Bluefield

Bluefield is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, located along the Bluestone River. The population was 5,096 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 106,363 in 2020. The town developed around a small post office named "Pin Hook" in the 1860s, named for a small creek that ran through the community. It was first chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia as the town of Graham in 1884. The Norfolk and Western railroad chose Bluefield, West Virginia over Graham as the place to build its regional headquarters and main docking yards for the Pocahontas region. The current Bluefield did not start to expand beyond the downtown area until the 1950s when it annexed the small town of West Virginia to the west. Bluefield has expanded since the 1990s and the first decade of the decade of 2000s. Its borders are roughly the same area as the downtown of today's Bluefield. The city is located at 37°1439N 81°1630W (37.244195, 81.274926). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.0 square miles (19.6 km²), all land. The community's name was changed after a Civil War hero from the area who had been shot during the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain in Pulaski County,Virginia. For a brief time it was known as the community of Harman.

Geography

Bluefield is the primary city name, but also Yards are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Town of Bluefield, Virginia. Bluefield is located at 37°1439N 81°1630W (37.244195, 81.274926).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.0 square miles (19.6 km²), all land. The town is home to the Bluefield High School, which was founded in 1903. The school is located in the town's central part, near the town of Bluefield. Bluefield is also known as the home of the Bluefields High School football team, which began playing in the late 19th century. It is located on the Red River, a tributary of the Little Red River. The Red River runs through the town, and the town was named after the Red Devils, a Native American tribe. It was named for the Red Deer River, which flows through the center of the town and is known as "Bluefield" for its red rock scenery. It has a population of 1,816. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located near Bluefield, at 37.1439 N 81.1630 W. The United States Census Bureau estimates the town to be home to 1,084 people. The Town has a land area of eight square miles, or 19.6 kilometers, all of which is land. It also has a water supply of 2.2 square miles (4.4 km²), or 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²).

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,078 people, 2,134 households, and 1,423 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 92.30% White, 4.86% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.42% Asian, 0,12% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. The population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 22. 2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 22. 3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household was $32,157, and the median incomes for a family was $44,000. About 3.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9. 6% of those under age 18 and 8.8% ofThose age 65 or over. The per capita income for the town is $21,755. The town is located on the U.S.-Mexico border and was once part of the state of New Mexico. It is now part of New Hampshire and is located in the New Hampshire Department of Game and Fish. It was once the site of one of the largest coal mining operations in the United States. It has a population of about 5,000, with the majority of its residents living in or near the town center.

History

The town of Bluefield, West Virginia was first chartered as Graham in 1884. The Norfolk and Western railroad chose Bluefield over Graham as the place to build its regional headquarters and main docking yards for the Pocahontas region. The current Bluefield did not start to expand beyond the downtown area until the 1950s, when it annexed the small town of West Graham to the west. The Walter McDonald Sanders House and Alexander St. Clair House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bluefield's most prominent residents are Bill Dudley, an NFL Hall of Famer; New York Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw; and the widow of actor Lorne Greene, who previously lived in a mansion atop a hill overlooking the Sanders house. The town has relocated its town council chambers and police department from the flood-prone historic downtown area to the southernmost point in the city at the foot of East River Mountain. The area has been developed with a Wal-Mart, the headquarters of First Community Bank, strip malls, and a medical center operating along U.S. Route 460. The name change was celebrated in a mock marriage ceremony held in a city park between Bluefield and Graham to celebrate the renaming of Graham. The city's name was changed to Bluefield after a referendum on June 10, 1924, voted to change its name to Bluefied on June 11, 1924. It is the largest town in Tazewell County, Virginia, and has expanded since the 1990s and first decade of the new millennium.

Representation in other media

The town was chosen by Hollywood film producers as the site for the 1994 remake of the classic movie, Lassie. It has been mentioned by musicians in numerous songs, including Blessed Union of Souls' "Oh Virginia". The town was also used as a backdrop for the film "Lassie", which was released in 1994. The town has been featured in numerous films and TV shows, including "Lucky 7" and "Lonely Boy", as well as the TV series "The Lassies" and the film version of the original movie. It was also featured in the film's opening credits, and was used as the backdrop for a scene in "The Godfather: Part II" The town is mentioned in the song "OhVirginia" by Blessed Union Of Souls, which was recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. It is also mentioned in numerous other songs, such as "The Town of Virginia" by the band "Blessed Union ofSouls" and by the group's own song, "Oh, Virginia" It has also been mentioned in several other songs by other artists, including the song by The Rolling Stones, "I Can't Go for That", and "I've Got a Girl" by The Police. It also appeared in the movie "The Big Lebowski" in the early 1990s, and in the 1998 film "The Little Engine That Could", as the setting for the TV show "The Muppets", and in a few other films since.

Education

Graham High School and Bluefield University are located in West Virginia. Graham High School is located in Graham, a suburb of Morgantown. Bluefield is located near the town of Bluefield. Graham is a private high school with an enrollment of about 1,000 students. The school is also a part of the Bluefield County School District and the West Virginia State University system.

Sports

The Bluefield Blue Jays, a Minor League Baseball team, played their home games at Bowen Field, a stadium in the city park that serves both Bluefield and its neighbor of the same name in West Virginia. Although the park is operated by the West Virginia city, the stadium lies entirely within Virginia. Graham High School's football team won the Virginia High School League's Class 2 State Football Championship in 2022. The G-Men defeated Central Woodstock High School 347 on December 10 at Salem City Stadium for the state crown. Previous state football titles were won in 1962, 1989, 1995, and 2018. Bluefield University hosts many sports programs, including basketball, soccer, baseball, and now football. The Blue Jays were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores. The Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Blue Jays will no longer play in the Appalachian League. The team will instead play in a new collegiate summer league for college freshmen and sophomore players. The league will be called the Appalachian Summer League and will be based in Bluefield, West Virginia, beginning in the summer of 2021. It will be the first summer league of its kind in the U.S. and will run through the end of the 2022 season. It is the first time the league has been based in the state of West Virginia and the first year it has been in existence.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bluefield, Tazewell County, Virginia = 89. 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 80. 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 87. 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 Bluefield = 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 5,096 individuals with a median age of 46.3 age the population dropped by -3.86% in Bluefield, Tazewell County, Virginia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 537 residents per square mile of area (207.2/km²). There are average 2.12 people per household in the 2,137 households with an average household income of $42,257 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -2.06% 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 28.48%. The number of physicians in Bluefield per 100,000 population = 272.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bluefield = 39 inches and the annual snowfall = 33.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 145. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 168. 79 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, 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 Bluefield, Tazewell County, Virginia which are owned by the occupant = 71.40%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 44 years with median home cost = $129,590 and home appreciation of -8.00%. 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 $5.27 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 $4,929 per student. There are 14.5 students for each teacher in the school, 368 students for each Librarian and 412 students for each Counselor. 7.01% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.30% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.69% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).