Editing Point Pleasant, West Virginia

{{Other uses|Point Pleasant (disambiguation){{!}}Point Pleasant}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Point Pleasant, West Virginia
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto hi                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Kanawha Ohio confluence.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Point Pleasant (foreground) at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. [[Gallipolis, Ohio]] is in the background right while [[Henderson, West Virginia]] is on the left.

|image_flag               = Flag of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.svg
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = File:Mason County West Virginia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Point Pleasant Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Point Pleasant in Mason County, West Virginia.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[West Virginia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in West Virginia|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Mason County, West Virginia|Mason]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Brian Billings<ref>{{cite web|title=Ward, Government - Point Pleasant, WV|url=http://www.cityofpointpleasant.org/Ward.html|website=cityofpointpleasant.org|access-date=Dec 26, 2019}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_54.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 8.02
|area_land_km2            = 6.26
|area_water_km2           = 1.76
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.09
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.42
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.68

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_est           = 4031
|pop_est_as_of            = 2021
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=3 July 2022}}</ref>
|population_total         = 4101
|population_density_km2   = 649.10
|population_density_sq_mi = 1681.29

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 173
|elevation_ft             = 568
|coordinates              = {{coord|38|51|27|N|82|7|43|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 25550
|area_code                = [[Area code 304|304]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 54-64708<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1555381<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  = [http://www.ptpleasantwv.org/ www.ptpleasantwv.org]
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
}}

[[Image:Point Pleasant monument.jpg|thumb|right|Tourists at the monument of the [[Battle of Point Pleasant]] in [[Tu-Endie-Wei State Park]].]]

[[Image:Fort Randolph.jpg|thumb|A replica of [[Fort Randolph (West Virginia)|Fort Randolph]], a fort from the American Revolutionary War. The town of Point Pleasant was built on the site of the original fort, and so the rebuilt fort was located nearby.]]

'''Point Pleasant''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Mason County, West Virginia]], United States,<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> at the [[confluence]] of the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Kanawha River|Kanawha]] Rivers. The population was 4,101 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/> It is the principal city of the [[Point Pleasant micropolitan area]] extending into [[Ohio]]. The town is best known for the [[Mothman]], a purported humanoid creature reportedly sighted in the area that has become a part of [[Folklore of the United States|West Virginia folklore]], and more broadly part of [[Culture of the United States|American popular culture]].

==History==
A Shawnee village known as Upper Shawneetown was established in this area before 1749, which the Shawnees called "Chinoudaista" or "Chinodahichetha."<ref>[https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/55896/1/OHIO_ARCHAEOLOGIST_40_3_SUMMER_1990.pdf Philip Shriver, "Lower Shawnee Town on the Eve of the French and Indian War," ''Ohio Archaeologist,'' Vol 40:3, Summer 1990, pp. 16-21]</ref><ref name = "Feight">[https://sciotohistorical.org/items/show/35 Andrew Lee Feight, "Lower Shawnee Town and Celoron's Expedition," ''Scioto Historical,'' accessed November 22, 2020]</ref><ref>[https://www.academia.edu/37142554/Appalachian_Migrations_Historic_and_Prehistoric Robert F. Maslowski, "Appalachian Migrations: Historic and Prehistoric. In ''Instances of Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology in the Mountainous Areas of the Eastern United States: Papers from Upland Archaeology in the East Symposium XI,'' Clarence R. Geir, Compiler, pp. 49-63. James Madison University, 2012]</ref>

=== The Céloron Expedition (1749) ===
[[File:L'AN 1749 DV REGNE DE LOVIS XV ROY DE FRANCE - Plaques OHIO.png|thumb|In 1749 French explorer Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville asserts sovereignty of France over the Ohio valley by burying a lead plaque called « of Point Pleasant ».]]

In the second half of 1749, the [[France|French]] explorer [[Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville]] (1693-1759) claimed French sovereignty over the [[Ohio Valley]], burying a lead plaque at the meeting point of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers.

