Kanawha County, West Virginia | ||
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Kanawha County Courthouse
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Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia |
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West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | October 5, 1789 | |
Named for | Kanawha River | |
Seat | Charleston | |
Largest city | Charleston | |
Area | ||
• Total | 911 sq mi (2,359 km2) | |
• Land | 902 sq mi (2,336 km2) | |
• Water | 9.3 sq mi (24 km2), 1.0% | |
Population (est.) | ||
• (2015) | 188,332 | |
• Density | 211/sq mi (81/km²) | |
Congressional district | 2nd | |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
Website | www |
Kanawha County (/kəˈnɔː/ kə-NAW or /kəˈnɔːə/ kə-NAW-ə) is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 193,063, making it West Virginia's most populous county. Its county seat is Charleston, the state capital.
Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county began taking formation on November 14, 1788 under authorization of the Virginia General Assembly, and was founded on October 5, 1789. The county was named for the Kanawha River, which in turn was named after the Indian tribe that lived in the area. The county was the site of a major Textbook controversy in 1974 that included bombings and received national attention.