Information
City: HuntingtonCountry: USA West Virginia
Continent: North America
Huntington, USA West Virginia, North America
Overview
Huntington rests on West Virginia’s western edge, where the Ohio River curves past town and the borders of Kentucky and Ohio meet.It’s the state’s second-largest city, once a busy factory town and now home to museums, universities, and a renowned hospital.Today, it carries the rough-edged spirit of old Appalachia alongside a burst of fresh creativity, all held within the steady hush of the river and the green rise of the hills.Huntington sits in Cabell County, with a few streets stretching into neighboring Wayne County.The city’s heart runs along the broad Ohio River, where a barge horn’s low call drifts across the water and a train whistle fades into the distance.Ohio’s rolling farmland stretches out across the river, and to the south, wooded ridges climb softly toward the hazy blue of the Appalachian foothills.Downtown’s neat grid stretches alongside the river, laid out in the late 1800s when freight trains rumbled through and the town was thriving.Wide avenues and neat blocks-like 3rd and 5th-still carry a mix of red-brick warehouses, 1920s theaters with faded marquees, and sleek glass-front towers.Summers feel heavy with humidity, the hills deep green; winters stay mild, though mist clings to the streets, and at dawn the river fog wraps the city in soft silver.Huntington’s story began in 1871, when Collis P. officially founded the town, its first streets still dusty from passing wagons.Huntington, the railroad magnate who pushed the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway all the way to the Ohio River, turned the city into a vital eastern hub for coal and timber-trains rolling in heavy with black dust and fresh-cut beams.Almost overnight, his vision transformed the quiet, grassy riverfront into a roaring industrial hub.By the early 1900s, Huntington thrived as a busy hub for trade and manufacturing, turning out steel, glass, and river machinery with the clang of hammers echoing along the docks.Rail lines linking coal country to busy river docks drove its expansion and earned it a place among the most modern small cities in Appalachia, where the air often carried the scent of fresh-cut timber.The Great Depression dragged the economy down, yet after World War II, factories buzzed again and classrooms filled with eager students.In 1970, a plane crash claimed the lives of Marshall University’s football team and staff, a devastating blow that left the city reeling and ultimately forged its spirit of resilience-later honored in the film *We Are Marshall*, where the roar of the crowd echoes that memory.Huntington’s modern economy has spread into new industries, from tech startups to small artisan shops, while education keeps pace with the change.The city still wears its industrial past, but it’s now thriving in healthcare, education, logistics, and technology-think bustling hospitals, busy campuses, and humming server rooms.At the heart of a strong regional healthcare network, Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center work together to care for patients across West Virginia and into nearby states.With over 12,000 students, Marshall University anchors the city, its campus stretching between 3rd and 5th Avenues, where coffee shops buzz and the streets hum with art, research, and youthful energy.The university’s medical and pharmacy schools drive breakthroughs in biomedical research, while its packed stadiums and winning teams remain a point of pride for the entire community.Huntington, once powered by coal mines and factory lines, now touts its role as a center for healthcare and education, with fresh energy coming from small tech start-ups, busy logistics teams, and a burst of creative businesses.The Port of Huntington Tri-State is still among the biggest inland ports in the country, moving coal, petroleum, and other cargo through the Ohio River, where barges cut slow ripples across the water.Huntington blends an old industrial spirit with the warmth of Appalachian hospitality and the easy rhythm of university life, where brick mills stand just blocks from coffee shops buzzing with students.Downtown has been steadily coming back to life, with bright murals splashed across brick walls, music spilling from small venues, and new restaurants drawing crowds to streets that used to fall silent after dark.On 3rd Avenue, Pullman Square pairs sleek storefronts, cozy cafés, and a lively cinema with sunny plazas where music drifts through evening air and weekend markets bustle.Only a few steps from here, Heritage Station-a lovingly restored 19th‑century railway depot-buzzes with life as an artisan village filled with boutiques, art‑lined galleries, and the smell of fresh bread drifting from cozy cafés.Perched on a wooded hill above the city, the Huntington Museum of Art showcases one of the region’s most admired collections, with sculpture gardens and shady forest trails winding through its grounds.Built in 1928 in a lavish Spanish Baroque style, the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center still draws crowds for everything from the swell of a live symphony to the vibrant Marshall Artists Series.Each August, thousands crowd the riverfront for the Rails and Ales Festival, sipping hoppy local brews and swaying to the pulse of live music.Residents cherish their traditions, yet they take pride in how they bounce back-like rebuilding the market after a storm.Huntington, once labeled the “fattest city in America,” has transformed into a model for community-driven health reform, sparked in the early 2010s when chef Jamie Oliver’s *Food Revolution* shone a spotlight on local diet changes and education-right down to fresh apples replacing vending machine candy.The city mixes striking urban sights with places to breathe outdoors, like Ritter Park-a South Side oasis where roses bloom, tennis balls thud against rackets, and joggers loop past the summer stage.People come here for picnics and art fairs, and the park’s worn stone bridges and towering old trees make it a favorite corner of the city.Harris Riverfront Park stretches beside the Ohio River in the heart of downtown, perfect for a morning walk, a bike ride past the water’s edge, or catching a lively weekend festival.From here, you can watch barges slide by as the sun sinks, their hulls catching the last streaks of gold.Heritage Farm Museum and Village brings Appalachian pioneer life to vivid detail, with weathered log cabins, hands-on museums, and craftsmen shaping wood by hand.Just beyond the edge of town, it stands as a reminder of the region’s rural roots, where the scent of fresh hay still drifts on the breeze.Camden Park has been drawing crowds since 1903, with creaky wooden coasters and vintage rides that still smell faintly of fresh popcorn.The trails at the Huntington Museum of Art wind through quiet wooded ridges and past sculpture gardens, with views that stretch out over the city.Every corner of Huntington has its own story to tell, from the bustling, brick-lined streets of Downtown-the city’s historic heart and lively hub-to quieter spots with their own charm.The South Side is a quiet stretch of tree-lined streets, dotted with small parks and rows of weathered brick houses.The West End, once an industrial hub, now holds tight-knit working-class streets and busy river terminals where cranes clank against the water’s edge.Highlawn and Altizer sit by the river, where you’ll find small churches with worn brick steps and a few bustling community centers.The University District hums with youthful energy, packed with coffeehouses, cramped student apartments, and bars that pulse on Marshall game nights, the air thick with the smell of fries and beer.Huntington carries a warm, nostalgic vibe-the rumble of trains over old steel bridges, the sweet scent of popcorn drifting through crisp air at a Joan C. football game.Edwards Stadium stood in the distance while porch lights glimmered along the still side streets.Neighbors here are warm and down-to-earth, proud of their town even when money’s tight and the paint on shop signs starts to fade.Today’s Huntington is a city in flux, rooted in its history yet gradually carving out a new future, like bricks from an old warehouse finding their place in a fresh design.Fresh paint, open cafés, and bustling sidewalks show how revitalization projects are breathing life back into the downtown blocks.People have fallen in love with the Old Central City Antique District, where brass doorknobs gleam in dusty shop windows.
Landmarks in Huntington
