - 132 miles (212 km), Richmond VA - 135 miles (217 km), and Trenton NJ - 179 miles (288 km).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.67 square miles (17.28 km2), of which 6.65 square miles (17.22 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water. [16]
Martinsburg lies in the northern reaches of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool on average, with a January daily mean temperature of 32.4 °F (0.2 °C) and an average annual snowfall of 26.1 inches (66 cm), while summers are hot and humid with a July daily mean temperature of 75.7 °F (24.3 °C) and 27 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ readings annually. Precipitation is moderate, with winter being the driest period and May thru July the wettest. Extreme temperatures at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport range from −18 °F (−28 °C) on January 21, 1994, up to 112 °F (44 °C) on July 11, 1936; an even colder −19 °F (−28 °C) was recorded in the city on January 14, 1912.
Climate data for Martinsburg, West Virginia (Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport), 1991−2020 normals, [a] extremes 1891−present [b] | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 83 (28) | 90 (32) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 110 (43) | 112 (44) | 108 (42) | 103 (39) | 98 (37) | 86 (30) | 78 (26) | 112 (44) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 64.0 (17.8) | 65.9 (18.8) | 76.0 (24.4) | 85.1 (29.5) | 89.7 (32.1) | 93.8 (34.3) | 96.6 (35.9) | 94.3 (34.6) | 90.6 (32.6) | 83.6 (28.7) | 73.7 (23.2) | 64.7 (18.2) | 97.4 (36.3) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 41.3 (5.2) | 44.7 (7.1) | 53.5 (11.9) | 65.4 (18.6) | 74.0 (23.3) | 82.4 (28.0) | 86.9 (30.5) | 85.0 (29.4) | 78.1 (25.6) | 66.7 (19.3) | 55.1 (12.8) | 44.8 (7.1) | 64.8 (18.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.4 (0.2) | 35.0 (1.7) | 42.8 (6.0) | 53.6 (12.0) | 62.5 (16.9) | 71.1 (21.7) | 75.7 (24.3) | 73.8 (23.2) | 66.7 (19.3) | 55.2 (12.9) | 44.6 (7.0) | 36.0 (2.2) | 54.1 (12.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 25.3 (−3.7) | 32.2 (0.1) | 41.8 (5.4) | 51.0 (10.6) | 59.8 (15.4) | 64.5 (18.1) | 62.5 (16.9) | 55.3 (12.9) | 43.7 (6.5) | 34.2 (1.2) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 43.4 (6.3) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 4.3 (−15.4) | 9.5 (−12.5) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 36.6 (2.6) | 46.7 (8.2) | 53.7 (12.1) | 52.2 (11.2) | 41.3 (5.2) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 19.3 (−7.1) | 12.0 (−11.1) | 2.1 (−16.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) | −13 (−25) | −3 (−19) | 19 (−7) | 26 (−3) | 36 (2) | 41 (5) | 38 (3) | 29 (−2) | 17 (−8) | 6 (−14) | −12 (−24) | −19 (−28) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.60 (66) | 2.14 (54) | 3.42 (87) | 3.36 (85) | 4.05 (103) | 3.85 (98) | 3.78 (96) | 3.02 (77) | 4.03 (102) | 2.99 (76) | 2.73 (69) | 3.00 (76) | 38.97 (990) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.0 (23) | 7.2 (18) | 4.6 (12) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.1 (2.8) | 3.8 (9.7) | 26.1 (66) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.0 | 8.9 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 121.3 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 10.3 |
Source: NOAA (snow 1981–2010) [17] [18] [19] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 2,190 | — | |
1860 | 3,364 | 53.6% | |
1870 | 4,863 | 44.6% | |
1880 | 6,335 | 30.3% | |
1890 | 7,226 | 14.1% | |
1900 | 7,564 | 4.7% | |
1910 | 10,698 | 41.4% | |
1920 | 12,515 | 17.0% | |
1930 | 14,857 | 18.7% | |
1940 | 15,063 | 1.4% | |
1950 | 15,621 | 3.7% | |
1960 | 15,179 | −2.8% | |
1970 | 14,626 | −3.6% | |
1980 | 13,063 | −10.7% | |
1990 | 14,073 | 7.7% | |
2000 | 14,972 | 6.4% | |
2010 | 17,227 | 15.1% | |
2020 | 18,773 | 9.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [20] |
As of the census [21] of 2020, there were 18,777 people residing in the city, living in 7,179 total households. The population density was 2,591.7 inhabitants per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 79.9% White, 13.9% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 3.1% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 4.8% of the population.
The median household income (in 2019 dollars) was $42,835. The per capita income was $24,970. 29.5% of the population is recorded as being in poverty. 88.5% of households had a computer, with 77.9% having access to broadband internet.
