Clarksburg

 

city (1990 pop. 18,059), seat of Harrison co., N central W.Va., at the confluence of Elk Creek and the West Fork of the Monongahela River; inc. 1795. It is an industrial and shipping center for an area of coal mines, oil and natural gas fields, and grazing lands. Glass and fabricated metal products, welding and transportation equipment, and machinery are manufactured. The city was an important Union supply base in the Civil War, and remains of Union earthworks are preserved in Lowndes Hill park. Clarksburg is the birthplace of Stonewall Jackson; a plaque designates the site. Salem International Univ. and the FBI fingerprint data center are outside the city.

Clarksburg is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, U.S. The population was 16,743 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Harrison County⁶. Since 1979 Clarksburg has hosted the annual West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival during Labor Day weekend. Each September since 1991 the city has been the site of the West Virginia Black Heritage Festival. The city is known as the "jewel of the hills."

Geography

Clarksburg is located at 39°17′0″N, 80°20′13″W (39.283401, -80.336906)¹, along the West Fork River and Elk Creek.^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.7 km² (9.5 mi²), all land.

Clarksburg is located in West Virginia's North-Central region.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880			—
1890			30.4%
1900			34.6%
1910			127.2%
1920			202.9%
1930			3.6%
1940			5.9%
1950			4.7%
1960			-12.2%
1970			-11.6%
1980			-10.0%
1990			-19.3%
2000			-7.3%

As of the census² of 2000, there were 16,743 people, 7,447 households, and 4,378 families residing in the city. The population density was 679.0/km² (1,758.3/mi²). There were 8,662 housing units at an average density of 351.3/km² (909.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.86% White, 3.83% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 1.06% of the population.

There were 7,447 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,722, and the median income for a family was $35,075. Males had a median income of $30,194 versus $22,388 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,587. About 14.8% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy and Industry

During most of the 20th century, Clarksburg was an industrial and manufacturing center, particularly in the glass industry. The coal industry also played a major role in the first half of the 20th century.

Since 1995 Clarksburg has been the location of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, the largest division of the FBI.^[2] The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, a national fingerprint and criminal history system, became operational in July 1999 at the division's complex. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, used to screen individuals attempting to receive a firearm, is operated from the facility.^[3]

Clarksburg is home to Eastpointe and Newpointe, the largest strip mall in West Virginia, straddling Interstate 79. Most of Clarksburg's retail has relocated to the strip malls and downtown is now home to many professional services.^[4]

History

Clarksburg was formed in 1785 in Virginia. The city is named for General George Rogers Clark.^[5] In 1824, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was born in Clarksburg.^[6]

On October 11, 1996, seven men having connections with the Mountaineer Militia, a local anti-government paramilitary group, were arrested on charges of plotting to blow up the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division complex in Clarksburg. While members of the group had been assembling large quantities of explosives and blasting caps, militia leader Floyd Raymond Looker obtained blueprints of the FBI facility from a Clarksburg firefighter. Plastic explosives were confiscated by law enforcement officials at five locations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Looker was taken into custody after arranging to sell the blueprints for $50,000 to an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed to be a representative of an international terrorist group. In 1998 Looker was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Two other defendants were sentenced on explosives charges, and the firefighter drew a year in prison for providing blueprints. ^[7]

Famous people from Clarksburg

• Rex Bumgardner: professional football player, Buffalo Bills (1948-1949) and Cleveland Browns (1950-1952)
• Phyllis Curtin: opera soprano
• John W. Davis: Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 1924
• Jimbo Fisher: American college football coach and former player who was the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year as a senior. He has served as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at LSU since 2000
• Nathan Goff, Jr.: congressman and United States Secretary of the Navy
• Lynn Hornor: Represented West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
• Stonewall Jackson: Confederate lieutenant-general during the American Civil War
• Tuffy Knight: retired as the winningest coach in Canadian university football history
• Pare Lorentz: film director
• Lloyd Lowndes, Jr.: Governor of Maryland
• Frank Marra: businessman, engineer, chairman of The Plastics Academy, received International Award for Business Management from Society of Plastics Engineers and Distinguished Service Award from the Society of the Plastics Industry
• Mike Patrick: ESPN sportscaster
• Stuart F. Reed: politician who represented West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
• Cyrus Vance: United States Secretary of State
• Patty Weaver: actress, The Young and the Restless (1982-present), Days of Our Lives (1974-1982)

References

External links

• City of Clarksburg official web site
• West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival official web site

Coordinates: 39.283401° N 80.336906° W

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