Оак Хилл, Западная Вирджиния: История и современность

the community in Jackson County

Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 8,179 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beckley metropolitan area. Country singer Hank Williams died in Oak Hill on his way to a concert on January 1, 1953. The city is also home to the historic Oak Hill Railroad Depot which still stands today as an artisan shop. More recently, recreation has become a leading industry as the city neighbors the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Oak Hill was settled in 1820. The community was so named on account of an oak tree at the elevated town site. It was incorporated as a town in 1905. Oak Hill is the supposed place of death of Hank Williams. According to his driver Charles Carr, they had stopped at a gas station in Oak Hill and found Williams dead in the backseat. On March 26, 2016, the city was honored with a historical marker to pay tribute to Williams' memory.

Oak Hill is located at (37.982775, 81.145334). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.89 square miles (13 km2), of which 4.88 square miles (13 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0 km2) is water.

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,730 people, 3,398 households, and 2,085 families living in the city. The population density was There were 3,703 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 93.3% White, 4.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 3,398 households, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with only a computer present, and 38.6% were non families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 43.3 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

Oak Hill uses a city council consisting of eight members including the mayor. The city also employs a city manager to assist in organizing its day to day operations. As of 2023, the current mayor of Oak Hill is Charles H. Briscoe and the current city manager is Damita Johnson.