Nitro has a colorful history, beginning with the production of ammunition during World War I and culminating in several Superfund-funded cleanups of the ensuing mess.
Geography
Nitro is located at 38°24'55" North, 81°49'52" West (38.415281, -81.831249)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 km² (4.1 mi²). 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.09% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,824 people, 3,015 households, and 1,935 families residing in the city. The population density is 702.6/km² (1,821.2/mi²). There are 3,217 housing units at an average density of 331.2/km² (858.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.64% White, 1.63% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.54% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,015 households out of which 23.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% are married couples living together, 12.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% are non-families. 30.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.80.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,389, and the median income for a family is $41,367. Males have a median income of $30,086 versus $21,932 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,453. 10.7% of the population and 7.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.5% are under the age of 18 and 14.0% are 65 or older.