Nitro, West Virginia | |
---|---|
![]() Living Memorial Park in Nitro, WV | |
Motto: Living Memorial to World War I | |
![]() Location of Nitro in Kanawha County, West Virginia. | |
Coordinates: 38°24′55″N81°49′52″W / 38.41528°N 81.83111°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Counties | Kanawha, Putnam |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal Government |
• Mayor | Dave Casebolt |
• Treasurer | John Young |
Area | |
• Total | 5.82 sq mi (15.07 km2) |
• Land | 5.24 sq mi (13.58 km2) |
• Water | 0.58 sq mi (1.49 km2) |
Elevation | 594 ft (181 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 6,618 |
• Estimate (2021) [2] | 6,518 |
• Density | 1,215.53/sq mi (469.29/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 25143 |
Area code | 304/681 |
FIPS code | 54-59068 |
GNIS feature ID | 1555228 [3] |
Website | cityofnitro.org |
Nitro is a city in Kanawha and Putnam counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It takes its name from a World War I era nitrocellulose plant. The population was 6,618 according to the 2020 census. [2] It is part of the Charleston metropolitan area.
Nitro was incorporated in 1932 by Circuit Court. The name Nitro derives from nitrocellulose, the main ingredient in smokeless gunpowder. [4] The Nitro area was to be the American ammunition production facility during World War I. Daniel C. Jackling "supervised the construction and operation" of the plant, which by the time of the armistice "was producing one hundred thousand pounds of high explosives per day." [5]
Its name was selected by the United States government because of the establishment there, during World War I, of a large federal plant for the manufacture of explosives. The city is known as "a Living Memorial to World War I."
Nitro is located at 38°24′55″N81°49′52″W / 38.41528°N 81.83111°W (38.415281, -81.831249), [6] primarily in Kanawha County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.67 square miles (12.10 km2), of which 4.28 square miles (11.09 km2) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.01 km2) is water. [7]
The city lies across the Kanawha River from the city of St. Albans to the south, and is adjacent to the census-designated place of Cross Lanes.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | 2,983 | — | |
1950 | 3,314 | 11.1% | |
1960 | 6,894 | 108.0% | |
1970 | 8,019 | 16.3% | |
1980 | 8,074 | 0.7% | |
1990 | 6,851 | −15.1% | |
2000 | 6,824 | −0.4% | |
2010 | 7,178 | 5.2% | |
2020 | 6,618 | −7.8% | |
2021 (est.) | 6,518 | [2] | −1.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 2014 Estimate [9] |
Nitro is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702. New definitions from February 28, 2013, placed the population at 363,000. [10]
As of the census [11] of 2010, there were 7,178 people, 3,250 households, and 1,914 families living in the city. The population density was 1,677.1 inhabitants per square mile (647.5/km2). There were 3,507 housing units at an average density of 819.4 units per square mile (316.4 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 2.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.
There were 3,250 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% 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 2.82.
The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,824 people, 3,015 households, and 1,935 families living in the city. The population density was 1,821.2 people per square mile (703.2 people/km2). There were 3,217 housing units at an average density of 858.6 units per square mile (331.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 1.63% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 3,015 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution was 20.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,389, and the median income for a family was $41,367. Males had a median income of $30,086 versus $21,932 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,453. About 7.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
The city's public school students do not all attend the same schools, because West Virginia school districts are divided strictly along county lines, without regard to city boundaries.
Kanawha County residents are served by the following schools in the city:
There is no public middle school in Nitro on either side of the county line, nor is there any public school within the Putnam County portion of the city. Middle school students in Kanawha County must bus to Andrew Jackson Middle School in Cross Lanes. Putnam County students must bus to Rock Branch Elementary, Poca Middle, and Poca High.
The reach of the Kanawha River Valley between Belle and Nitro is known locally as the "Chemical Valley", which, at its peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was the leading producer of chemicals in the world (Henry, 1974). During World War I the government built an $80 million complex in Nitro to manufacture explosives and chemicals for the war effort.
The site was located on an 1,800-acre (7.3 km2) cow pasture on the Kanawha River on the flat river valley floodplain. The facility had just been placed in operation when the war ended in November 1918. The first shipment of powder was also the last. Local authorities then sought various chemical companies to occupy the facility which had excellent infrastructure in utilities, transportation and new housing for workers. It was hoped that the former gunpowder complex would become a major chemical manufacturing center, especially for the emerging dye industry in the U.S. that relied on coal and coke by-products as feedstock.