As of the census [22] of 2010, there were 17,227 people, 7,293 households, and 4,106 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,590.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,000.2/km2). There were 8,408 housing units at an average density of 1,264.4 per square mile (488.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.5% White, 14.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population.
There were 7,293 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.7% were non-families. Of all households, 35.4% were made up of individuals, and 12.6% 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 3.00.
The median age in the city was 37 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
As of the census [23] of 2000, there were 14,972 people, 6,684 households, and 3,689 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,977.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,149.6/km2). There were 7,432 housing units at an average density of 1,478.0 per square mile (570.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.9% White, 11.6% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 1.3%% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.
There were 6,684 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,495, and the median income for a family was $36,954. Males had a median income of $29,697 versus $22,212 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,314. About 14.7% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Major private employers in and around Martinsburg include Quad/Graphics, Ecolab, Orgill, Macy's, and FedEx. In February 2015, it was announced that Procter & Gamble planned to build a $500 million facility near the city. [24]
The city also has numerous federal government employers, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Coast Guard C5ISC-Kearneysville, U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Martinsburg VA Medical Center.
The Martinsburg IRS Facility, one of the two Enterprise Computing Centers of the Internal Revenue Service (the other is in Memphis, Tennessee), processes most of the country's electronically filed tax documents from businesses, and about one-third of electronically filed tax returns.
The area is also home to the 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard, based in Eastern WV Regional Airport.
Martinsburg had its own automobile company from 1912 to 1922, called Norwalk, which assembled the longest-made known cars to be built in the state of West Virginia. [25]
Major League Baseball Hall of Famer [26] Hack Wilson began his storied professional career in his adopted hometown with the Martinsburg Blue Sox, a low-level minor-league baseball team. Wilson would go on to set the yet-to-be-broken major league record for RBI in a season (191) with the Chicago Cubs [27] in 1930.
After his playing career ended in 1935, Hack went back home to Martinsburg, played some ball with the town's semipro team and opened a recreation and pool hall in town with a partner. He later moved to Baltimore in 1941 where he later died November 23, 1948. Originally scheduled to be interred in Baltimore, Wilson was buried — in a donated plot — in Martinsburg, [28]
Martinsburg has one daily community newspaper, The Journal and also is regionally covered by The Herald-Mail out of Hagerstown, Maryland. Martinsburg has a bi-monthly magazine, Around the Panhandle magazine.
The city is home to WEPM/1340 AM, WRNR/740 AM, WICL/95.9 FM, WLTF/97.5 FM, and WVEP/88.9 FM radio stations.
Martinsburg is home to W08EE-D Channel 8 (West Virginia Public Broadcasting) and WWPX 60 (ION), all part of the Hagerstown sub-market that is further grouped under the Nielsen-designated Washington, D.C.-Hagerstown, Md. market, the ninth largest market in the nation. [29]
Martinsburg was the setting of the X-Files episode "Small Potatoes" (Season 4, episode 20). However, the filming did not take place in the vicinity. Martinsburg was also the setting for the reality television series Gypsy Sisters on TLC .
Martinsburg is served by several significant highways. The most prominent of these is Interstate 81, which is the main north–south highway through the region. I-81 connects northward to Hagerstown and Harrisburg, and continues southward to Winchester and Roanoke. U.S. Route 11, the former primary regional north–south highway, now serves as a local service road to I-81, and travels through downtown Martinsburg. The main highway serving regional east–west travel is West Virginia Route 9. From Martinsburg eastwards, WV 9 follows an expressway, connecting the city to Charles Town and Leesburg. WV 9 follows US 11 through downtown Martinsburg. To the west, WV 9 continues to Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw. West Virginia Route 45 is the other state highway serving Martinsburg. WV 45 extends westward into rural areas of western Berkeley County, and continues eastward to Shepherdstown.
Amtrak provides service to Martinsburg on its Washington-Chicago Capitol Limited route. The city's passenger rail station is located downtown at 229 East Martin Street. MARC, Maryland's commuter rail system, operates trains on weekdays on its Brunswick Line which terminates in Martinsburg. Service is provided to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (EPTA) operates public bus transit routes in Martinsburg, surrounding Berkeley County, and neighboring Jefferson County, West Virginia. [30]
Eastern WV Regional Airport, south of the city, handles general aviation and Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base is located at this airport. The closest airport with commercial air service is Hagerstown Regional Airport, that is about 25 miles (40 km) driving distance north. The closest international airport is Washington Dulles International Airport near D.C., which is about 60 miles (97 km) driving distance east.
Martinsburg is home to two hospitals, namely the Berkeley Medical Center and the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 154,705 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Hagerstown. The county is part of the Western Maryland region of the state.
