Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): The Jewel City, The River City, The River & Rail City, Train City | |
Interactive map of Huntington | |
| Coordinates: 38°25′9.30″N 82°26′42.55″W / 38.4192500°N 82.4451528°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Counties | Cabell, Wayne |
| First Settled | 1775 (Holderby's Landing) |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1799 (Guyandotte) |
| Incorporated | February 27, 1871 (Huntington) |
| Founded by | Collis P. Huntington, Delos W. Emmons |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Patrick Farrell (R) |
| • City Council | Members list |
| Area | |
| 18.461 sq mi (47.814 km2) | |
| • Land | 16.219 sq mi (42.008 km2) |
| • Water | 2.242 sq mi (5.808 km2) |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 46,842 | |
• Estimate (2024) | 44,942 |
| • Rank | US: 886th WV: 2nd |
| • Density | 2,794.6/sq mi (1,079.0/km2) |
| • Urban | 200,157 (US: 191st) |
| • Metro | 368,261 (US: 152nd) |
| • Combined | 643,394 (US: 81st) |
| Demonym | Huntingtonian |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 25701–25729, 25755, 25770–25779 |
| Area code(s) | 304 and 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-39460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1540605 |
| Highways | US-60, I-64, SR-101, SR-106, SR-152, and SR-527 |
| Sales tax | 7.0% |
| Website | cityofhuntington.com |
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Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The seat of Cabell County, the city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers in the state's southwestern region. With a population of 46,842 at the 2020 census and estimated at 44,942 in 2024, Huntington is the second-most populous city in West Virginia. The Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, spanning seven counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, has an estimated 368,000 residents.
Surrounded by extensive natural resources, the area was first settled in 1775 as Holderby's Landing. Its location was selected as ideal for the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which founded Huntington as one of the nation's first planned communities to facilitate transportation industries. The city quickly developed after the railroad's completion in 1871 and is eponymously named for the railroad company's founder, Collis Potter Huntington. The city became a hub for manufacturing, transportation, and industrialization, with an industrial sector based in coal, oil, chemicals and steel. After World War II, due to the shutdown of these industries, the city lost nearly 46% of its population, from a peak of 86,353 in 1950 to 54,844 in 1990.
Huntington is a vital rail-to-river transfer point for the marine transportation industry. It is home to the Port of Huntington Tri-State, the second-busiest inland port in the United States. Also, it is considered a scenic locale in the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The city is the home of Marshall University as well as the Huntington Museum of Art, Marshall Health Network Arena, Camden Park, one of the world's oldest amusement parks; and the headquarters of the CSX Transportation-Huntington Division.