Putnam County
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
Created in 1848 from parts of Cabell and Kanawha counties, to the south, and Mason County, to the north, Putnam County was among the first settled regions in West Virginia and is among its most productive agricultural markets. Its economy is tied to that of Charleston, to the southeast, and Huntington, to the southwest, -- the state's primary metropolitan areas. Interstate 64 (I-64) follows the suburban Teays Valley through the southern neck of Putnam County. Much of the northern county is in farmland and woodland.
County Seat: Winfield, WV
Population: 51,589 (2000 Census (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US54039&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US54%7C05000US54039&_street=&_county=putnam&_cityTown=&_state=04000US54&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on))
Putnam County Profile (http://www.wvbep.org/bep/lmi/CNTYPROF/CP99putn.htm)
Lodging: Putnam County Hotels (http://www.reservetravel.com/v4/redir.aspx?type=geo&rad=15&lbl=Putnam%20County&lat=38.491484&lon=-81.922069&siteid=7790)
Schools: Putnam County Schools (http://boe.putn.k12.wv.us/boe/index.html)
Libraries: Putnam County Libraries (http://putnam.lib.wv.us/)
Cities, Towns, and Villages
The largest communities in Putnam are located in flats along the Kanawha River in the Kanawha Valley. Most such communities are commercial centers serving the region's smaller agricultural communities, though Nitro (in the south) is an important industrial city, formerly the site of a nitroglycerin plant and part of the industrial and chemical complex of the central Kanawha Valley. Hurricane, also in the south, is located along the I-64 corridor between the metropolitan areas of Charleston and Huntington, WV. The county is otherwise almost entirely rural.
Poca, WV
Nitro, WV
Buffalo, WV
Eleanor, WV
Winfield, WV
Red House, WV
Hurricane, WV
Many hamlets and small villages pepper the ridges beyond te Kanawha Valley. Many were established in the late 19th century when the county was timbered to fuel the valley's saltworks. Many were developed later around country stores and post offices. Little is left of these communities today.
Confidence, WV
Bancroft, WV
Extra, WV
Liberty, WV
Paradise, WV
Winter, WV
Points of Interest
Buffalo Indian Village
Amherst/Plymouth Wildlife Management Area
General Description
Putnam County is part of one of the most productive agricultural regions in West Virginia. Much of the county is in farmland and woodland. Particularly large farms have been worked along the broad bottoms of the Kanawha River and at the mouths of its major tributaries. Many smaller farms follow winding tributary streams into the ridges beyond. Many lay along the tableland regions above the valley, which rise 500 feet above the mean river level. Tobacco, beef cattle, grain crops, and poultry are its largest crops. The region is recognized for its pastoral beauty. The county is entirely contained with the Allegheny Plateau region of Appalachia.
History
Created by the Virginia Assembly in 1848 from parts of Mason, Cabell, Kanawha counties, Putnam was named in honor of New England soldier and patriot Gen. Israel Putnam. Many examples of commercial, residential, and ecclesiastical architecture of early 1800s are extant. Buffalo, in central Putnam County, may be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America, having been settled relatively early by native Americans and still being inhabited when the first European settlers arrived. Excavations at the village in 1963-1964 uncovered a central plaza surrounded by ceremonial buildings and a semi-circle of houses, all enclosed in a stockade. Then as now, residents enjoyed the bounty of the river, its fertile bottoms, and the wooded hills that extend into the distance beyond.
Climate
Temperature Mean Annual Average: 54 (Degrees F)
January Averages: High 41 (Degrees F) -- Low 21 (Degrees F)
July Averages: High 86 (Degrees F) -- Low 64 (Degrees F)
Long Term Precipitation
January: 2.68 inches -- July: 4.67 (inches) -- Annual: 41.2 (inches)
Mean Annual Snowfall Range
25 - 30 inches
Putnam County Weather Forecast (http://www.wvwebsites.com/cgi-bin/weather/hamweather.cgi?theme=default&user=default&forecast=zandh&state=wv&zone=014)
