St. Albans is a city in western

Kanawha County, West Virginia Kanawha County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charleston, which is also the state capital and most ...

, United States, at the confluence of the Kanawha and

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

rivers. The population was 10,861 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Charleston metropolitan area.

History

St. Albans was laid out in 1816. Originally, it was known as Philippi, after Philip Thompson, an early settler, the name afterwards being changed to Colesmouth due to the area and river being discovered by Samuel Cole. The city was then incorporated as Kanawha City in 1868. The town was renamed in 1872 by H.C. Parsons of the C & O Railroad in honor of his birthplace in St. Albans, Vermont, which is itself named after St. Albans in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England. The latter town is named for St. Alban, believed to have been the first British Christian martyr.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 11,044 people, 4,969 households, and 3,073 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 5,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 4,969 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.2% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 45 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,185 households, and 3,390 families living in the city. The

was . There were 5,467 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.37%

, 2.84%

, 0.13% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. There were 5,185 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.75. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,130, and the median income for a family was $47,913. Males had a median income of $35,978 versus $25,030 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $19,806. About 4.9% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

* Saint Albans High School (9–12) * Hayes Middle School (6–8) * McKinley Middle School (6–8) * Alban Elementary (K-5) * Central Elementary (K-5) * Anne Bailey Elementary (K-5) * George C. Weimer Elementary (K-5) * Lakewood Elementary (K-5) * Saint Albans Junior High (7–9)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

* U.S. Route 60 * West Virginia Route 817

Bus

The Kanawha Valley is served by Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KRT).

Notable people

* Randy Barnes, Olympic shot putter, 1996 gold medalist * George E. Deatherage, political agitator and nationalist * Renee Montgomery, former WNBA player who is currently a part-owner of the Atlanta Dream and the FCF Beasts * Brett Nelson, American Basketball player and coach * Jason Rader, American football player

Notable places

*St. Albans Public Library (member of the Kanawha County Public Library System)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans, West Virginia Cities in West Virginia Cities in Kanawha County, West Virginia Populated places on the Kanawha River Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area Populated places established in 1816 1816 establishments in Virginia