Kanawha County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Charleston, which is also the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals *List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population *List of national capitals by area *List of ...

and

most populous city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...

. Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county began taking formation on November 14, 1788, under the authorization of the Virginia General Assembly and was founded on October 5, 1789. The county was named for the

Kanawha River The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its watershed has been a significant industrial region of th ...

, which in turn was named after a Native American tribe that lived in the area. (WV County Etymology) During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, a number of state

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiments were organized in the county for both

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

and Union Army service. In 1863 West Virginia's counties were divided into

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a County (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...

s, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. Kanawha County was divided into ten districts: Big Sandy, Cabin Creek, Charleston, Elk, Jefferson, Loudon, Malden, Poca, Union, and Washington. In the 1970s the historic districts were consolidated into five new magisterial districts: District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, and District 5. A District 6 was created in the 1980s, but in the 1990s the county was redistricted again, reducing the number of magisterial districts to four: District 1, District 2, District 3, and District 4. Kanawha County was the site of a bloody miners' strike in 1912, and a school textbook controversy in 1974, that resulted in bombings, and received national attention.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in West Virginia by area.

Adjacent counties

* Roane County (north) *

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

(northeast) * Nicholas County (east) * Fayette County (east) * Raleigh County (southeast) * Boone County (south) * Lincoln County (southwest) * Putnam County (west) * Jackson County (northwest)

Major highways

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

Interstate 79 Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare t ...

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as General Booth Bouleva ...

* U.S. Route 119 *

West Virginia Route 4 West Virginia Route 4 is a north–south state highway within and maintained by the U.S. state of West Virginia. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 119 (West Virginia), U.S. Route 119 in Clendenin, West Virginia, Clendenin. The norther ...

* West Virginia Route 25 * West Virginia Route 34 *

West Virginia Route 61 West Virginia Route 61 is a north–south state highway in central and southern West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 41 in Piney View, West Virginia, Piney View. The northern terminus is at U.S. Rout ...

West Virginia Route 62 West Virginia Route 62 is a north–south state highway in western West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 25 in Dunbar. The northern terminus is at Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 33 in Ripley. History I ...

* West Virginia Route 94 * West Virginia Route 114 *

West Virginia Route 214 West Virginia Route 214 is a north–south state highway located in the western portion of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Although the route maintains an east–west routing for most of its length, the route is signed as north–s ...

West Virginia Route 501 West Virginia Route 501 is a two-lane west–east connector route. It is known as Big Tyler Road, and starts at the unincorporated community of Tyler Mountain, West Virginia, Tyler Mountain, splitting off from WV Route 62. From there it cr ...

* West Virginia Route 601 *

West Virginia Route 622 West Virginia Route 622 is a north–south state highway located entirely in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 25 west of Institute. The northern terminus is at Interstate 77 exit 1 ...

* West Virginia Route 817

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 180,745 people and 77,634 households residing in the county. There were 90,234 housing units in Kanawha. The racial makeup of the county was 85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Asian, 0.2%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.75% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 5.3% from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.6% of the population. Of the 23,278 households, 43% were married couples living together, 30.3% had a female householder with no spouse present, 19.8% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 2.89. The median age in the county was 43.7 years with 20.2% of the population under 18. The median income for a household was $56,112 and the poverty rate was 15.8%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 193,063 people, 84,201 households, and 52,172 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 92,618 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% white, 7.3% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.8% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 14.2% were Irish, 13.9% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, and 13.4% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

. Of the 84,201 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.0% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 42.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $42,669 and the median income for a family was $54,203. Males had a median income of $42,522 versus $31,754 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,439. About 9.7% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 93,788 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.46%

, 6.97% Black or African American, 0.21%

, 0.85% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.21% from

, and 1.27% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 86,226 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 30.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.84. The age distribution was 21.30% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,766, and the median income for a family was $42,568. Males had a median income of $33,842 versus $24,188 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $20,354. About 11.20% of families and 14.40% of the population were below the

, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Kanawha County was dominated by the Democratic Party for much of the 20th century, albeit to a lesser extent than much of West Virginia. Since 2004 it has been won by Republicans in presidential elections, although, as an urban county, the swing to the Republicans has not been as vast as in much of the rest of the state. The county seat and state capital of Charleston is heavily Democratic.

Elected officials

Economy

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are approximately 5,481 private sector businesses within Kanawha County. There are 89,768 people who are currently employed who live in Kanawha County.

Recreation

Events

* FestivALL *Charleston Sternwheel Regatta (Returning 2022) * Live on the Levee * Vandalia Gathering * Rib Fest * Charleston Rod Run Doo Wop * Majorette Festival -

Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival The Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival (formerly Daily Mail) is an annual festival dedicated to the public high school marching bands and majorette corps in Kanawha County, West Virginia. It is the longest running music festiva ...

* Pinch Reunion * St. Albans Festival of Lights

Attractions

Clay Center (West Virginia) The Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kana ...

West Virginia State Capitol The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was dedi ...

* West Virginia Cultural Center * South Charleston Mound *

Mardi Gras Casino and Resort Mardi Gras Casino and Resort is a casino and greyhound racing venue located in the city of Nitro, West Virginia. It is located just off the Cross Lanes exit of I-64, 14 miles west of Charleston, West Virginia and 36 miles east of Huntington, We ...

Charleston Civic Center The Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center (originally known as Charleston Civic Center) is a municipal complex located in the downtown area of Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Originally completed in 1958, it consists of four main ...

* Heritage Tower Museum

Sports

Charleston Dirty Birds The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

- Baseball team * West Virginia United - Soccer club

Communities

Cities

* Charleston (county seat) *

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

* Marmet * Montgomery (part) *

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitro ligand ...

(part) *

Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People * Alan Smithers (born 1938) ...

(part) * South Charleston *

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

Towns

* Belle * Cedar Grove *

Chesapeake Chesapeake most often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian *Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated places In Virginia * ...

* Clendenin *

East Bank Transjordan, also known as the East Bank or the Transjordanian Highlands (), is the part of the Southern Levant east of the Jordan River, mostly contained in present-day Jordan. The region, known as Transjordan, was controlled by numerous powers ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

* Handley *

Pratt Pratt is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: A–F * Abner Pratt (1801–1863), American diplomat, jurist, politician, and lawyer * Al Pratt (baseball) (1847–1937), American baseball player * Andy Pratt (baseball) (bor ...

Magisterial districts

*District 1 *District 2 *District 3 *District 4

Census-designated places

* Alum Creek (part) * Big Chimney * Chelyan * Coal Fork * Cross Lanes * Elkview *

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer) * Jefferson (singer) or Geoff Turton (born 1944), British s ...

* Pinch *

Rand The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

* Sissonville *

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

Unincorporated communities

* Aarons *

Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ἀκμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts, entertainment and games * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fic ...

* Acup *Airport Village * Amandaville * Amelia * Annfred * Arborland Acres * Barren Creek *

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...

* Blakeley * Blount * Blue Creek * Blundon *

Bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...

* Brounland * Burnwell * Cabin Creek *

Carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...

* Cinco * Coalburg * Coalridge *

Coco Coco or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Coco'' (2009 film), a French comedy film * ''Coco'' (2017 film), an American animated fantasy film * '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (), a 2020 Japanese anime film ...

* Corton * Crede * Crown Hill * Davis Creek *

Dawes Dawes may refer to: Places Australia *Dawes (Parish), New South Wales *Dawes Point, New South Wales Untied States *Dawes Arboretum, in Newark, Ohio *Dawes County, Nebraska *Dawes Township, Thurston County, Nebraska Other uses * Dawes (band), ...

* Decota * Dial *

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

* Dickinson * Donwood * Dry Branch * Dungriff * Dupont City * East Nitro * East Side * Edgewood *

Elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...

* Elk Forest *

Elk Hills The Elk Hills are a low mountain range in the Transverse Ranges, in western Kern County, California. They are near and east of the Elkhorn Hills in San Luis Obispo County, California San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of ...

* Emmons (part) * Eskdale * Etowah * Falling Rock *

Ferrell Ferrell is an English surname of Irish origin. Origin The name may be derived from the patronym Ó Fearghail (meaning "descendant of Fearghail", whose name means "man of valour"). If this is so, it would be another version of the names Farrell ...

* Fivemile *

Forest Hills Forest Hills or Forrest Hills may refer to: Places United States * Forest Hills (Tampa), Florida * Forest Hills, Illinois, a neighborhood in Western Springs * Forest Hills, Kentucky * Forest Hills, Boston, Massachusetts ** Forest Hills Cemetery ...

* Forks of Coal * Fort Hill *

Frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

* Gallagher * Giles * Green Valley * Greencastle * Grippe * Guthrie * Hansford * Hernshaw * Hicumbottom * Highlawn * Hillsdale * Hitop *

Holly ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

* Hollygrove * Hollyhurst * Hugheston *

Institute An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

* Island Branch * Ivydale * Jarrett * Jarretts Ford * Joplin * Kanawha Estates * Kayford * Kelly Hill * Kendalia * Laing * Leewood * Loudendale * Lower Falls * Malden *

Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

* Meadowbrook * Mink Shoals * Pocatalico * Pond Gap * Port Amherst *

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

Quick Quick, as an adjective, refers to something moving with high speed. Quick may also refer to: In business * Quick (restaurant), a Belgian fast-food restaurant chain * Quick (sportswear), a Dutch manufacturer of sportswear * Quick (automobile), a ...

* Quincy * River Bend * Rocky Fork * Rock Lake Village * Rutledge * Sanderson *

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

* Tyler Heights * Tyler Mountain

Notable people

* Robert Alexander,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

football player *

Anthony Bass Anthony Edward Bass (born November 1, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Seattl ...

, NFL football player *

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

, composer *

Aaron Dobson Aaron Jameer Dobson (born July 23, 1991) is an American football coach and former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft and played college football at Marshall ...

Super Bowl champion The Super Bowl is the annual American football game that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The game culminates a National Football League regular season, season that begins in the previous calendar year, and is the ...

football player * Ryan Dorsey, actor *

Jon Elmore Jonathan Elmore (born December 20, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Marshall. High school Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Elmore average ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

basketball player *

Conchata Ferrell Conchata Galen Ferrell (March 28, 1943 – October 12, 2020) was an American actress. She played Berta the housekeeper on the sitcom ''Two and a Half Men'' from 2003 to 2015, and she received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

, actress best known for her role as Berta on ''

Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn that aired on CBS for 12 seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. The series originally starred Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a hedonis ...

'' *

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

, actress and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

and

SAG SAG, SAg or sag may refer to: Land formations * Sag (geology), or ''trough'', a depressed, persistent, low area * Sag pond, a body of water collected in the lowest parts of a depression People * Ivan Sag (1949–2013), American linguist ...

award winner *

Elizabeth Harden Gilmore Elizabeth Harden Gilmore (1909–1986) was a business leader and civil rights advocate. She was the first woman to be licensed as an assistant funeral director in Kanawha County, West Virginia on October 28, 1938, and as a funeral director on Nov ...

, business leader and civil rights advocate *

Gary Gregor Gary W. Gregor (born August 13, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward (basketball), forward/center (basketball), center from the University of South Carolina, Gregor played in the National Basketball Association ...

, NBA basketball player *

Alex Hawkins Clifton Alexander Hawkins (July 2, 1937 – September 12, 2017) was an American football player who played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons. He excelled as a speci ...

, two-time

NFL champion Throughout its history, the National Football league (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national ...

football player *

Alexis Hornbuckle Alexis Kay'ree Hornbuckle (born October 16, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played several seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association. She is the only player to win an NCAA title and WNBA title in the s ...

, two-time WNBA champion basketball player *

T. D. Jakes Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker. He was the senior pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch in Dallas, Texas, fro ...

, megachurch pastor * Carl Lee, NFL football player *

Earl Lloyd Earl Francis Lloyd (April 3, 1928 – February 26, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA). An All–American player at ...

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

inductee and the first African-American basketball player to play in an NBA game *

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...

, country music and bluegrass singer *

Ann Magnuson Ann Magnuson is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by ''The New York Times'' in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Lily Tomlin does". A f ...

is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. *

Renee Montgomery Renee Danielle Montgomery (born December 2, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player, sports broadcaster and an activist; who is currently vice president, part-owner, and investor of the Atlanta Dream, and one of three owners ...

, two-time WNBA champion basketball player *

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Tit ...

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

inductee and holder of the NFL record for receiving touchdowns in a season * Lou Myers, actor, best known for his role as Vernon Gaines on ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'' * Les Palmer,

football player *

Phil Pfister Phil Pfister ( ; born May 15, 1971) is an American former strongman competitor and winner of the 2006 World's Strongest Man competition held in Sanya, China. He was the first American to win since Bill Kazmaier in 1982. Prior to 2006, Pfister' ...

, strongman competitor and winner of the 2006 World's Strongest Man competition * Kristen Ruhlin, actress *

Ryan Switzer Ryan Switzer (born November 4, 1994) is an American football coach and former professional football player who is currently the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. He previously played as a wide rec ...

, NFL football player *

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...

, highly influential educator, author, orator, presidential advisor, and co-founder of the

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

inductee and the basis for the silhouette on the NBA logo since 1971 * Jason Williams, NBA basketball player

Footnotes

References

External links

Kanawha County CommissionKanawha County Public LibraryKanawha County SchoolsWVGenWeb Kanawha County
;Convention & Visitors Bureau * Charleston, WV - http://www.charlestonwv.com/ * Dunbar, WV - http://www.wvcommerce.org/travel/travelplanner/attraction/Dunbar-Convention-and-Visitors-Bureau-CVB/3843/default.aspx * Nitro, WV - https://web.archive.org/web/20130727150319/http://nitrowvcvb.org/ * South Charleston, WV - https://web.archive.org/web/20121019071540/http://www.southcharlestonwv.org/SCCVB/Welcome.html {{authority control 1789 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1789 Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area West Virginia placenames of Native American origin

History

Geography

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Politics

Elected officials

Economy

Recreation

Events

Attractions

Sports

Communities

Cities

Towns

Magisterial districts

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links