The Big Supply Co. store, 1915
Dorothy’s story
Dorothy in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1915 and 7 maps from 1914 on.
Explore the history →DorothyWV
Some 115 people live in this town, in West Virginia.
Is Dorothy a good place to live?
Dorothy’s age of the median resident is 59.5 years, above both the West Virginia town median (42.2 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Dorothy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
115 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
ColcordDorothy
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dorothy.
Natural hazards
In Dorothy, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
98risk score of 100
95% of Dorothy’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities.
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Dorothy’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
0%work in town
Dorothy: 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Half commute less than 20 miles. The top destinations are Beckley (10%), South Charleston (7%) and Charleston (7%).
Where working residents work
In Dorothy0%
Beckley10%
South Charleston7%
Charleston7%
Prosperity5%
20 mi
median commute distance
6
jobs based in Dorothy
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Dorothy: snowy winters and pleasant summers
56″snow a winter
The typical July afternoon high for Dorothy comes to 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–43°
Spring41–64°
Summer60–81°
Fall44–65°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Dorothy stands out in West Virginia and nationally, with more of its adults who have been diagnosed with depression
Only one of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare has a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Dorothy. In Dorothy, 21% of adults have diabetes. The town does better than the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 23.
| Dorothy | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 21% | 17% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
1 better8 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Dorothy | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 14.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 39.5% | 19.5% |
Camc Plateau Medical Center
16.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median home in Dorothy sells for about $67K
$67Kmedian sale price
For households in Dorothy, the share who are owner-occupiers is 80%.
0
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dorothy
15pages on Dorothy
The big questions
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All 10 attractions →New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dorothy. Close and well known come first.
16 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
19 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
32 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
20 mi MuseumThurmond
18 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague Mine28 mi MuseumWest Virginia State MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Dorothy: who provides what
Dorothy is unincorporated, so Raleigh County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet2 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRaleigh CountyRaleigh County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRaleigh Clerk of the County CommissionRaleigh County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes25060, 2504825060 80% · 25048 20%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Dorothy for work
Where Dorothy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
6jobs based in Dorothy
0%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Dorothy; the nearest are
Appalachian Bible CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Mount Hope15.5 mi$18,760 tuitionWest Virginia University Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Public · Beckley19.2 mi$8,424 in-state tuitionNew River Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Beaver21.6 mi$5,156 in-state tuition
College town 17 of every 100 Dorothy residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
About Dorothy
Unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States
Dorothy is an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dorothy had a population of 207. Dorothy is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east-southeast of Whitesville. Dorothy has a post office with ZIP code 25060. At one time, it was also called Lawson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 1,001 ft
- ZIP code
- 25060
Questions about Dorothy
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dorothy, WV a good place to live?
Dorothy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Some 115 people live in this town, in West Virginia.
Dorothy is in here
Say something about Dorothy.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.