Eleanor (vicinity), West Virginia. A wayside market, 1935
Eleanor’s story
90 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1935.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1936Eleanor is settled
EleanorWV
A town of 1,497, settled in 1936. Public schools that outperform most of West Virginia.
Population
1,497
2025 Census estimate · −3.5% since 2020
Typical home
$231K
+4.7% in a year
Household income
$79K
median
Median age
45.6
years
Jobs based here
569
Balanced
Is Eleanor a good place to live?
Eleanor’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 8 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on cost of living. Residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On incomes, just 11 of West Virginia’s 140 towns do better. 39% of the land in Eleanor is conserved, above both the West Virginia town median (2.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). No town in West Virginia scores higher than Eleanor on the outdoors. Eleanor Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Eleanor has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Eleanor stand out
Where Eleanor beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Putnam County Schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington Elementary School | PK–5 | 201 |
| George Washington Middle School | 6–8 | 291 |
| Putnam Career & Technical Center | 9–12 | 2 |
SchoolsA+
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
OutdoorsA+
38.7% conserved land
Biggest place to walk: Eleanor Town Park.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Inland flooding and heat waves at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,497 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
WinfieldEleanor
How Eleanor grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Eleanor is from typical.
SchoolsA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthThomas Memorial Hospital 16.5 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & income$79K median household incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.3 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Eleanor: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eleanor, and how to reach them.
PowerAppalachian Power17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWest Virginia American WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Eleanor’s trash rules yet
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 herePutnam Clerk of the County CommissionPutnam County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code2507025070 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Eleanor.
SchoolsA+
On state tests, Eleanor’s schools beat 98% of West Virginia districts
Its public schools are run by the Putnam County Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
98%of WV districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 291 | C+ |
| Putnam Career & Technical CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
HealthD
Eleanor earns a D for health
46% of Eleanor adults have high blood pressure, above both West Virginia’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (35%). 31% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Eleanor. Eleanor beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
7%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Eleanor | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 44% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Eleanor | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25% | 19.5% |
Thomas Memorial Hospital
16.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA+
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, trail density in Eleanor is higher
The trail density in Eleanor is 5.0 miles per square mile. 11 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
38.7%conserved
38.7%
conserved · 543 of 1,402 acres
11 mi
of trails · 5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eleanor Town Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Inland flooding leads a very high hazard risk in Eleanor
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eleanor.
89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat waves
2
paid flood claims since 1980
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade B−
Homes in Eleanor are worth about $231K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Eleanor home is worth about $231,000, up 4.7% in a year, 31% above the West Virginia typical home. 77% of Eleanor households own their home.
$231KZillow home value
| Eleanor | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,070 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Eleanor$231K
West Virginia$177K
+4.7%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Eleanor
Eleanor has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–46°
Spring43–67°
Summer63–85°
Fall45–69°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
A job hub: Eleanor has 1.1 jobs for every working resident and draws in 552 commuters
Most working residents leave Eleanor for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Eleanor has lost 293 jobs, to 569 in 2023. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 5 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Eleanor.
3%work in town
| Eleanor | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Eleanor3%
Charleston9%
Winfield8%
Teays Valley6%
South Charleston4%
11 mi
median commute distance
569
jobs based in Eleanor
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer children than West Virginia overall
Children under 18 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). Eleanor’s median age is 45.6 years. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 6 have a lower share of children under 18 than Eleanor.
45.6median age · WV 42.7
| Eleanor | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 17% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 45.6 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
EleanorWest VirginiaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school37%
Some college16%
Associate’s22%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 31% and 71% women
The Census survey reached too few of Eleanor’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±20.1 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Eleanor | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.4% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.6% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.7% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.5% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.3% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Eleanor
18pages on Eleanor
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Eleanor
About 0 of every 100 Eleanor residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
About Eleanor
Town in West Virginia, United States
Eleanor is a town in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. Its population was 1,548 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. The town, named for Eleanor Roosevelt, was established as a New Deal project in the 1930s like other Franklin D. Roosevelt towns around the nation (e.g. Greenbelt, Greenhills, Greendale, Hanford, or Norris).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 604 ft
- ZIP code
- 25070
- Area code
- 304
Questions about Eleanor
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Eleanor, WV a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of West Virginia.
Is Eleanor, WV expensive?
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($60,078 across the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.