Keyser is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County[3], West Virginia, United States. It is part of the 'Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 5,303 at the 2000 census. Keyser is styled as the "Friendliest City in the U.S.A."[citation needed].
History
Keyser was originally called Paddy Town after Patrick McCarty, son of one of the original settlers. With the coming of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1852, the destiny of the area changed from a quiet rural community to a thriving industrial center. The name was changed to New Creek Station and then to New Creek. In 1861 the Civil War came rumbling through the valley. Fort Fuller was built on the present site of Potomac State College, and Fort Piano entrenchments were established on New Creek Mountain.
Because of the importance of the railroad, the town changed hands 14 times. At the time, West Virginia became a state in 1863 there was some contention between Piedmont and New Creek over the location of the county seat. As an inducement to have the county seat located in New Creek, the Davis brothers donated land for the courthouse in 1867 and is still in use.
In 1874, the town was incorporated as ‘Keyser’ to honor William Keyser, Vice President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Supposedly, intended to gain favor with Mr. Keyser and the railroad to ensure that they would move all rail operations from Piedmont to Keyser.
Former Major League Baseball player and current sportscaster John Kruk grew up in Keyser. Current Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who made his reputation in the same role with the Atlanta Braves, was born in Keyser, but never lived there. At the time Mazzone was born, Keyser had the nearest hospital to his parents' home in Westernport, Maryland, and he spent his entire childhood in Westernport. Eighties Hard rock artists Kix ("The Itch", "Don't Close your Eyes", "Midnight Dynamite") are from Keyser. After changing their name from The Shooze and signing with Atlantic Records, the band went on to sell 2 million records before breaking up in 1995. Former G Gordon Liddy Producer and current San Francisco radio host Matty Staudt also hails from Keyser. He recently was a featured voice/character in the Pixar movie "Cars." Staudt began his radio career with local radio station WQZK. The world renown historian of the African American Slave trade and one of the most powerful academic voices in America, Dr. Henry Louis Gates,Jr. was born in Keyser in 1950 (he also was the first African American to graduate from Cambridge.) Dr. Gates is a good friend of Qunicy Jones and the late Alex Haley.(http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/gates_h.htm)
The 2007 Guitar Center's Best Amateur Drummer, Donny Marple, is from Keyser, Wv.
Education
Keyser is the home of the Potomac State College of West Virginia University, a junior college that serves primarily as a feeder college to WVU's main campus in Morgantown.
Keyser's public schools are part of the Mineral County school system. The schools in Keyser include Fountain Primary School, which covers Pre-Kindergarten through Fourth Grade; Keyser Primary Middle School, which covers Kindergarten through Eighth Grade; Keyser High School, which covers Ninth through Twelfth Grades; Mineral County Alternative School; and the Mineral County Tech Center, a vocational school. The mascot of Keyser High is the "Golden Tornado."
Geography
Keyser is located at 39°26′20″N 78°58′58″W / 39.43889°N 78.98278°W / 39.43889; -78.98278 (39.438851, -78.982663)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,303 people, 2,241 households, and 1,333 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,791.7 people per square mile (1,077.6/km²). There were 2,542 housing units at an average density of 1,338.2/sq mi (516.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.55% White, 7.07% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 2,241 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,718, and the median income for a family was $32,708. Males had a median income of $29,034 versus $20,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,813. About 16.3% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.2% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents & natives
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr, - renowned historian, author, and academic; the first African-American to graduate from Cambridge. He was born in Keyser in 1950.
- Jonah Edward Kelley, WWII soldier awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
- Walter E. Rollins, (also known as Jack Rollins) Songwriter who wrote Frosty the Snowman and Smokey the Bear
- John Kruk, former professional baseball player and current ESPN baseball analyst
- Jim Conner, former Executive Vice President, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
- Harley Orrin Staggers, United States Congressman
- Leo Mazzone, former major league baseball pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. He was born in Keyser.
- Taige Redman, West Virginia University Football Player, Linebacker. Graduated from Keyser High School class of 2009.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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