ZIP Code 26241

Elkins is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins, a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 6,950 at the 2020 census and estimated at 6,895 in 2021. Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College and to the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.Thomas Skidmore (ca. 1733-1807), born in Maryland, obtained a title to 400 acres of land (by virtue of a settlement) in the future Elkins area before 1778. This land, on the east side of the Tygart Valley River, was surveyed by John Poage in 1780 and included the land that is now most of downtown Elkins. The area that would become Elkins was known as Leadsville, and was the site of a few scattered homesteads a place where the local farmers' corn crop was loaded onto boats and floated down the Tygard Valley River. After an intense county seat war with nearby Beverly, where the new county courthouse building was burned down in 1897 under suspicious circumstances, Elkins became the county center in 1899. In 1930, 18 passenger trains were arriving and leaving Elkins daily. All passenger service was discontinued in 1958. In 2010, there were 7,094 people, 3,038 households, and 1,756 families living in the city.

History

The City of Elkins was developed by U.S. Senators Henry Gassaway Davis (1823-1916) and Stephen Benton Elkins (1841-1911) (Elkins was Davis' son-in-law) The two founders developed railroad lines, coal mines, and timbering businesses. Together, they built the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway into Elkins in 1889. After an intense county seat war with nearby Beverly, where the new county courthouse building was burned down in 1897 under suspicious circumstances, Elkins became the county seat in 1899. In 1904 the new Randolph County Courthouse designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style was completed in Elkins. In 1930, 18 passenger trains were arriving and leaving Elkins daily. In 1958, all passenger service was discontinued in 1958. Elkins has an active economic development authority, chamber of commerce, downtown business organization and numerous social, fraternal and service organizations that sponsor annual events like the Mountain State Forest Festival, which brings thousands of people into the city every year. The city is located on the banks of the Tygart Valley River, which runs through the center of the town. The town was founded in 1890 by Senators Davis and Elkins, and was named for the latter in 1890. It is now the home of the University of West Virginia's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Elkins area was once known as Leadsville and was the site of a few scattered homesteads, a place where the local farmers' corn crop was loaded onto boats and floated down the Tygard Valley River.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,094 people, 3,038 households, and 1,756 families living in the city. There were 3,421 housing units at an average density of 997.4 per square mile (385.1/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 96.5% White, 1.2% African American, 0.2%. Native American,0.8% Asian, and 0. 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1%. The median income for a household in theCity was $26,906, and the median income. for a family was $34,291. About 14.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25. 4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% ofThose 65 or over. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was2.83. The median age in the City was 39.6 years. The city's population was 7,032 at the 2000 census, and 7,068 at the 2010 census, both figures are up from the 7,000 people who lived in 2000. The population of the City is expected to grow to 8,000 by the end of the decade. It is the largest city in the state, with a population of 7,500, up from 7,300 at the start of the century.

Geography

Elkins is located at the confluence of the Tygart Valley River and Leading Creek. The city has a total area of 3.43 square miles (8.88 km²), all land. Elkins is headquarters for the Monongahela National Forest, a 910,155-acre (368,327 ha) federal reserve. In 1995, a second edition of The 100 Best Small Towns in America, written by Norman Crampton, featured Elkins among the special places in the United States. "You can stand on any street in Elkins and turn in all directions and see forest covered mountains rimming the city. It is unbelievable," said then Editor Emerita of The Inter-Mountain, Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum. The average elevation of the city is 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The highest one-day precipitation is 5.02 inches (12.8 cm), on November 4, 1985. The record high temperature is 99 °F (37 °C) on July 16, 1988 and on August 6, 1918 and on July 21, 1930. The lowest daily maximum is 6 °f (21 °C), on December 25, 1983 and on December 19, 2009. It is the only city in the state of West Virginia to have recorded more than one foot of snowfall in a single day. It has been named one of the best small towns to live in by CNN.com.

Events

Augusta Heritage Festival is a music and heritage festival. It is held on the Davis and Elkins College campus and in town over 5 consecutive weeks every summer, typically in July and August. There is also a week-long Old Time event in October, and a dulcimer week in the spring. There are 10+ themes ranging from Old Time, Blue Grass, Cajun, Irish, dance, wood and metal working and more. Attracting musicians and students from around the world, it is held in downtown Augusta, Georgia, from July to August. There are also a number of smaller events throughout the year, such as an Old Time festival in October and a Blue Grass festival in April. The festival is free and open to the public, and is open to all ages and skill levels.

Transportation

Elkins sits at the junction of US 33, US 219, and US 250. US 33 is a major four-lane highway connecting to Buckhannon and Interstate 79 at Weston. The western terminus of the Allegheny Highlands Trail is in Elkins. ElkinsRandolph County Airport (Jennings Randolph Airfield) (code KEKN) is a regional airport with two runways, each approximately 4,500 feet (1,400 m) long. Long-term plans call for Corridor H to be extended further past its current ending at Kerens eventually to Interstate 81 at Strasburg, Virginia. The city is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's Elkins Army Airfield, which has a runway of 1,400 feet (300 m) and apron of 2,000 feet (600 m) in length. It is also the location of the Elkins Air Force Base, which is located on the eastern edge of the city. The Elkins Police Department is based in the city and has a station on the western edge of Elkins, at the intersection of US 250, US 33 and US 219. It also has a post office, postmaster general's office, police station, and sheriff's office. The town is also home to Elkins High School, a public high school, and Elkins Middle School, which was founded in 1883. It was the site of the first high school in the state, which opened in 1881. It has a high school that opened in 1896.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Elkins, Randolph County, West Virginia = 96.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 76. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Elkins = 4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,950 individuals with a median age of 39.7 age the population grows by 0.85% in Elkins, Randolph County, West Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,923.50 residents per square mile of area (742.65/km²). There are average 2.13 people per household in the 3,086 households with an average household income of $37,002 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.50% of the available work force and has dropped -6.15% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.20%. The number of physicians in Elkins per 100,000 population = 198.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Elkins = 45.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 63.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 172. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 153. 81 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Elkins, Randolph County, West Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 56.04%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $92,070 and home appreciation of 0.07%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $3.37 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,484 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school, 1484 students for each Librarian and 118 students for each Counselor. 4.35% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.80% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.98% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).