MacArthur, West Virginia
census-designated place in Raleigh County, West Virginia
MacArthur is a census-designated place (CDP) in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. Originally, it was named Hollywood and renamed MacArthur after General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in 1942. The population was 1,376 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km2), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,695 people, 714 households, and 496 families living in the CDP. The population density was 571.4 people per square mile (220.8/km2). There were 783 housing units at an average density of 264.3/sq mi (102.1/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.52% White, 0.41% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 714 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “MacArthur, West Virginia” is census-designated place in Raleigh County, West Virginia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through MacArthur, West and Virginia, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “census-designated place in Raleigh County, West Virginia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2512854. Authority coordinates are 37.757, -81.211. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1942, 2020 and 2000.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “MacArthur, West Virginia”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow MacArthur, West Virginia primary sources, MacArthur, West Virginia archive and MacArthur research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “MacArthur, West Virginia”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “MacArthur, West Virginia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.