IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Big Sandy, WV
Big Sandy is a tiny town of 113 people in McDowell County, West Virginia. It's about 37 miles from Beckley, WV and 163 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 42°F, with about 20 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $50k and rent runs about $643 a month.
113people
$50kTypical home
$643/moRent
83° / 42°Summer / winter
20"Snow
210Sunny days
154Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 113
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 212 people per sq mi
- 163 mi to Charlotte, NC
- 37 mi to Beckley, WV
- 37 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $50k (≈$315/mo)
- Median rent $643/mo
- Median household income $32k
- Property tax about 0.7% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 42°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 210 sunny days a year (66 totally clear)
- 155 cloudy days a year
- 54 of 90 winter days are gray
- 154 days a year with rain or snow
- 20" of snow a year
- 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 7 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
People
- Median age 52
- 30% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 6% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 36 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 39 mi to BKW airport
- 136 mi to GSO (major hub)
- 45 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 66% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 2003
- 83% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 1,463 ft
- 243 mi to the ocean
- 107 mi to a big lake
- 13 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 33 mi to the nearest ski area
- 21 mi to the nearest campground
- 5 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 32 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 2 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 30 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 2% of West Virginia districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 23 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 32 mi to the nearest vet
- 61 mi to the nearest dog park
- 5 congregations per 10k people
- 13 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- McDowell County: R+60 in 2024
- West Virginia: R+42 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Very 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.