Shenandoah at Great Cacapon, March 1969, 1969
Great Cacapon’s story
150 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1969 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
- 1876Great Cacapon is settled
Great CacaponWV
A town settled in 1876, now home to 587 people.
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
587
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$253K
+5.6% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
38.8
years
Jobs based here
10
A commuter town
Is Great Cacapon a good place to live?
37% of residents live below the poverty line in Great Cacapon, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Great Cacapon. Great Cacapon has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
587 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 49 attractions →Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Great Cacapon. Close and well known come first.
in town National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a year
29 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
34 mi National Historical ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical Park538K visitors a year
30 mi LandmarkDunker Church
30 mi MuseumMuseum of the Shenandoah Valley30 mi MuseumFort BedfordSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: Mark Fickett, CC BY 3.0 · Dunker Church: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Museum of the Shenandoah Valley: GustaveCourbet, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to Great Cacapon: who provides what
Great Cacapon is unincorporated, so Morgan County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPotomac Edison13.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMorgan CountyMorgan 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 hereMorgan Clerk of the County CommissionMorgan County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code2542225422 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 Great Cacapon.
Housing
The typical home in Great Cacapon is valued at about $253K
Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
$253KZillow home value
Typical home value
Great Cacapon$253K
West Virginia$177K
+5.6%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: very high risk in Great Cacapon, mostly inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, Great Cacapon sits above 85% of U.S. communities. 88% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. One declared disaster, in 2004, has brought federal aid to Great Cacapon households.
85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Fewer of Great Cacapon’s working residents work locally than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
Half of commuters travel less than 30 miles. Great Cacapon’s typical household income comes in at $53,000. The top destinations are Bath (Berkeley Springs) (8%), Winchester (6%) and Martinsburg (6%).
1%work in town
| Great Cacapon | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Great Cacapon1%
Bath (Berkeley Springs)8%
Winchester6%
Martinsburg6%
Cumberland3%
30 mi
median commute distance
10
jobs based in Great Cacapon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Great Cacapon’s year
July afternoons reach 87° and January nights drop to 23°.
87°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–43°
Spring40–65°
Summer60–85°
Fall43–67°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
87°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, more of Great Cacapon’s adults smoke cigarettes
Among 62 West Virginia towns, just one has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Great Cacapon. 40% of Great Cacapon adults get no exercise outside work.
| Great Cacapon | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
0 better18 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Great Cacapon | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30% | 19.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 15.7% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 26.8% | 19.3% |
Valley Health War Memorial Hospital
5.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Great Cacapon
15pages on Great Cacapon
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Great Cacapon; the nearest are
Blue Ridge Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Martinsburg19.5 mi$4,752 in-state tuitionShepherd UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Shepherdstown28.6 mi$9,056 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Great Cacapon residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Great Cacapon for work
Where Great Cacapon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
10jobs based in Great Cacapon
1%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Great Cacapon
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Great Cacapon ( kə-KAY-pən) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, its population was 315 (down from 386 at the 2010 census).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 476 ft
- ZIP code
- 25422
Questions about Great Cacapon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Great Cacapon, WV a good place to live?
Great Cacapon has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.