Grafton, West Virginia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Grafton, West Virginia
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Grafton, West Virginia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = West Virginia
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Taylor

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 9.8
area_land_km2 = 9.5
area_water_km2 = 0.3
area_total_sq_mi = 3.8
area_land_sq_mi = 3.7
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 5489
population_density_km2 = 575.7
population_density_sq_mi = 1491.1

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 312
elevation_ft = 1024
latd = 39 |latm = 20 |lats = 30 |latNS = N
longd = 80 |longm = 1 |longs = 11 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 26354
area_code = 304
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 54-32716GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1554590GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Grafton is a city in, and county seatGR|6 of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's Day Shrine. Grafton boasts one of the oldest observances of Memorial Day in America.

History

The City of Grafton was chartered in 1856. It is believed to have been named after John Grafton, a civil engineer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

Geography

Grafton is located at coor dms|39|20|30|N|80|1|11|W|city (39.341757, -80.019817)GR|1, along the Tygart Valley River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which, 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.16%) is water.

Tygart Lake State Park is a major nearby tourist attraction.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,489 people, 2,277 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,491.1 people per square mile (575.9/km²). There were 2,575 housing units at an average density of 699.5/sq mi (270.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% White, 0.84% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 2,277 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $18,981, and the median income for a family was $25,161. Males had a median income of $22,765 versus $16,629 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,616. About 26.6% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

*Anna Jarvis Founder of Mother's Day
*George Preston Marshall - longtime owner and president of the Washington Redskins
*Frank Gatski - Pro Football Hall of Fame center for the Cleveland Browns
*Clair Bee - basketball coach for Long Island University & noted Author
*Chip Hilton Clair Bee's fictional hero
*Charles S. Marshall - United States Air Force Colonel, WWII hero, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, father of the writer, Billy Marshall Stoneking and grandfather of C. W. Stoneking.
*Florence Nightingale who was born in Grafton, but soon moved to England.
*Jake Johnson - Noise musician known for his ambient guitar soundscapes.

References

External links

* [http://www.mothersdayshrine.com/ International Mother's Day Shrine]
* [http://www.taylorcountywestvirginia.blogspot.com/ Taylor County, West Virginia]
* [http://www.annajarvishouse.com/ Anna Jarvis Birthplace Museum]
* [http://www.tygartlake.com/ Tygart Lake State Park]
* [http://www.grafton123.com/ The Grafton 123 Coffee House & Cafe]
* [http://www.mountainstatesman.com/ Mountain Statesman newspaper]
* [http://www.wvonline.com/graftonhs/ Grafton High School]
* [http://lakeacreslabs.com/ Lake Acres Labs]
* [http://www.lighthouseleather.com/ Lighthouse Leather]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvtaylor/tchgs.htm/ Taylor County Historical & Genealogical Society]
* [http://miragesoundco.homestead.com/index.html/ Mirage Sound Co.]
* [http://www.somethincountry.com/ Somethin' Country]
* [http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Grafton,_West_Virginia West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia article]
* [http://www.adventuresinelegance.com/tcac.htm Taylor County Arts Council]
* [http://mysite.verizon.net/biztnhhh/ Grafton B&O Railroad Heritage Center]