The text on the plaque is as follows: 
:''L'AN 1749 DV REGNE DE LOVIS XV ROY DE FRANCE, NOVS CELORON, COMMANDANT D'VN DETACHEMENT ENVOIE PAR MONSIEVR LE MIS. DE LA GALISSONIERE, COMMANDANT GENERAL DE LA NOUVELLE FRANCE POVR RETABLIR LA TRAN QUILLITE DANS QUELQUES VILLAGES SAUVAGES DE CES CANTONS, AVONS ENTERRE CETTE PLAQUE AU CONFLUENT DE L'OHIO ET DE TCHADAKOIN CE 29 JVILLET, PRES DE LA RIVIERE OYO AUTREMENT BELLE RIVIERE, POUR MONUMENT DU RENOUVELLEMENT DE POSSESSION QUE NOUS AVONS PRIS DE LA DITTE RIVIERE OYO, ET DE TOUTES CELLE~ QUI Y TOMBENT, ET DE TOUTES LES TERRES DES DEUX COTES JVSQVE AVX SOURCES DES DITTES RIVIERES AINSI QV'EN ONT JOVY OU DV JOVIR LES PRECEDENTS ROIS DE FRANCE, ET QU'ILS S'Y SONT MAINTENVS PAR LES ARMES ET PAR LES TRAIT TES, SPECIALEMENT PAR CEVX DE RISWICK D'VTRECHT ET D'AIX LA CHAPELLE.''<ref>The Céloron Plate, one of only two to be recovered among the six placed by Céloron along the Ohio River during the expedition, is in the collections of the [[Virginia Historical Society]]. It was recovered in 1849 after washing out from the river bank; a monument marks the spot today.</ref>

:''(In the year 1749, in the reign of [[King Louis XV]], we, Celoron, commander of a detachment sent by [[Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière|Commander de La Galissonière]], Commander General of [[New France]], for the restoration of peace in various untamed villages in the region, have buried this plaque at the confluence of the Ohio and Tchadakoin [Rivers] this 29th day of July near the fine river bank, to commemorate the retaking into possession of the afore-mentioned river bank and all the surrounding lands on both river shores back to the river sources, as secured by previous kings of France, and maintained by force of arms and by treaties, specifically the Treaties of [[Treaty of Ryswick|Rijswick]], of [[Treaty of Utrecht|Utrecht]] and of [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Aix la Chapelle]]) ''

Céloron's expedition was a diplomatic failure since the local [[Native American tribes in Virginia|tribes]] remained pro-British, and British representatives refused to leave. This incident was the prelude to conflicts between the French and [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] in North America that would lead to the outbreak of the [[French and Indian War]] in 1754 (as part of the [[Seven Years' War]]) that would lead to the cessation of [[New France]] to the British and the ultimate expulsion of France from most of its possessions in North America.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The expedition can nevertheless be seen in more positive terms as a geographical project since the Céloron expedition was the starting point for the first map of the [[Ohio Valley]], which was the work of the [[Jesuit]] [[Joseph Pierre de Bonnecamps]].

In 1770, Colonel [[George Washington]] visited the confluence that would become Point Pleasant, then proceeded 14 miles up the "Great Kanawha" and later reported that "This Country abounds in Buffalo and Wild game of all kinds as also in all kinds of wild fowl, there being in the Bottoms a great many small grassy Ponds or Lakes which are full of Swans, Geese, and Ducks of different kinds."<ref>Cleland Hugh (1955), ''George Washington in the Ohio Valley''; [[Pittsburgh]]: [[University of Pittsburgh Press]], pg 261.</ref>

=== The Battle of Point Pleasant (1774) ===
{{main|Battle of Point Pleasant}}
In the [[Battle of Point Pleasant]] (October 10, 1774), fought on the future site of the town, over one thousand Virginia militiamen, led by Colonel [[Andrew Lewis (soldier)|Andrew Lewis]] (1720–1781), defeated a roughly equal force of an Algonquin confederation of [[Shawnee]] and [[Mingo]] warriors led by Shawnee Chief [[Cornstalk (Shawnee leader)|Cornstalk]] (c. 1720–1777). The event is celebrated locally as the "First Battle of the [[American Revolutionary War]]," and in 1908, the [[U.S. Senate]] authorized the erection of a local monument to commemorate it as such. Most historians, however, regard it not as a battle of the Revolution (1775–1783) but as a part of [[Lord Dunmore's War]] (1774).
<gallery>
Image:The Lord Dunmore.png|Statue of [[John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore|Lord Dunmore]] at Point Pleasant, in front of the [[flood wall]] mural.
Image:Dunmore Saga.png|Mural with a quotation from ''Documentary History of Dunmore's War, 1774'', edited by [[Reuben Thwaites]] (here misspelled "Thwaits") and Louise Kellogg.
</gallery>

