Prichard, West Virginia
Census-designated place (CDP)
Prichard, West Virginia is located in West Virginia
Prichard, West Virginia
Prichard, West Virginia
Coordinates: 38°14′24″N 82°35′55″W / 38.24000°N 82.59861°W / 38.24000; -82.59861
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyWayne
Area
[1]
 • Total1.263 sq mi (3.27 km2)
 • Land1.107 sq mi (2.87 km2)
 • Water0.156 sq mi (0.40 km2)
Elevation
587 ft (179 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total461
 • Density370/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
25555
Area code(s)304 and 681
GNIS feature ID1555412[3]

Prichard is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 461.[2] It is located along the Big Sandy River and U.S. Route 52. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland, WV–KY–OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had a population of 287,702 according to the US Census (2010). The community was named after James Pritchard.[4]

Education

Prichard Elementary School opened in 1958, replacing a two-room schoolhouse. It is the lone academic facility in Prichard. Once students reach sixth grade, they attend either Buffalo Middle School, Wayne Middle School, or Fort Gay Middle School. Upon reaching ninth grade, Prichard residents attend either Spring Valley High School, Wayne High School or Tolsia High School.

Economy

With only a limited number of employment opportunities within Prichard, the average work commute for residents was 38.7 minutes.

In September 1999, Senator Jay Rockefeller announced that Okuno International would open a hydraulic cylinder plant in Prichard, offering 50 new jobs and eventually expanding to 100.[5]

Aplicare, a manufacturer of topical antiseptic and personal care products, operated a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) facility which, according to their website, manufactured “all of our bottled antiseptics, our personal care product line, and several unit dose products including lubricating jelly and antiseptic hand gel. This facility closed in 2018”[6]

In 2003, Allevard opened a coil spring and stabilizer bar plant in Prichard originally employing approximately 90 people. In May 2008, Allevard announced plans to expand employment to approximately 150 people, but in 2009, due to the slumping economy, had to instead reduce its staff to about 40.[7]

In January 2008, construction began on the Heartland Corridor, a train route of the Norfolk Southern Railway that leads from the Virginia coast to Columbus, Ohio. The corridor offers existing lines the ability to carry more cargo by double-stacking boxcars. An intermodal facility was placed in Prichard, to allow for the cars to be easily transferred between rail, highway, waterway, and airway transportation.[8] The $35 million intermodal facility opened in 2015, but with disappointing expectations.[9] The West Virginia Port Authority put the facility up for auction in 2020 after losing a half million dollars a year.[10]

Government

As an unincorporated community, Prichard has no city government. Law enforcement is provided from the county and state levels.

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Prichard CDP, West Virginia". April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ 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. 507.
  5. ↑ Press Release - Rockefeller and Underwood Announce New Company to Locate in Wayne County Archived 2010-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Aplicare - About Us
  7. ↑ Tri-State job growth will come in increments - The Herald-Dispatch
  8. ↑ Heartland Corridor construction begins - The Herald-Dispatch
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Jeff (January 7, 2020). "Lawmakers ask more questions about Pritchard intermodal facility". WV MetroNews. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Rail cargo facility in Wayne County put up for public auction". WCHS-TV. March 12, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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