Parsons, West Virginia

Parsons, West Virginia
City
First Street in Parsons
Seal
Location of Parsons in Tucker County, West Virginia.
Coordinates: 39°5′45″N79°40′46″W / 39.09583°N 79.67944°W / 39.09583; -79.67944
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Tucker
Incorporated (town)	June 16, 1893
Incorporated (city)	February 18, 1907 [1]
Named for	Ward Parsons
Government
• Mayor	Bruce Kolsun
Area [2]
• Total	1.20 sq mi (3.11 km2)
• Land	1.12 sq mi (2.91 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation	1,647 ft (502 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	1,322
• Estimate  (2021) [3]	1,307
• Density	1,239.75/sq mi (478.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	26287
Area code	304
FIPS code	54-62284 [4]
GNIS feature ID	1555312 [5]
Website	cityofparsonswv.com

Parsons is the largest city in and county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. ^[6] The population was 1,322 at the 2020 census. ^[3] Parsons is located at the confluence of the Shavers Fork and the Black Fork, forming the head of the Cheat River.

History

Parsons was named for Ward Parsons, described by one source as having once owned the land on which the town was built, and by another as having been an aged wilderness pioneer in the area. ^[7]

The West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway was built into Parsons in 1888. The railway caused the town to boom by the 1890s. The railway was later merged into the Western Maryland Railway and provided passenger train service until the 1950s.

In the early 1890s, a dispute known as the Tucker County Seat War took place between the people in the town of Parsons and that of St. George over the location of the county seat. Although nobody was killed in the "war," the situation came to a climax when a mob of armed men from Parsons marched on St. George and took the county records by force. ^{[8] [9]}

1985 flood

The 1985 Cheat River flood caused extensive damage in Parsons. Over 90 percent of the businesses and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. ^[1] Twenty-five years later, in 2010, several empty storefronts lined the street up to the courthouse. Bars, restaurants, clothing stores and other businesses never returned to Parsons. The floods caused an estimated $570 million in damages. More than 3,500 homes and 180 businesses were destroyed. ^{[10] [11]} The BF Long & Co general store had a "high water mark" more than 7'6" from the floorboards. ^[10] Flood stage in the shallow riverbed was only 7 feet. ^[10]

Historic sites

Located at Parsons and listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Tucker County Bank Building, ^[12] Tucker County Courthouse and Jail, and Western Maryland Depot. ^[13]

Geography

The Cheat River is formed at Parsons by the confluence of the Shavers Fork and the Black Fork. ^[14]

The city has a total area of 1.20 square miles (3.11 km²), of which 1.11 square miles (2.87 km²) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km²) is water. ^[15]

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Parsons has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. ^[16]

Parsons had 96.99 inches of rain in 2018, a state record. ^[17]

Climate data for Parsons, West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	80 (27)	82 (28)	88 (31)	98 (37)	95 (35)	102 (39)	102 (39)	102 (39)	100 (38)	90 (32)	82 (28)	77 (25)	102 (39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	39.4 (4.1)	43.0 (6.1)	51.7 (10.9)	64.3 (17.9)	72.8 (22.7)	79.5 (26.4)	83.0 (28.3)	81.9 (27.7)	76.1 (24.5)	65.2 (18.4)	53.3 (11.8)	43.3 (6.3)	62.8 (17.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	30.7 (−0.7)	33.5 (0.8)	41.2 (5.1)	51.9 (11.1)	61.4 (16.3)	68.9 (20.5)	72.9 (22.7)	71.9 (22.2)	65.5 (18.6)	54.1 (12.3)	43.0 (6.1)	35.0 (1.7)	52.5 (11.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	22.1 (−5.5)	23.9 (−4.5)	30.6 (−0.8)	39.5 (4.2)	50.0 (10.0)	58.3 (14.6)	62.8 (17.1)	61.9 (16.6)	54.9 (12.7)	42.9 (6.1)	32.7 (0.4)	26.8 (−2.9)	42.2 (5.7)
Record low °F (°C)	−28 (−33)	−18 (−28)	−8 (−22)	0 (−18)	21 (−6)	30 (−1)	36 (2)	36 (2)	28 (−2)	12 (−11)	−7 (−22)	−26 (−32)	−28 (−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.81 (97)	3.88 (99)	4.45 (113)	4.64 (118)	5.79 (147)	5.95 (151)	5.79 (147)	4.75 (121)	4.04 (103)	3.94 (100)	3.60 (91)	4.37 (111)	55.01 (1,397)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	16.8 (43)	15.0 (38)	9.2 (23)	1.6 (4.1)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.25)	3.3 (8.4)	9.3 (24)	55.3 (140)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	19.1	16.0	16.3	14.9	15.9	14.1	14.8	13.0	11.1	11.4	12.1	17.3	176.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	8.6	6.6	3.8	1.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.8	6.2	28.3
Source: NOAA [18] [19]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	618		—
1910	1,780		188.0%
1920	2,001		12.4%
1930	2,012		0.5%
1940	2,077		3.2%
1950	2,009		−3.3%
1960	1,798		−10.5%
1970	1,784		−0.8%
1980	1,937		8.6%
1990	1,453		−25.0%
2000	1,463		0.7%
2010	1,485		1.5%
2020	1,322		−11.0%
2021 (est.)	1,307	[3]	−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [20]

Charles W. "Bill" Rosenau Municipal Building in 2021

Former rail bridge over Shavers Fork in 2021, now used by the West Virginia Allegheny Trail

2010 census

As of the census ^[21] of 2010, there were 1,485 people, 628 households, and 419 families living in the city. The population density was 1,337.8 inhabitants per square mile (516.5/km²). There were 730 housing units at an average density of 657.7 per square mile (253.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.

There were 628 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2000, there were 1,463 people, 642 households, and 426 families living in the city. The population density was 1,332.5 people per square mile (2.566/km². There were 731 housing units at an average density of 665.8 per square mile (2.566/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.97% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.

There were 642 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,424, and the median income for a family was $31,645. Males had a median income of $22,331 versus $20,069 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,565. About 16.1% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. West Virginia Encyclopedia: "Parsons." West Virginia Humanities Council, Charleston, WV. Accessed 2013-07-28.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
3. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
7. Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, West Virginia: The Place Name Press. p. 475.
8. "Tucker County History - The Tucker County Seat" . Retrieved April 11, 2014.
9. "Living Places - Tucker County Courthouse and Jail" . Retrieved April 11, 2014.
10. West Virginia Gazette: "Remembering the '85 floods" (D. White) 4 Nov 2010
11. "FLOODS IN WEST VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND MARYLAND, NOVEMBER 1985" (DH Carpenter) USGS WRI report 88-4213 Towson, MD, 1990
12. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/23/10 through 8/27/10. National Park Service. September 3, 2010.
13. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
14. West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. p. 37. ISBN   0-89933-246-3.
15. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
16. Climate Summary for Parsons, West Virginia
17. Livingston, Ian (December 5, 2019). "In 2018, 94 inches of rain deluged Sperryville, Va., setting a state record". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
18. "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
19. "Station: Parsons 3 SE, WV". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
20. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
21. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 24, 2013.