Clinchco, Virginia

Clinchco, Virginia
Town
Location of Clinchco, Virginia Location of Clinchco, Virginia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Dickenson
Area
• Total	2.84 sq mi (7.35 km2)
• Land	2.80 sq mi (7.26 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	1,398 ft (426 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	337
• Density	120/sq mi (46.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	24226
Area code(s)	276
FIPS code	51-17504
GNIS feature ID	1502782

Clinchco is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. The town, formerly known as Moss, was named for the Clinchfield Railroad, although according to another source the town's name is a contraction of the Clinchfield Coal Co. The population was 337 at the 2010 census, down from 424 at the 2000 census. The Clinchco post office was established in 1917.

Geography

Clinchco is located in north-central Dickenson County at (37.162466, -82.359951), in the valley of the McClure River, a northeast-flowing tributary of the Russell Fork, part of the Levisa Fork/Big Sandy River system leading north to the Ohio River. Virginia State Routes 63 and 83 run through the center of town. VA 83 leads northeast (downriver) 7 miles (11 km) to Haysi, while VA 63 follows a ridge route that takes 10 miles (16 km) to reach Haysi. The two highways run south (upriver) together 5 miles (8 km) to Fremont. St. Paul is 29 miles (47 km) south of Clinchco via VA 63, and Pound is 20 miles (32 km) west via VA 83.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Clinchco has a total area of 2.84 square miles (7.35 km²), of which 2.80 square miles (7.26 km²) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²), or 1.15%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
2000	424		—
2010	337		−20.5%
Est. 2014	322		−4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 424 people, 189 households, and 113 families residing in the town. The population density was 153.8 people per square mile (59.3/km²). There were 226 housing units at an average density of 82.0 per square mile (31.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.57% White, 8.96% African American, 0.24% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.

There were 189 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,393, and the median income for a family was $23,750. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $19,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,257. About 26.0% of families and 30.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Darrell "Shifty" Powers, World War II (D-day) veteran, Company E ("Easy Company") 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division (portrayed in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers"). Powers described his hometown thusly:

"Picture a bunch of mountains all grouped together with narrow, winding roads lacing through them. Clinchco's a little speck by the side of one of those roads, far in the southwest tip of the triangle of Virginia."

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation Cfa.