Kanawha

Formed October 5, 1789 (10^th county)

Kanawha County (180,744), Charleston (48,816)

The stone Richardsonian Romanesque building was erected in 1892 with 1917 and 1926 additions.  It is located on Virginia and Court streets.  United States Highway 60 is three blocks northeast of the site.  Shief & Highnam provided the designs.  A Judicial Center was built in 1983.  The courthouse features a tower with a tile roof.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was also an 1817 courthouse.   The county was organized on October 5, 1789 from parts of Greenbrier County and Montgomery County, Virginia as the 10^th county.  Fort Lee was the first county seat until 1796 when Charleston assumed the position.  The county name is a Native American word for “place of white stone.”  Charleston was named for the father of founder George Clendenin.  Kanawha County is the birthplace of 3 West Virginia Governors, George W. Atkinson, W. Gaston Caperton III, and James C. Justice II. 

Kanawha County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a clerk, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven Circuit Court Judges, Five Family Court Judges, Eight Magistrate Court Judges and a court clerk serve Kanawha County (judicial.)  The county is in the southwest part of the state.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is northeast and Roanoke, Virginia is southeast of the county.  The county center is 9.3 miles Southeast of Charleston nearer Coal Fork.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Roane, Clay, Nicholas, Fayette, Raleigh, Boone, Lincoln, Putnam, and Jackson counties.  The West Virginia state capitol is located in this county.  The county looks like a three-horned dragon’s head.  Charleston is located west of center in the county.  Charleston is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KA-NAW. 

The area of the county is 903 square miles.  It is 4 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 1 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 200.2 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 55 in the state.  Kanawha County has 52.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 64 comes into the county from the southeast, Fayette County, and goes to the west, Putnam County.  Interstate Highway 77 enters from Jackson County, north, and joins Interstate Highway 64 into Fayette County.  Interstate Highway 79 comes from Roane County, northeast, and terminates.  United States Highway 60 enters from Fayette County and joins Interstate Highway 64 into Putnam County.  United States Highway 119 is joined with Interstate Highway 79 from Roane County, splits and continues southwest into Boone County.  This county is in the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Smithers