Gassaway, West Virginia

The town was originally created at the ends of two divisions of the Coal and Coke Railway, one originating in Charleston and the other originating in Elkins. Because of its central location, the area was an ideal place to build shops to facilitate the transition between the relatively flat Charleston division, which could operate with standard equipment, and the more hilly Elkins division of the Coal & Coke which required heavier engines. The town was laid out in 1904, and over the next decade, businesses and infrastructure such as hotels, a bank, stores, schools, a hospital, office buildings and churches appeared to serve the growing population. By 1915, the Coal & Coke Railway Company had completed work on a depot to facilitate passenger service to the town. The Gassaway Depot still stands today and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. ==Geography==

Gassaway is located at (38.670712, -80.770413), along the Elk River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to freezing winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gassaway has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed = yes | single line = yes | location = Gassaway, West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | Jan record high F = 76 | Feb record high F = 80 | Mar record high F = 88 | Apr record high F = 91 | May record high F = 95 | Jun record high F = 99 | Jul record high F = 102 | Aug record high F = 102 | Sep record high F = 105 | Oct record high F = 94 | Nov record high F = 84 | Dec record high F = 80 | year record high F = | Jan high F = 41.8 | Feb high F = 45.8 | Mar high F = 54.4 | Apr high F = 67.0 | May high F = 75.0 | Jun high F = 81.5 | Jul high F = 84.9 | Aug high F = 83.9 | Sep high F = 79.2 | Oct high F = 68.4 | Nov high F = 56.7 | Dec high F = 46.3 | year high F = 65.4 | Jan mean F = 31.7 | Feb mean F = 34.8 | Mar mean F = 42.2 | Apr mean F = 53.6 | May mean F = 62.9 | Jun mean F = 70.6 | Jul mean F = 74.5 | Aug mean F = 73.4 | Sep mean F = 67.5 | Oct mean F = 55.6 | Nov mean F = 44.4 | Dec mean F = 36.5 | year mean F = 54.0 | Jan low F = 21.7 | Feb low F = 23.8 | Mar low F = 29.9 | Apr low F = 40.2 | May low F = 50.9 | Jun low F = 59.6 | Jul low F = 64.2 | Aug low F = 62.8 | Sep low F = 55.9 | Oct low F = 42.8 | Nov low F = 32.0 | Dec low F = 26.6 | year low F = 42.5 | Jan record low F = -22 | Feb record low F = -14 | Mar record low F = -3 | Apr record low F = 17 | May record low F = 25 | Jun record low F = 33 | Jul record low F = 40 | Aug record low F = 40 | Sep record low F = 30 | Oct record low F = 14 | Nov record low F = 5 | Dec record low F = -10 | year record low F = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 3.55 | Feb precipitation inch = 3.25 | Mar precipitation inch = 4.23 | Apr precipitation inch = 4.10 | May precipitation inch = 4.99 | Jun precipitation inch = 5.08 | Jul precipitation inch = 6.44 | Aug precipitation inch = 4.72 | Sep precipitation inch = 3.47 | Oct precipitation inch = 3.73 | Nov precipitation inch = 3.40 | Dec precipitation inch = 4.01 | year precipitation inch = 50.97 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 15.7 | Feb precipitation days = 13.8 | Mar precipitation days = 14.3 | Apr precipitation days = 13.9 | May precipitation days = 14.3 | Jun precipitation days = 13.5 | Jul precipitation days = 13.4 | Aug precipitation days = 11.3 | Sep precipitation days = 10.0 | Oct precipitation days = 10.7 | Nov precipitation days = 12.2 | Dec precipitation days = 15.8 | year precipitation days = 158.9 | Jan snow inch = 5.4 | Feb snow inch = 4.1 | Mar snow inch = 3.3 | Apr snow inch = 0.2 | May snow inch = 0.0 | Jun snow inch = 0.0 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 0.0 | Nov snow inch = 0.8 | Dec snow inch = 3.5 | year snow inch = 17.3 | unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days = 4.5 | Feb snow days = 3.4 | Mar snow days = 1.5 | Apr snow days = 0.3 | May snow days = 0.0 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 0.0 | Nov snow days = 0.6 | Dec snow days = 2.4 | year snow days = 12.7 | source = NOAA ==Demographics==

2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 908 people, 434 households, and 228 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 496 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.6% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.1% of the population. There were 434 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 41.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the town was 44.5 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 901 people, 420 households, and 243 families living in the town. The population density was 741.5 inhabitants per square mile (285.1/km2). There were 506 housing units at an average density of 416.4 per square mile (160.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.34% White, 0.55% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.11% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population. There were 420 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population dispersal was 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,009, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $17,396 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,965. About 10.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over. ==Notable people==

• George Cogar, computer scientist; born in Gassaway • Lonnie Thompson, paleoclimatologist; born in Gassaway • Levi J. Dean, architect; born in Gassaway ==References==