Morgantown

Morgantown is the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, situated along the Monongahela River. It is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia and the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,712 at the 2020 census. The city serves as the anchor of the Morgantown metropolitan area, which had a population of 138,176 in 2020. The U.S. Department of Transportation built an experimental driverless personal rapid transit system in the city in the 1970s, citing the area's variable seasonal climate and geographic elevations as factors in testing the technology's viability. The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) has been in use since 1975, and students use the system for free travel between the campuses. The highest point is 1,398 feet (426 m) on Sky Rock in Dorsey's Knob. The lowest point is on the banks of the Mononahela river at 800 feet (240 m) The city is 75 miles (121 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 208 mi (335 km) north-northwest of Washington, D.C., 81 mi (130 km) east of Marietta, Ohio, and 156 mi (251 km) northeast of Charleston. The area is hilly with several sections rising over 1,200 feet (370 m) in elevation. The surrounding area is mountainous, 12 miles (19 km) to the east of Coopers Rock, the highest point of the Coopers State Forest.

History

Morgantown is the primary city name, but also Booth, Everettville, Star City are acceptable city names or spellings, Sabraton on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Morgantown. Zackquill Morgan settled the area about 1772 by establishing a homestead near present-day Fayette Street and University Avenue. Morgan fought in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of colonel. 50 acres (200,000 m2) were appropriated for Morgan's Town by the Virginia General Assembly in October 1785. The town became part of the newly created state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, through the Reorganized Government of Virginia. The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) has been in use since 1975. The U.S. Department of Transportation built an experimental driverless personal rapid transit system in the 1970s, citing the area's variable seasonal climate and geographic elevations as factors in testing the technology's viability. The Old Stone House, built in 1795 by Jacob Nuce on Long Alley (the modern-day Chestnut Street) and the John Rogers family home on Foundry Street, were built in 1840 and occupied as of 2011 by the Dering Funeral Home. The city has a population of about 700, with most of its residents living in the downtown area of the city, which is home to more than 1,000 businesses and about 2,000 homes. It is located on the banks of the Monongahela River, which runs through the center of the town. It was the site of the Battle of the Allegany River, in which the British and Indians fought for control of the region.

Geography

Morgantown is 75 miles (121 km) south of Pittsburgh, 208 mi (335 km) north-northwest of Washington, D.C., 81 mi (130 km) east of Marietta, Ohio, and 156 mi (251 km) northeast of Charleston. The city is hilly with several sections rising over 1,200 feet (370 m) in elevation. The highest point is 1,398 feet (426 m) on Sky Rock in Dorsey Knob Park. Coopers Rock State Forest has elevations between 2,000 feet (610 m) and 2,400 feet (730 m) above sea level. Morgantown lies in the transition between a humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) and humid continental climate (Kioppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool to cold with an average annual snowfall of 27.6 inches (70 cm) and 1.3 nights of sub-0 °F (18 °C) readings. Summers are hot and humid with a July daily mean temperature of 74.1°F (23.4°C) and 13.2 days of 90 °C (32 °C+) highs annually. The City of MorgantOWN MSA enrolls over 30,000 full-time students at West Virginia University. Fort Burris was erected in 1774 in what is, as of 2019, the Summers Masonic Lodge at the intersection of Burroughs and Windsor streets.

Demographics

West Virginia University constitutes 913 acres (3.69 km²) of the city and vicinity. Morgantown had some of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States as of early 2009. As of July 2013, the estimate was 136,133. Of the 10 largest cities in West Virginia, only Morganown and Martinsburg have shown positive population growth since the 2010 census. The population of Monongalia County and neighboring Preston County was acknowledged as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) by the U.S. government in 2010. Estimates from 2010 put the Metropolitan Statistical Area population at 129,709; as of July 2012, it was estimated at 31,000. The city's age distribution is: 11.1% under the age of 18, 44% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 13.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 or older. The median income for the city was $14.4 per capita, about 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was2.76, according to the city's 2010 census report. The 2010 census reported that the city had a population of 29,660, with 11,721 households, and 4,183 families residing in the city. In the city, the median household income was $20,649, and the median family income for a family was $33,268.

Arts and culture

Arts and culture in Morgantown, W. Virginia. Arts and culture includes the West Virginia University Art Museum, the Metropolitan Theatre, the Monongalia County Courthouse, the WVU Coliseum, the Mountaineer Field, the Riverfront Park, and the WVA Rail-Trails. West Virginia's Rapid Transit system (PRT) system is part of the arts and culture scene. The W.V.U. Art Museum is home to the university's art and history museum. The Metropolitan Theatre is a former vaudeville house. The West Virginia Arts Center (MAC) is the state's largest arts center. The MorgantOWN History Museum is a museum of local history and culture. The city's parks include Hazel Ruby McQuain riverfront park and MountaineER Field. The town's parks are home to a number of public art and cultural sites. The county's rail-trails are also a focal point for the arts, culture, and sports scene. It is the site of the W. V. University of West Virginia Art Museum and the Morganttown History Museum. It also hosts the W VU Coliseum and the West Vandal Art Museum. The state's public transit system, the PRT, is also a major part of its arts and cultural scene.

