HelenWV
A town in West Virginia.
Is Helen a good place to live?
We don’t grade Helen yet; the figures below are still real.
Moving to Helen: who provides what
Helen is unincorporated, so Raleigh 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 Helen.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards: high risk in Helen, mostly inland flooding
Helen’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 63 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 87% come from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Helen households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Helen stands out in West Virginia and nationally: a larger share of its adults have been diagnosed with depression
Helen: 44% of adults have obesity, against 41% in West Virginia’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. Among adults here, 42% have high blood pressure. Only one of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Helen.
| Helen | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 21% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 31% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Helen | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7% | 8.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.6% | 19.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Helen. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
22 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
26 mi MuseumThurmond
12 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague Mine
17 mi National park siteBluestone National Scenic River12K visitors a year
40 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a yearPhoto 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 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bluestone National Scenic River: Dave Bieri, Public domain · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Everything we know about Helen
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Helen
About Helen
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Helen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 137 (down from 219 at the 2010 census). West Virginia Route 16, Winding Gulf and railroad tracks run right through the community. The Helen mine and coal camp was opened in the 1910s by the East Gulf Coal Company. Many years later, the mine was operated by the Koppers Coal company, which then became the Eastern Gas & Fuel - Coal Division, and even later Eastern Associated Coal Company. Eastern Associated operated the Helen mine into the 1980s.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,631 ft
- ZIP code
- 25853
Questions about Helen
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Helen, WV a good place to live?
We don’t grade Helen yet; the figures below are still real. A town in West Virginia.