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Big Chimney is a tiny town of 610 people in Kanawha County, West Virginia. It's about 7 miles from Charleston, WV and 133 miles from Columbus, OH, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 43°F, with about 29 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $147k and rent runs about $906 a month.
610people
$147kTypical home
$906/moRent
86° / 43°Summer / winter
29"Snow
204Sunny days
150Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 610
- Part of a metro area
- About 304 people per sq mi
- 133 mi to Columbus, OH
- 7 mi to Charleston, WV
- 7 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $147k (≈$929/mo)
- Median rent $906/mo
- Median household income $52k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 10.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 86°F
- Winter highs around 43°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 204 sunny days a year (65 totally clear)
- 161 cloudy days a year
- 56 of 90 winter days are gray
- 150 days a year with rain or snow
- 29" of snow a year
- 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 6 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- About average violent crime (384 per 100k), county-wide
- Above-average property crime (2,215 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 59
- 15% of households have kids
- 31% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 4 mi to CRW airport
- 131 mi to CMH (major hub)
- 8 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 83% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1959
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 827 ft
- 226 mi to the ocean
- 126 mi to a big lake
- 2 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 54 mi to the nearest ski area
- 13 mi to the nearest campground
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 143 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 14 bars within 25 mi
- 16 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 6 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 3 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 33% of West Virginia districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 49 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 4 mi to the nearest vet
- 5 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 7 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Kanawha County: R+17 in 2024
- West Virginia: R+42 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.