The Kanawha River and water in the adjacent alluvium have been adversely affected by industrial activities (Messinger, 1997). [12]
The chemical manufacturing history of Nitro resulted in environmental impairment, including the Fike/Artel Chemical Site (EPA ID: WVD047989207), which is on the National Priorities List Superfund. The 12-acre (49,000 m2) site was placed on the EPA National Priorities List in 1983. The site is a former World War I chemical munitions plant at which subsequent chemical manufacturing, reclamation and disposal was allegedly conducted.
The Solutia Inc. Nitro Plant, located on the east bank of the Kanawha River approximately one-half mile north of the City of Nitro in Putnam County, is being investigated through the RCRA program. From 1918 to 1921, the facility manufactured explosives including "nitro-powder" to support World War I. When explosives manufacturing processes ceased, the facility was purchased and used for a variety of industries. In 1971, the buildings were used by a heavy chemical company Fike Chemical and further investigation showed improper waste remediation. [13] RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. [14]
Other RCRA Corrective Action facilities include Great Lakes Chemicals Company (formerly FMC Corporation) [15] and Union Carbide Corp. - PTO (a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company). [16]
Due to manufacturing activities, Nitro became known for a distinctive chemical smell—especially in the area of the I-64 bridge. However, the recent shift away from manufacturing in the region has significantly reduced air pollution issues.
In February 2012, Monsanto agreed to settle a case covering dioxin contamination around a plant in Nitro that had made Agent Orange. Monsanto agreed to pay up to $9 million for cleanup of affected homes, $84 million for medical monitoring of people affected, and the community's legal fees. [17] [18]
In 2001 Clonaid operated a lab in Nitro that was tied to the Raelians. It was located inside a rented room within a former high school. The FDA said that the equipment in the lab was state-of-the-art and had been bought by former West Virginia state legislator Mark Hunt. [19]
For over 50 years, the Monsanto plant in Nitro, West Virginia, created dioxin waste while producing herbicides, Agent Orange (during the Vietnam War), and different forms of rubber. Recent and past literature has established a link between the Monsanto plant and increased cancer cases within the region. Although evidence seems to support the occurrence of clustering within the Nitro and Saint Albans areas, further epidemiological and spatial studies are required. [20]
Putnam County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,440. Its county seat is Winfield, its largest incorporated city is Hurricane, and its largest community is the census-designated place of Teays Valley. Putnam County is part of the Huntington–Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, across the Kanawha River from Charleston, West Virginia.
Charleston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia and the county seat of Kanawha County. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 48,018 in 2021. The Charleston metropolitan area had 308,248 residents in 2020.
Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,453. Its county seat and largest city is Point Pleasant. The county was founded in 1804 and named for George Mason, delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Before the Civil War, the county was in the State of Virginia.
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.
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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.
Clendenin is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Elk River. The population was 850 at the 2020 census.
Dunbar is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Kanawha River. The population was 7,479 at the 2020 census.
East Bank is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Kanawha River. The population was 820 at the 2020 census. East Bank was incorporated in 1889 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature. It is so named on account of the town's location on the east side of the Kanawha River.
Marmet is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,501 at the 2020 census.
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South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of the state capital of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. The Criel Mound built circa 0 BCE by the Adena culture is adjacent to the city's downtown business district.
Alum Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kanawha and Lincoln counties along the Coal River in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It includes the unincorporated communities of Alum Creek, Forks of Coal, and Priestley. The CDP had a population of 1,749 at the 2010 census, down from 1,839 at the 2000 census.
Buffalo is a town in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,211 at the time of the 2020 census It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.
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.
Washington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Ohio River. It is part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,175 at the 2010 census. The community was named after George Washington.
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Solutia Inc. was an American manufacturer of materials and specialty chemicals including polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) interlayers for laminated glass, aftermarket window films, protective barrier and conductive films, and rubber processing chemicals. The company was formed on September 1, 1997, as a divestiture of the Monsanto Company chemical business. In July 2012, the company was acquired by Eastman Chemical Company.
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