GartenWV
This town of 107 people was settled in 1920.
Is Garten a good place to live?
Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Garten. 41% of the land in Garten is conserved, above both the West Virginia town median (2.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). New River Gorge National Park, at 108 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Garten has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
107 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Garten. Close and well known come first.
in town National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
9 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
5 mi MuseumThurmond
10 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a year
37 mi MuseumLost World Caverns
19 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague MinePhoto credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Lost World Caverns: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Garten: who provides what
Garten is unincorporated, so Fayette County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Garten.
The FEMA risk score in Garten is lower than in most of West Virginia or the rest of the country
Of the losses FEMA expects in Garten, 59% come from inland flooding and 18% from lightning. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Garten stands out in West Virginia and nationally: trail density there is higher
2 parks and preserves cover 216 acres in Garten.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New River Gorge National Park | 1.8 mi | 108 |
| 2. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve | — | 108 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Garten work out of town
In Garten, 1.4% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Fayetteville (20%), Oak Hill (11%) and Beckley (9%). Half of commuters travel less than 15 miles.
| Garten | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The climate in Garten brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower July high than Garten. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 23° and about 56 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Garten is
79% of Garten adults had a checkup this year. Against the West Virginia average, Garten comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Garten.
| Garten | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 21% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 40% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Garten | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| More adults with depression | 35.8% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Garten
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Garten
About 10 of every 100 Garten residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
99% of working residents leave Garten for work
Where Garten’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Garten
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Garten is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 204. Garten is in the center of the county, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of Fayetteville, the county seat, and 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Oak Hill. It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of the west rim of the New River Gorge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,969 ft
Questions about Garten
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Garten, WV a good place to live?
Garten has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.