Masontown, West Virginia

Masontown, West Virginia
—  Town  —
Location of Masontown, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°33′7″N 79°48′1″W / 39.55194°N 79.80028°W / 39.55194; -79.80028Coordinates: 39°33′7″N 79°48′1″W / 39.55194°N 79.80028°W / 39.55194; -79.80028
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Preston
Area
– Total	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
– Land	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,801 ft (549 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	647
– Density	2,299.2/sq mi (887.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26542
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-52228[1]
GNIS feature ID	1555063[2]

Masontown is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 647 at the 2000 census.

History

Located near Masontown is the Ralphsynder Decagonal Barn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.^[3]

Geography

Masontown is located at 39°33′7″N 79°48′1″W / 39.55194°N 79.80028°W / 39.55194; -79.80028 (39.551821, -79.800156)^[4]. It has also been host to the All Good Music Festival for the past few years.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 647 people, 280 households, and 180 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,299.2 inhabitants per square mile (892.2/km²). There were 339 housing units at an average density of 1,204.7 per square mile (467.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.07% White, 0.15% African American, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.

There were 280 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,750, and the median income for a family was $29,886. Males had a median income of $24,219 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,927. About 17.0% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

West Preston Middle School is a small middle school located in Masontown, West Virginia, and consists of two main buildings. As of 2011, the school is 93 years old. The current principal is Stephen Plum. In 2015, a new middle school will be built, as the levy held in 2010 gave permission to go ahead. The school was founded in 1918, by citizens of Masontown (the location) selling pies. This school was built as the Valley district high school, and consisted of the main building with three stories. Later, the second building was built. This was at first an elementary school, but later was combined with West Preston to form one big high school. Later, after the construction of Preston High School, it was made into a middle school. ^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ West Preston Middle School