===Settlement===
"Camp Point Pleasant" was established by Col. Lewis at the time of the Battle, and the settlement that followed also took that name. Although not certain, Point Pleasant may have been permanently settled by whites as early as 1774. At about that time, a permanent stockade known as Fort Blair was erected there. Before that, hostilities between whites and Native Americans all along the [[Ohio River Valley]] probably precluded the possibility of settlement in the absence of a substantial stockade.<ref>Atkinson, George W. (1876), [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wvkanawh/Early/early.html ''History of Kanawha County, From its Organization in 1789 until the Present Time''], Office of the West Virginia Journal, [[Charleston, West Virginia]].</ref> In 1776, a new fort was built on the site of the earlier fort and named for the recently deceased Virginia official [[Peyton Randolph]] (1721–1775). [[Fort Randolph (West Virginia)|Fort Randolph]] is best remembered as the place where Chief Cornstalk was murdered in 1777. It withstood an attack by Native Americans the following year but was abandoned in 1779.

George Washington's 1770 journey to the Ohio River Valley had been occasioned by military grants that had been awarded by proclamation in 1754 by [[Governor Dinwiddie]] to officers and soldiers who had served in the [[French and Indian War]]. The resulting survey encompassed 52,302 acres (or 80 square miles). It was subdivided in the 1780s as follows: 9,876 acres — including the present side of Point Pleasant — to [[Andrew Lewis (soldier)|Andrew Lewis]], 5,000 acres for George Muse, 5,000 acres for Peter Hogg, 8,000 acres for Andrew Stephens, another 3,000 acres for Peter Hogg, another 5,026 acres for George Muse, 3,400 acres for Andrew Waggener, 6,000 acres for John Poulson, 6,000 acres for John West. On the lower side of the Kanawha River, 13,532 acres for [[Hugh Mercer]] (see [[Mercers Bottom]]) and, finally, 10,990 acres for Washington himself.

Fort Randolph was rebuilt nearby in 1785 after the renewal of hostilities between the United States government and Native Americans, but it saw little action and was eventually abandoned once again.<ref>Two centuries later, a fort replica was built nearby.</ref> The settlement at Point Pleasant did not receive an official charter until 1794.

===19th century===
Mason County was carved out of Kanawha County in 1804, and Point Pleasant was designated the county seat then. According to historian [[Virgil A. Lewis]], "Point Pleasant did not flourish for many years [after the turn of the century]. There was no church for over fifty years, and society was low. There was a popular superstition that because of the fiendish murder of Cornstalk there in 1777, the place was laid under a curse for a hundred years".<ref>Lewis, Virgil A., ed. (1892), Notes to "Lewis Summer's Journal of a Tour from Alexandria, Virginia, to Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1808", ''Southern Historical Magazine: Devoted to History, Genealogy, Biography, Archæology and Kindred Subjects'', Vol. 1, No. 2 (February issue), pg 67, n. 59.</ref> Lewis also relates that a visitor to Point Pleasant in 1810 observed that ... <blockquote>Point Pleasant is pleasantly situated immediately above the mouth of the Great Kanawha, on an extensive and fertile bottom of the Ohio, of which it has a fine prospect up and down that river. It is the seat of justice of Mason county Virginia, and contains about 15 or 20 families, a log courthouse, a log jail and as usual (but unfortunately) in the Virginia towns, a [[pillory]] and [[whipping post]]. Point Pleasant seems rather on the stand in point of improvement, arising, it is said, from the difficulty in establishing the land titles. It is, however, a considerable place of embarkation for those descending the Ohio from the back and western parts of Virginia. There is one merchant. Mr. William Langtry.<ref>Lewis, ''[[Op. cit.]]''. (He is quoting the anonymous 1810 traveler.)</ref></blockquote>

Point Pleasant was incorporated in 1833.

During the [[American Civil War]], the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861, Mason County's delegate, lawyer James H. Couch (1821-1899), although an enslaver, voted against declaring secession. Mason County then sent no delegates to the Virginia House of Delegates until West Virginia's statehood, which Virginia's House of Delegates refused to recognize, thus seating James Hutcheson, who Confederate soldiers had elected in their camp. Meanwhile, William W. Newman claimed to represent Mason and nearby Jackson, Cabell, Wayne, and Wirt counties throughout the war.<ref>Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 482, 485, 488</ref> Mason County sent more than 1000 men to the Union army and one company of 61 men to the Confederate Army (the [[37th Virginia Infantry]]).<ref>Virgil A. Lewis's Soldiery of West Virginia (1911, 1972 reprint) p. 223</ref> In March 1863, in the only wartime skirmish in Point Pleasant, during the [[Jones-Imboden Raid]], the 6th Virginia Cavalry and 8th Virginia Cavalry attacked the Mason County Courthouse, where they believed munitions stored, leaving bullet holes in the walls until a replacement was built in 1954.<ref>Mason County West Virginia: Experience History and the Mystery (Mason County Welcome Center) p. 8</ref>

===20th century===
Point Pleasant was widely noted for the 1967 collapse of the [[Silver Bridge]], which killed 46 people.

