Point Pleasant, WV

Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Location of Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Coordinates: 38°51′27″N 82°7′43″W / 38.8575, -82.12861
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Mason
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	25550
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-647082
GNIS feature ID	15553813

Point Pleasant, West Virginia (foreground) at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers

Tourists at the monument of the Battle of Point Pleasant in Tu-Endie-Wei State Park.

A replica of Fort Randolph, a fort from the American Revolutionary War. The town of Point Pleasant was built on the site of the original fort, and so the rebuilt fort was located nearby.

This 12 foot tall, stainless steel sculpture of the Mothman by artist Robert Roach is in downtown Point Pleasant.

Point Pleasant is a city in Mason County, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The population was 4,637 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mason County⁶.

Point Pleasant is most famous for a series of local legends centered on the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, which killed 46 people. According to these legends, a moth-like humanoid was seen by several Point Pleasant residents in the weeks leading up to the disaster. The creature is said to have predicted the collapse. This is the source of the book and movie, The Mothman Prophecies.

The town is also noted for the October 10, 1774, Battle of Point Pleasant, in which Virginia militiamen led by Colonel Andrew Lewis summarily executed Shawnee Chief Cornstalk. The event is celebrated in Point Pleasant as the first battle of the American Revolutionary War, a distinction made official by an act of Congress in 1910.

It was the final home of Confederate Brigadier-General John McCausland, the next-to-last Confederate General to die. He died at his farm at Grimm's Landing on January 23, 1927.

Point Pleasant is located at 38°51′27″N, 82°7′43″W (38.857527, -82.128571)¹.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 km² (3.1 mi²). 6.2 km² (2.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (22.73%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 4,637 people, 2,107 households, and 1,310 families residing in the city. The population density was 752.3/km² (1,945.6/mi²). There were 2,313 housing units at an average density of 375.2/km² (970.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.57% White, 1.90% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 2,107 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,022, and the median income for a family was $33,527. Males had a median income of $31,657 versus $16,607 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,692. About 22.2% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

External links

• City of Point Pleasant
• O.T.I.S.: Odd Things I've Seen
• Mason County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce
• Point Pleasant Internet Directory
• The Point Pleasant Register

Coordinates: 38.857527° N 82.128571° W

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