West Side & Kanawha River Corridor

I-64 West

The communities west of downtown Charleston along the Kanawha River corridor, following I-64 and WV Route 25 toward Putnam County. This region includes Charleston's West Side and Elk City neighborhoods, the independent cities of Dunbar and South Charleston (home to the former Union Carbide Technical Center and the state's 'Chemical Valley' legacy), and the residential communities of Institute (home of West Virginia State University) and Cross Lanes. Nitro, straddling the Kanawha-Putnam county line, anchors the western end. Tyler Mountain rises above the valley providing hilltop residential areas.