| Tornado, West Virginia | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Kanawha |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.7 sq mi (9.5 km²) |
| - Land | 3.6 sq mi (9.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 1,111 |
| - Density | 309.0/sq mi (119.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 25202 |
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-80764GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1721390GR3 |
Tornado is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) comprising the populated places of Tornado and Upper Falls. Located in Kanawha County, it had a population of 1,111 in the 2000 Census. The ZIP Code is 25202. The Tornado CDP is scheduled to be replaced by a new and much larger Upper Falls CDP for the 2010 decennial Census.
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Geography
Tornado is located at (38.341801, -81.849474)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Tornado CDP has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the CensusGR2 of 2000, there were 1,111 people, 419 households, and 330 families residing in the community. The population density was 309.0 people per square mile (119.2/km²). There were 437 housing units at an average density of 121.6/sq mi (46.9/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 97.21% White, 0.36% African American, 0.27% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 419 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.01. The community's age distribution is 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. The median income for a household in the community was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $50,350. Males had a median income of $31,932 versus $25,670 for females. The per capita income for the community was $18,999. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
History of the name
Upper Falls, Virginia was discovered in 1742 by John Peter Salley during an expedition along the Coal River. Today, the community is in West Virginia, which gained independent statehood in 1863. Since the earliest European settlers moved into the area in the 1700s, the community, named for the cascading waters of the adjacent river, was known as Upper Falls, Upper Falls of Coal, Upper Falls of Coals, Upper Falls Coal River, Upper Falls of Coal River, Upper Falls of the Coal River, Upper Falls on Coal River and Upper Falls Coal River Bridge. The Upper Falls of Coal Post Office, the first to serve the area, was established in 1851. During Reconstruction, federal officials closed it in 1880. When residents forced its reopening through political pressure in 1881, federal authorities retaliated against this "whirlwind of protest" by renaming the post office "Tornado." They closed it again in 1882 and were forced to open it again in 1886. A community initiative is planned to restore the name of the Upper Falls Post Office.
External links
- Tornado, West Virginia is at coordinates Coordinates:
