Cityscape of Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington, West Virginia's central business district is located to the south of the Ohio River, east of the Robert C. Byrd Bridge, and west of Hal Greer Boulevard. Broad avenues and streets dominate the streetscape, creating for the most part an even grid pattern. Another business district is in Old Central City, known for its numerous antique shops and Heiner's Bakery.

Several major industries line the river, from the Steel of West Virginia industrial complex next to Marshall University to Special Metals, located along the Guyandotte River in the Altizer neighborhood. The proximity of the Ohio River played an important role in the development of heavy industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Rust Belt deindustrialization era of the 1970s led to a decline in the industrial base and, subsequently, Huntington's population.

The saving grace, in terms of employment, has been the steadily growing service sector. Two major hospitals, St. Mary's and Cabell-Huntington, have seen major expansion projects that have doubled their footprints during the past twenty years.

The city's architecture contains a wealth of historic structures, most built during the boom of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Notable structures include the 12-story St. James Building (housing The First State Bank), with its huge Doric columns presenting a grand entrance to the ornate lobby. The West Virginia Building is a deep-red brick structure that looms over 4th Avenue. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest tower in the state, but it has since fallen to 18th, behind the office towers of Charleston. Numerous other notable buildings are scattered throughout the downtown, ranging from the beautifully restored Guaranty Bank and Trust Building to the high-rise Coal Exchange Building. Grand residential homes and mansions line Ritter Creek and the steep hills that loom behind it, many built by the railroad barons of the past.

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