Pickens, West Virginia
Pickens, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
  Pickens  Pickens | |
| Coordinates: 38°39′18″N 80°12′42″W / 38.65500°N 80.21167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Randolph |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.031 sq mi (5.26 km2) |
| • Land | 2.031 sq mi (5.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,687 ft (819 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 41 |
| • Density | 20/sq mi (7.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 26230 |
| Area codes | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1544793[2] |
Pickens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Pickens is 13 miles (21 km) west-southwest of Huttonsville. It is the home of the Cunningham-Roberts Museum. Pickens has a post office with ZIP code 26230.[3] As of the 2020 census, its population was 41 (down from 66 at the 2010 census).[4][5]
History
In 1891, George M. Whitescarver (1831-1914), a railroad official and coal and timber magnate, along with several other investors, purchased a large tract of land in Randolph County from James Pickens, Jr. Here they built several planing mills and a sawmill that had a capacity of ten million feet per year. Pickens was founded and named the following year, by which time the railroad had been extended to that point.[6]
Events
Pickens hosts West Virginia's yearly maple syrup festival.[7]
Climate
The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pickens has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.[8]
| Climate data for Pickens 2 N, West Virginia, 1991–2020 normals, 1996-2020 precip/snowfall: 2880ft (878m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
71 (22) |
78 (26) |
85 (29) |
85 (29) |
87 (31) |
91 (33) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
80 (27) |
78 (26) |
72 (22) |
94 (34) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 61.0 (16.1) |
61.4 (16.3) |
68.3 (20.2) |
77.7 (25.4) |
79.6 (26.4) |
82.9 (28.3) |
83.7 (28.7) |
84.2 (29.0) |
81.9 (27.7) |
74.4 (23.6) |
68.1 (20.1) |
62.1 (16.7) |
84.1 (28.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.4 (2.4) |
38.7 (3.7) |
47.5 (8.6) |
58.2 (14.6) |
67.1 (19.5) |
74.0 (23.3) |
76.9 (24.9) |
76.5 (24.7) |
72.2 (22.3) |
61.2 (16.2) |
49.2 (9.6) |
41.1 (5.1) |
58.3 (14.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.3 (−2.1) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
38.6 (3.7) |
49.1 (9.5) |
58.3 (14.6) |
65.5 (18.6) |
68.9 (20.5) |
67.7 (19.8) |
62.7 (17.1) |
51.9 (11.1) |
40.9 (4.9) |
33.6 (0.9) |
49.7 (9.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.1 (−6.6) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
40.0 (4.4) |
49.5 (9.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
60.9 (16.1) |
58.9 (14.9) |
53.3 (11.8) |
42.6 (5.9) |
32.7 (0.4) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
41.1 (5.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.6 (−18.1) |
1.8 (−16.8) |
9.1 (−12.7) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
33.4 (0.8) |
44.1 (6.7) |
50.4 (10.2) |
49.8 (9.9) |
40.1 (4.5) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
4.8 (−15.1) |
−2.5 (−19.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−13 (−25) |
0 (−18) |
14 (−10) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
42 (6) |
44 (7) |
33 (1) |
22 (−6) |
2 (−17) |
−6 (−21) |
−13 (−25) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.50 (140) |
4.42 (112) |
5.49 (139) |
5.93 (151) |
7.17 (182) |
5.91 (150) |
6.64 (169) |
4.91 (125) |
4.97 (126) |
3.99 (101) |
4.57 (116) |
5.17 (131) |
64.67 (1,642) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 33.0 (84) |
23.8 (60) |
16.3 (41) |
6.1 (15) |
trace | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.1 (5.3) |
8.5 (22) |
24.4 (62) |
114.2 (289.3) |
| Source 1: NOAA[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (precip/snowfall, temp records & monthly max/mins)[10] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Admiral Frank G. Fahrion, USN, was born in Pickens.[11]
- John Joseph Swint (1879-1962), fourth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling and later named archbishop ad personam by Pope Pius XII,[12] was born and raised in Pickens.[13]
- Hans Lineweaver (1907–2009), physical chemist known for popularizing the double-reciprocal plot, was born in Pickens.
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pickens, West Virginia
- ^ ZIP Code Lookup
- ^ "Census Bureau profile: Pickens CDP, West Virginia". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 485.
- ^ Gainer, Taira (October 15, 2020). "Pickens, West Virginia - Elkins-Randolph County Tourism". Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Climate Summary for Pickens, West Virginia
- ^ "Pickens 2 N, West Virginia 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "xmACIS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Admiral Frank G. Farion
- ^ "Archbishop John Joseph Swint". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "Archbishop John J. Swint". St. Mary's Medical Center. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
Municipalities and communities of Randolph County, West Virginia, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities |
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| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |