Population: 1,812,040 (Ranked 37^th)

Charleston (Capital): 53,430

Huntington: 48,990

Parkersburg: 31,620

 

The capital and largest city in West Virginia, Charleston is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers, and is the county seat of Kanawha County. Charleston was famous for its salt and its first natural gas well. Coal played an important role in the city’s economic growth.   The city contains the Kanawha State Forest, a large public state park.

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area and is the county seat of Cabell County.

Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, Parkersburg is the county seat of Wood County and is the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area. The Bureau of Public Debt, a U.S Treasury Department’s agency is headquartered in Parkersburg.

 

 

Housing Units (2007): 882,685

Households (2000): 736,481

Home Ownership Rate (2000): 75.2%

 

Average West Virginia Home Sales Price: $188,807

 

Charleston Home Value Index: $115,911

Huntington Home Value Index: $59,582

Parkersburg Home Value Index: $103,609

 

West Virginia Income (2007)
Median Household: $37,057
Median Family: $52,292

 

West Virginia University (WVU): includes 4 public universities

Marshall University: includes 2 universities

Other Notable private Universities: University of Charleston, Ohio Valley University, American Military University, West Virginia Wesleyan College