TornadoWV
A town of 1,114, settled in 1881.
Is Tornado a good place to live?
The best of Tornado’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 1 of West Virginia’s 141 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Tornado. Tornado’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Tornado has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,114 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Tornado grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Tornado is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Tornado: who provides what
Tornado is unincorporated, so Kanawha 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 Tornado.
Tornado stands out in West Virginia and nationally, with the FEMA risk score higher than most
Tornado’s FEMA risk score is 99 of 100, against 69 of 100 in West Virginia’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Tornado’s public schools trail 59% of West Virginia districts
Its public schools are run by the Kanawha County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews Heights Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 233 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
On CDC estimates, Tornado is less healthy than 75% of U.S. towns
Tornado beats the West Virginia average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 31% of Tornado adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Tornado.
| Tornado | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 44% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Tornado | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 19.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most of Tornado’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Tornado for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Tornado grew to 125 in 2023, 77 more than in 2013. 8.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Tornado.
| Tornado | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 14% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer middle-aged adults than West Virginia overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 30% of residents (20% statewide). The median age in Tornado is 34.1 years. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Tornado | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.1 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 21% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
62% women, 38% men
About 61 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.6 points). Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Tornado | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 18.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.2% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.7% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.2% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Tornado has four seasons and pleasant summers
Tornado 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.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Tornado sell for about $125K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Tornado
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Tornado
About 8 of every 100 Tornado residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
99% of working residents leave Tornado for work
Where Tornado’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Tornado
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Tornado, also called Upper Falls, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. Four agencies of the United States government determine the official name of the community. The United States Postal Service established the Upper Falls of Coal Post Office in 1851, then replaced it with the Tornado Post Office in 1881 and today delivers mail within ZIP Code 25202 addressed to either Tornado or Upper Falls. The United States Board on Geographic Names authenticated the name of the community as Tornado in 1980, changed it to Upper Falls in 2010 and back to Tornado in 2013. After approving the replacement of the Tornado CDP with the much larger Upper Falls CDP …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 17 sq mi
- Elevation
- 614 ft
- ZIP code
- 25202
Questions about Tornado
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tornado, WV expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $175,000, 1% below the West Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.