On October 10, 1974, Point Pleasant celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant. A replica of Fort Randolph was built in 1973-74 and dedicated as part of the festivities. The town of Point Pleasant was situated over the site of the fort and so the replica is located at Krodel Park, about one mile away.<ref>[http://www.pointpleasantwv.org/Parks&Campgrounds/Local/Fort_Randolph/fort_randolph_restoration.htm Fort Randolph restoration], from [http://www.pointpleasantwv.org/Parks&Campgrounds/Local/Fort_Randolph/Fort_Randolph_Hello.htm Fort Randolph website]</ref>

===National Register of Historic Places===
The [[Eastham House]], [[Lewis-Capehart-Roseberry House]], and [[Point Pleasant Battleground]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The central business district and surrounding residential areas are included in the [[Point Pleasant Historic District (Point Pleasant, West Virginia)|Point Pleasant Historic District]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.10|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.40|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.70|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2013-01-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=2012-07-02}}</ref>

Point Pleasant is located at {{Coord|38|51|27|N|82|7|43|W|type:city}} (38.857527, -82.128571).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

Point Pleasant is home to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park and Krodel Park.

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Point Pleasant has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=501764&cityname=Point-Pleasant-West-Virginia-United-States-of-America Climate Summary for Point Pleasant, West Virginia]</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Point Pleasant, West Virginia
|single line = Yes
|metric first =
|Jan high F = 45
|Feb high F = 46
|Mar high F = 58
|Apr high F = 69
|May high F = 78
|Jun high F = 86
|Jul high F = 89
|Aug high F = 88
|Sep high F = 83
|Oct high F = 71
|Nov high F = 57
|Dec high F = 46
|year high F = 68
|Jan low F = 25
|Feb low F = 25
|Mar low F = 33
|Apr low F = 42
|May low F = 51
|Jun low F = 60
|Jul low F = 64
|Aug low F = 63
|Sep low F = 56
|Oct low F = 44
|Nov low F = 34
|Dec low F = 27
|year low F = 44
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.7
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.2
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.1
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.5
|May precipitation inch = 4
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.3
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.5
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.6
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.5
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.5
|Nov precipitation inch = 3
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.4
|year precipitation inch = 42.4
|source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=501764&cityname=Point-Pleasant-West-Virginia-United-States-of-America
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on September 13, 2013.
</ref>
|date=September 2013
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 773
|1880= 1036
|1890= 1853
|1900= 1934
|1910= 2045
|1920= 3059
|1930= 3301
|1940= 3538
|1950= 4596
|1960= 5785
|1970= 6122
|1980= 5682
|1990= 4996
|2000= 4637
|2010= 4350
|2020= 4101
|estyear=2021
|estimate=4031
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref> of 2010, there were 4,350 people, 2,014 households, and 1,162 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1812.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 2,244 housing units at an average density of {{convert|935.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 95.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.6% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.3% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 1.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 2,014 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 44 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.9% male and 55.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 4,637 people, 2,107 households, and 1,310 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,945.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,313 housing units at an average density of {{convert|970.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.57% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.90% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.60% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.69% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 2,107 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,022, and the median income for a family was $33,527. Males had a median income of $31,657 versus $16,607 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,692. About 22.2% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Folklore==
===The Mothman===
[[File:Mothman Statue (cropped).jpg|thumb|Statue of the [[Mothman]], a legendary creature said to inhabit Point Pleasant]]
Paranormal enthusiasts flock to Point Pleasant in search of [[Mothman]], a creature said to be a harbinger of imminent disaster that inhabits an [[McClintic Wildlife Management Area|abandoned TNT factory]] from World War II. [[John Keel]] published a book in 1975 entitled ''[[The Mothman Prophecies]]'', and a [[The Mothman Prophecies (film)|film]] inspired by the novel was released in January 2002. Later, [[Mothman (2010 film)|another film]], loosely based on the legend, was also released. The town is host to a Mothman Museum, and every year, it holds a [[Mothman Festival]] that features tours, pageants, balls, films, music, and other events to celebrate what they consider "one of Point Pleasant's largest tourist attractions."<ref name=DailyRegister>{{cite news|last=Sergent|first=Beth|title=Mothman Festival to land Sept. 21-22|url=http://www.mydailyregister.com/news/home_top/2493284/Mothman-Festival-to-land-Sept.-21-22|access-date=11 September 2013|newspaper=Daily Register|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714152130/http://www.mydailyregister.com/news/home_top/2493284/Mothman-Festival-to-land-Sept.-21-22|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 12-foot-tall metallic statue of the creature stands in Point Pleasant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mallow |first=Gwen |date=2021-06-07 |title=An Ode to a Hometown Creature: Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia |url=https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/mothman-point-pleasant-west-virginia |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=folklife.si.edu}}</ref>