Sports

The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Morgantown. The team is part of the MLB Draft League. In September 2015, the city held its inaugural 26.2-mile (42.2 km) marathon. Official times from the race can be used for Boston Marathon qualification. In addition to the full marathon, the race also includes The Mountain Mama 8k and a half-marathon. The course is characterized by its elevation changes and winds through Morgantsown's seven wards. The race was held on September 26, 2015, and took place in the city's downtown area. It was the first full marathon in the history of the city. It is one of the largest marathons in the United States, with more than 30,000 participants. It also includes a half marathon and an 8k race. The full marathon is held every year on September 28, but the half marathon has been added to the race schedule in recent years to make it easier for runners to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The half marathon starts and finishes in the downtown area, and the 8k finishes in nearby Granville. The marathon is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and is held on a Sunday. It has a course that runs through all seven wards of the town. The 26-mile course is the longest of its type in the country. It takes place over a distance of 26 miles (42 km) and includes elevation changes of up to 1,200 feet (400 meters).

Education

The city is served by Monongalia County Schools. Public elementary schools in Morgantown and its surrounding area include Cheat Lake, North, Brookhaven, Ridgedale, Mountainview, Mylan Park, Skyview, Suncrest Elementary, and Eastwood. The city's two high schools are University High School, the mascot of which is the Hawks, and Morgantsown High, whose mascot is the Mohigans. The latter's name is that of a non-existent Native American tribe whose name is a combination of the words MorgantOWN (MO) High (HIG) Annual (AN), which was the school's yearbook. The Native American mascot and logo were adopted because of the close relation to the name Mohican, a real NativeAmerican tribe. Three of Monongia County's 23 schools have earned Exemplary Achievement status, according to the West Virginia Office of Educational Performance Audits' (OEPA) report issued November 2004. In 2004,Suncrest Middle became a National Blue Ribbon School for the No Child Left Behind Act. Other private schools include: MorgantTown Christian Academy, Maranatha Christian Academy, Covenant Christian School, Trinity Christian School. St. Francis Elementary/Middle School, and the alternative, non-religious Morganttown Learning Academy. The town established a one-story, coeducational, Virginia common school in July 1803, that students attended on a tuition basis. On Nov. 29, 1814, the Virginia General Assembly incorporated Monongsalia Academy, the county's first public school.

Infrastructure

Morgantown relies heavily on the Monongahela River for shipping coal and other products. The only active rail line near Morgantown is owned by Norfolk Southern with CSX trackage rights and serves a mine northwest of Rivesville, West Virginia. The city has a public transit system with five stations covering 8.65 miles (13.9 km) The city also has a weekly recycling program, as part of the Clean Community Concept, an initiative by the city government. electricity, natural gas, water and sewage are provided by utilities. cable television and cable Internet are offered by Comcast Communications, with West Side Telecommunications telephone and DSL service available in some areas. Trash pickup in the MorgantOWN area is provided by Republic Services. North Central West Virginia Airport is about 35 miles (56 km) away by road, and Pittsburgh International Airport is around 80 miles (130 km) from the city. The City has one of West Virginia's few commercial airports, which is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the downtown area along U.S. Route 119. It is one of the few cities in West Virginia to have a public library, with a branch of the University of Virginia's College of Arts and Sciences located in the nearby town of Worthen, W. Virginia. It has a small number of private businesses, such as a bank, a restaurant, a bank and a bank. It also has an indoor ski resort. The town has a large number of restaurants, many of which are family-friendly.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia = 54.4. 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 44. 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 20. 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 Morgantown = 3.4 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 9,704 individuals with a median age of 24.3 age the population grows by 12.85% in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,997.35 residents per square mile of area (1,157.25/km²). There are average 2.04 people per household in the 11,915 households with an average household income of $28,423 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.30% of the available work force and has dropped -5.86% 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 20.98%. The number of physicians in Morgantown per 100,000 population = 530.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Morgantown = 41.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 15.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 153. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 155. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 21.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, 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 Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 39.22%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 49 years with median home cost = $94,840 and home appreciation of -0.33%. 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 $5.17 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 $5,480 per student. There are 16.2 students for each teacher in the school, 561 students for each Librarian and 242 students for each Counselor. 3.05% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 21.34% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 26.23% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).