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,063. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county was formed in 1820 from parts of Hampshire and Berkeley Counties and named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, prominent soldier of the American Revolutionary War. The county and town of Bath are considered excellent jumping-off points for exploring the Potomac and Cacapon Rivers just to the north and west, respectively. Also, the county is a tourist destination hosting numerous local artists, mineral water spas, and a large amount of outdoor recreation that includes fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and mountain scenery. The region is known for the famed Apple Butter Festival held annually in October. Morgan County is also the home of an important silica mine, part of U.S. Silica.
Kanawha County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charleston, which is also the state capital and most populous city. Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Berkeley County is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the eastern panhandle region of West Virginia in the United States. The county is part of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 122,076, making it the second-most populous of West Virginia's 55 counties, behind Kanawha County. The City of Martinsburg is the county seat.
Inez is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Martin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 546 at the 2020 census.
Halfway is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,896 at the 2020 census. It is named due to its location, which is halfway between Hagerstown and Williamsport. As a major suburb of Halfway is part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Belpre is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River across from Parkersburg, West Virginia. The population was 6,728 at the 2020 census. Its name derives from "Belle Prairie", the name given to the valley by French trappers prior to the first American settlement at the site.
Hedgesville is a town in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle region. The population was 318 at the 2010 census. The town sits on WV 9, roughly 13 miles east of Berkeley Springs. In addition to its legal definition, Hedgesville has come to be the common name for the large and sparsely inhabited area of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle bordered by the Potomac River to the North and East, a southern border defined roughly by an imaginary line from the city of Martinsburg to the tip of Virginia, and Berkeley Springs to the West.
New Cumberland is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,020 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area and is located near the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort.
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 6,534 at the 2020 census. The city is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. It is part of the northwestern fringes of the Washington metropolitan area.
Belle is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,171 at the 2020 census. Belle was incorporated on December 13, 1958, by the Kanawha County Circuit Court. It is the home of the Belle Bulldogs Elementary School.
Piedmont is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV metropolitan statistical area. The population was 716 at the 2020 census. Piedmont was chartered in 1856 and the town is the subject of Colored People: A Memoir by Piedmont native Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The most populous city in North Central West Virginia and the third-most populous city in the state, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2020 census. The city serves as the anchor of the Morgantown metropolitan area, which had a population of 138,176 in 2020.
Berkeley Springs is a town in, and the county seat of, Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's eastern panhandle. Berkeley Springs is also commonly used to refer to the area in and around the Town of Bath. In 1776, the Virginia Legislature incorporated a town around the springs and named it Bath. Since 1802, it has been referred to by the name of its original post office, Berkeley Springs. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area.
Paw Paw is a town in Morgan County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 410 at the 2020 census. The town is known for the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel. Paw Paw was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Morgan County on April 8, 1891, and named after pawpaw, a wild fruit that grows in abundance throughout this region. On September 14, 2024 a group of local citizens organized by Maria Gloyd hosted the inaugural Pawpaw Festival in the Town Park. Hundreds of people attended the festival to hear lectures on how to grow and cultivate Pawpaw fruit, and listen to Appalachian music performed by the Paw Paw Community Choir, Ben Townsend, the Critton Hollow String Band, and Mary Hott with the Carpenter Ants. Paw Paw is the westernmost incorporated community in Morgan County, and the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Richwood is a city in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. In 2020, the census showed Richwood with a population of 1,661. During the 19th and early 20th century Richwood was a booming coal and lumber town. Richwood has a very rich history, including the formation of the Cherry River Navy civic organization to draw attention to issues important to the community. Richwood has also become known statewide as the "Ramp Capital of the World". Each year, in April, the city hosts a large festival that draws visitors from around the country.
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. Located along the Buckhannon River, the population was 5,299 as of the 2020 census. The city is 46 miles (74 km) southwest of Morgantown, 88 miles (142 km) northeast of the capital city of Charleston, and 100 miles (160 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually during the third week of May.
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-most populous city and the center of the Parkersburg–Vienna metropolitan area. The city's population was 29,749 at the 2020 census, and its metro population was 89,490. The city is about 14 miles (23 km) south of Marietta, Ohio.
The Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area, officially designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as Hagerstown–Martinsburg, Maryland–West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), constitutes the primary cities of Hagerstown, Maryland; Martinsburg, West Virginia; and surrounding areas in three counties: Washington County, Maryland; Berkeley County, West Virginia; and Morgan County, West Virginia. The metro area lies mainly within the rich, fertile Cumberland and Shenandoah valleys, and is approximately a 60–90 minute drive from Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Hagerstown is approximately 75 miles (121 km) driving distance from all three cities. The population of the metropolitan area as of 2008 is 263,753.
Hagerstown is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's sixth-most populous incorporated city and is the most populous city in the Maryland Panhandle.
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