=== The Sheepsquatch (The White Thing) ===
Point Pleasant is also home to a lesser known cryptid, the Sheepsquatch or the “White Thing”. The first Sheepsquatch encounter was in the 1990s when a car full of women were making their way home after a family reunion through the TNT area in Point Pleasant. As they were driving, they saw a creature step out of the woods. This creature was described as being seven to eight feet tall, covered in shaggy white hair with legs like a man. The face looked a bit long like a sheep and had horns like a ram’s. Over the years, there were many other similar sightings of the mysterious beast. A miner spotted a big white, grey thing who declared it was not an animal, a motorists spotted an animal on a hillside with a long face that looked to be covered in rags, a hunter encountered a creature crouched by a river for a drink with horns and human hands. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Andy |date=2013-12-12 |title=Move Over Bigfoot, Here Comes Sheepsquatch |url=https://modernfarmer.com/2013/12/move-bigfoot-comes-sheepsquatch/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Modern Farmer |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Sheepsquatch was first documented by folklorist [[Ruth Ann Musick]] in her book “The Telltale Lilac Bush”, published in 1965. That account originates in [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha County]] possibly in the eastern end of its range. This creature has since made its way all across the state of West Virginia, notoriously seen in Point Pleasant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghosts |first=West Virginia |date=2004-10-14 |title=Sheepsquatch - West Virginia Ghosts |url=https://www.wvghosts.com/true-stories/cryptozoology/sheep-squatch/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.wvghosts.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Notable people==
*Among the early settlers at Point Pleasant was Samuel B. Clemens and his wife Pamela (née Goggin), grandparents of the celebrated author [[Mark Twain]]. They had migrated from [[Campbell County, Virginia]] and, according to family tradition, Samuel was killed in 1805 by a falling log at a [[house raising]] there.<ref>Twain's widowed grandmother soon moved on to Kentucky. Twain later gave a similar fate to his character "Simon Lathers" in ''[[The American Claimant]]'' (1892), who was "crushed by a log at a smoke house raising".</ref>
*Point Pleasant was the final home of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Brigadier-General [[John McCausland]], the next-to-last Confederate General to die. He died at his farm at Grimm's Landing on January 23, 1927, and is buried in nearby [[Henderson, West Virginia|Henderson]].
*[[Karl Probst]], born in Point Pleasant, was an automotive engineer credited in 1940 with the design of the [[Jeep]].
*The [[Shawnee]] Chief [[Cornstalk (Shawnee leader)|Cornstalk]] was taken prisoner and later killed by a mob at Fort Randolph on 10 November 1777.<ref>[http://www.newrivernotes.com/topical_books_1850_virginia_cornstalk_shawneechief.htm William Henry Foote, "Cornstalk, The Shawnee Chief," ''The Southern Literary Messenger,'' Volume 16, Issue 9, pp. 533-540, Richmond, Virginia. 1850. Transcribed by Valerie F. Crook, 1998.]</ref>
*[[Lee Anna Starr]] (1853–1937), Methodist minister and suffragist, was born in Point Pleasant
*[[Ray Stevens (wrestler)|Ray Stevens]], pro wrestler and 2021 WWE Hall of Fame inductee

==See also==
* [[List of cities and towns along the Ohio River]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Point Pleasant (West Virginia)}}
{{Commons category|Point Pleasant, West Virginia}}
{{EB1911 poster|Point Pleasant}}
* [http://www.ptpleasantwv.org City of Point Pleasant]

{{Mason County, West Virginia}}
{{West Virginia municipalities}}
{{West Virginia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Point Pleasant, West Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Cities in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Cities in Mason County, West Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Kanawha River]]
[[Category:West Virginia populated places on the Ohio River]]