Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Town
Town of Bath
Town square in Berkeley Springs
Seal
Motto:  "America's First Spa"
Location of Bath (Berkeley Springs) in Morgan County, West Virginia.
Coordinates: 39°37′32″N 78°13′37″W / 39.62556°N 78.22694°W / 39.62556; -78.22694
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Morgan
Incorporation	December 1776
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area [1]
• Total	0.34 sq mi (0.87 km2)
• Land	0.34 sq mi (0.87 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	656 ft (200 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	758
• Estimate  (2021)[3]	755
• Density	1,773.81/sq mi (685.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	25411
Area code	304
FIPS code	54-04876
GNIS feature ID	1877535[2]
Website	https://townofbath.org/government/

Berkeley Springs is a town in, and the county seat of, Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle.^[4] Berkeley Springs is also commonly used to refer to the area in and around the Town of Bath. In 1776, the Virginia Legislature incorporated a town around the springs and named it Bath. Since 1802, it has been referred to by the name of its original post office, Berkeley Springs. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area.

The area contains mineral water springs frequented by Native Americans indigenous to the area, possibly for thousands of years. After settlement by Europeans, the mineral springs drew many visitors from urban areas. Notable colonial visitors to the area included George Washington and James Rumsey. Berkeley Springs remained a popular resort area during the United States' early years. It is the home of the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting,^[5] the longest-running and largest such event in the world. Another local tradition is the famed Apple Butter Festival, started by a group of local business owners in 1974, with overwhelming support from then-Mayor Frank Heiner.^{[citation needed]} The area continues to be a popular resort area, with tourism the primary industry in the county and six full-service spas using mineral water.