Helvetia (West Virginia)
| Helvetia | |||
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 Shield in Helvetia |
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| Location in West Virginia | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1869 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | West Virginia | ||
| County : | Randolph County | ||
| Coordinates : | 38 ° 42 ′ N , 80 ° 12 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 ) | ||
| Residents : | 59 (as of 2010) | ||
| Population density : | 12.6 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 4.7 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) of which 4.7 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) are land |
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| Height : | 682 m | ||
| Postal code : | 26224 | ||
| Area code : | +1 304 | ||
| FIPS : | 55-33850 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1583376 | ||
Helvetia is a census-designated place in Randolph County in the US state of West Virginia . The settlement, founded in 1869 by Swiss emigrants, had 59 inhabitants in 2010 . The old customs and traditions from the former homeland could be maintained until today due to the isolated location.
geography
Helvetia is remote in a hilly and heavily forested area south of Buckhannon in the valley of the Left Fork Right Fork Buckhannon River , which starts the Upper Trout Run here . To the west of Helvetia is the Holly River State Park and to the southeast is the Kumbrabow State Forest.
history
After the end of the civil war, a group consisting of Swiss and some German immigrants founded the Grütliverein in Brooklyn , New York City . Their common goal was to emigrate to another part of the country when the time was right.
A member of the group named Isler was surveying large tracts of land in eastern western Virginia for a Washington- based company. After his return, he reported to the group of rivers rich in fish and forests rich in game in a hilly, but nevertheless very productive area.
Six men from the group left Brooklyn a little later and took the train to Clarksburg , which they reached on October 15, 1869. From here they started the arduous, 120 km long journey through the densely forested areas.
On October 20, the men reached a place in the mountains from where they could take a look over the area. Initially discouraged by the endless wilderness, they decided to explore the area. In addition, the country was very inexpensive and, above all, the few locals were very hospitable, so they decided to stay. In addition, there was support from property managers from Clarksburg, who wanted to promote even more settlements in the area. After the rest of the members learned of the exploration, they set out on the journey too. Because of the cheap land, all settlers were able to buy their own land.
At the beginning of 1871 there were 230 people in Helvetia. The real estate agent CE Lutz, who arrived this year, wrote advertisements in German and English about the advantages of the place, which were published all over the country. New settlers came from various parts of the United States and Canada, as well as a few directly from Switzerland . In 1874 the population was 308.
The Helvetia Village Historic District was included in the NRHP in 1978 . It contains 26 historical buildings in the center of Helvetia.
traffic
Helvetia is accessed through Country Road 45 and Country Road 46 .
population
According to the 2010 census , there were 59 people in 24 households in Helvetia. The population density was 12.6 inhabitants per square kilometer. Statistically, 2.46 people lived in each of the 24 households.
The racial the population was composed of 94.9 percent white; 5.1 percent were descended from two or more races. Regardless of ethnicity, 3.4 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The average annual income for a household was 37,161 USD . The per capita income was $ 19,471.
public holidays
- Carnival , the last Saturday before Lent
- West Virginia Maple Syrup Festival
- National holiday , August 1st
- Helvetia Day
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ American Fact Finder. Retrieved September 29, 2014