Star City, West Virginia

History

Star City was founded in 1907, and took its name from the local Star Glass Company.

Socialist Party government

By 1910 the Socialist Party of America had organized a branch in the town and within a year had won four out of five seats in the city council, as part of a wider national political movement of the time.

The Socialist Party would continue to be the dominant party in Star City politics through 1917, when its rival the Citizens' Party took over municipal government. To avoid un-American connotations that became associated with the name after World War I, the Socialist Party of Star City in 1918 renamed itself the Independent Citizens' party and won back local government, partly due to its opposition to the regressive "capitation tax" the Citizens' Party had imposed. However, in 1924, the People's party, formed two years earlier and composed largely of former Citizens' party supporters, took over. Until that time, the Socialists were a mainstay of this working-class town, organizing the Workingmen's Co-operative Store and creating community pillars with Local Twenty-six of the American Flint Glass Workers' Union and the Young People's Socialist League.

Star City Volunteer Fire Department

The Star City Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1939. The department has an all-volunteer firefighting staff and a combination of paid and volunteer EMS staff. The agency responds to approximately 1,200 emergency calls per year and provides Firefighting and Rescue services to the town of Star City and surrounding unincorporated areas. It is designated as the district's Company 20 (Fire) and Station 20 (EMS).

Geography

Star City is located at (39.657966, -79.986046).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.59 sqmi, of which 0.49 sqmi is land and 0.10 sqmi is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,825 people, 903 households, and 363 families living in the town. The population density was 3724.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,001 housing units at an average density of 2042.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 88.7% White, 4.4% African American, 4.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 903 households, of which 14.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 59.8% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.69.

The median age in the town was 29.9 years. 11.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 27.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.4% were from 25 to 44; 21.8% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,366 people, 697 households, and 333 families living in the town. The population density was 2,785.4 /sqmi. There were 753 housing units at an average density of 1,535.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 93.56% White, 2.64% African American, 2.34% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.15% of the population.

There were 697 households, out of which 17.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.1% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.0% under the age of 18, 17.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,771, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $27,188 versus $21,838 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,003. About 12.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is served by Monongalia County Schools. Zoned schools are Suncrest Elementary School, Suncrest Middle School, and Morgantown High School.

References

References

1. [[West Virginia Legislature]]. (2018). "West Virginia Blue Book, 2017-2018". West Virginia Legislature.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". US Census Bureau.
4. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. {{GNIS. 1555703
6. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
7. Town of Star City Original Charter, compiled and copied under Order of Council by Thomas Ray Dille, Esq., September 1908
8. Capace, Nancy. (1999). "Encyclopedia of West Virginia". North American Book Dist LLC.
9. Kenny, Hamill. (1945). "West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains". The Place Name Press.
10. ''Morgantown New Dominion'', January 5, 1912, January 20, 1913, January 9, 1914, January 8, 1915 and January 7, 1916, footnoted in Cresswell, Stephen, [https://archive.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh52-5.html "When The Socialists Ran Star City"], (chapter) ''West Virginia History'' Volume 52 (1993), pp. 59-72, via West Virginia Division of Culture and History
11. Critchlow, Donald T., ed., ''Socialism in the Heartland: The Midwestern Experience, 1900-1925'' (Notre Dame: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1986); Judd,Richard W. , ''Socialist Cities: Municipal Politics and the Grass Roots of American Socialism'' (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1989), footnoted in Cresswell
12. ''Morgantown Post-Chronicle'', January 1 and 5, 1917; ''Morgantown New Dominion'', November 6, 1912, and January 5, 1917; ''Morgantown Weekly New Dominion'', October 10 and 31 and December 12; ''Morgantown New Dominion'' January 3, 1918, and January 1, 1919; Frederick, ''Cinder Heads in the Hills: The Belgian Window Glass Workers of West Virginia'' (Charleston: West Virginia Educational Services, 1988), p. 7, footnoted in Cresswell
13. Minute Books, Star City Town Council, Star City town hall, I:163 (1919), II:63 (1922) and 133 (1924), footnoted in Cresswell
14. ''Morgantown Weekly New Dominion'', October 7, 1914; ''Morgantown New Dominion'', June 12, 1913, January 7 and December 27, 1915, and Barkey, Frederick Allan, "The Socialist Party in West Virginia from 1898 to 1920: a Study in Working Class Radicalism" (Ph.D. diss., University of Pittsburgh, 1971), p. 118, footnoted in Cresswell
15. "About Us". Star City Volunteer Fire Department.
16. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. "[http://www.starcitywv.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ZoningMap.pdf Zoning Map]." Star City. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.
21. "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j796127e5091c41c28641750b25738322/scratch/fb71598443d4412cbaf28c800fd68fb5.pdf Suncrest ES Zone] {{Webarchive. link. (November 16, 2018 " and "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j078d2f766c084c0b93bcfab9e1bb22a0/scratch/fc08846e71844df7a734de2ed6a7b5d4.pdf Star City Elementary Schools] {{Webarchive). link. (November 16, 2018 ." - Derived from the [https://www.croppermap.com/monongalia/ Monongalia County School District Mapping program]. [[Monongalia County Schools]]. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.)
22. "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j291ca4609770483f97ff073577290385/scratch/79e2607d96a6495bb1794d02b45a7d97.pdf Suncrest MS Zone] {{Webarchive. link. (November 16, 2018 " and "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j1867d73b93aa445ea1a70baeb1be57cb/scratch/490b02a8186f4715907c2982f2b68ae5.pdf Star City Middle Schools] {{Webarchive). link. (November 16, 2018 ." - Derived from the [https://www.croppermap.com/monongalia/ Monongalia County School District Mapping program]. [[Monongalia County Schools]]. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.)
23. "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j8284bd53cadd4484b402bd0d069210df/scratch/9372a1c4046541b0823d13db879422a4.pdf Morgantown HS Overall Zone] {{Webarchive. link. (November 16, 2018 " and "[https://maps13.croppermap.com/wilmawa/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/monongalia/monongaliawvprinttemplate_gpserver/j4728b003fbf3460ba1ce1f25b5b343dd/scratch/0733e3fb48864f238697319e8e4d4dc2.pdf Morgantown HS with Star City] {{Webarchive). link. (November 16, 2018 ." - Derived from the [https://www.croppermap.com/monongalia/ Monongalia County School District Mapping program]. [[Monongalia County Schools]]. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.)