Boone County is a county in West Virginia, United States, centred on the Coal River valley in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 21,809 at the 2020 census and covers 501.53 square miles (1,299 km2) of land centred near 38°01′N 81°43′W.
Madison is the county seat, and its postal code is 25130. The county has four incorporated municipalities — one city and three towns — along with dozens of unincorporated communities strung along the Coal River and its tributary hollows. Boone County is in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 54005.
Towns & Villages in Boone County
Boone County has one incorporated city (Madison, the seat) and three incorporated towns (Danville, Sylvester, Whitesville). Everything else on the list below is an unincorporated community — a coal-camp settlement, river hamlet, or crossroads without its own municipal government. Populations and ZIP codes are shown only where they are separately reported; unincorporated places generally share the ZIP of the nearest post office town.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | City · seat | 2,911 | 25130 |
| Danville | Town | 660 | 25053 |
| Sylvester | Town | — | — |
| Whitesville | Town | — | — |
| Adams | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Altman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Anchor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Andrew | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ashford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bald Knob | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bandytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barrett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bigson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bim | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bloomingrose | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blue Pennant | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bob White | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bradley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Breece | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brush Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brushton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cabot | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cameo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cazy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clinton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clothier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Comfort | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coopertown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dartmont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dodson Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Easly | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elk Run Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Estep | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Foch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Foster | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fosterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garrison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gordon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grippe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Haddleton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Harless | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Havana | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hewett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hopkins | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hopkins Fork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horse Creek Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jackson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Janie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jeffrey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Joes Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Johns | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Julian | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Keith | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kirbyton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kohlsaat | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lanta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Layville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lindytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lory | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Low Gap | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Manila | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marnie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marthatown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maxine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Milltown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morrisvale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Hope | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nellis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nelson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Orgas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ottawa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Peytona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pondco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Powell Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Prenter | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Price Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Quinland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Racine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ramage | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ridgeview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rock Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rocklick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rumble | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Secoal | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharlow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Madison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stark | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Turtle Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Turtletown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Twilight | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Uneeda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Van | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Van Camp | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Washington Heights | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wharton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Williams Mountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 25130 — Madison (also serves South Madison and nearby hollows)
- 25053 — Danville
Most of the smaller unincorporated communities scattered through the county’s hollows and river bends are served by the nearest post office town’s ZIP code rather than one of their own.
Geography
Boone County sits in the low, wooded mountains of the Coal River drainage, in the west-central part of southern West Virginia. The Coal River and its Big Coal and Little Coal forks cut the county’s hollows and give most of its communities their names and their access roads. Land is heavily wooded and steep away from the narrow river-bottom flats, and much of the terrain has been reshaped by decades of coal mining, both underground and surface.
Boone County borders Kanawha County to the northeast, Raleigh County to the east, Wyoming County to the south, Logan County to the west, and Lincoln County to the northwest.
Demographics
Boone County had 21,809 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 43 people per square mile. Madison, the county seat, is the largest community at 2,911 residents, followed by Danville at 660. Median household income in the county runs well below the West Virginia median of $55,948, reflecting the decline of coal employment across the southern coalfields over the past two decades.
Economy & Local Life
Coal has long been the backbone of Boone County’s economy, alongside timber, natural gas, and small-scale agriculture including tobacco and strawberries. The county sits within the Charleston, WV metropolitan statistical area, and a growing share of residents commute north to Kanawha County for work as mining employment in the county itself has fallen sharply since the 1990s. Local life centers on the small towns strung along the Coal River and the county’s schools and churches, which anchor most of the smaller communities.
History
Boone County was organized on March 11, 1847, out of parts of Kanawha, Cabell, and Logan counties, and was named for frontiersman Daniel Boone, who lived in the Great Kanawha Valley from 1789 to 1795. The county’s history through the 20th century is inseparable from the rise and long decline of the southern West Virginia coal industry, which built and then emptied out many of the small camp towns still listed on maps today.
Getting There
U.S. Route 119 is the county’s main north–south corridor, connecting Madison to Charleston to the north and Logan County to the south; West Virginia Routes 3, 17, 85, 94, and 99 serve the smaller river valleys.
- Charleston — 30 miles north
- Logan — 20 miles southwest
- Beckley — 35 miles southeast
- Huntington — 55 miles west
Yeager Airport in Charleston is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Boone County, West Virginia?
It is in the west-central part of southern West Virginia, in the Coal River valley, part of the Charleston metropolitan area.
What is the population of Boone County?
21,809 people, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Boone County?
501.53 square miles (1,299 km2) of land.
What is the county seat of Boone County?
Madison is the county seat.
How many towns are in Boone County?
Four incorporated municipalities — the city of Madison and the towns of Danville, Sylvester, and Whitesville — plus close to a hundred unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Boone County?
Madison uses 25130 and Danville uses 25053; smaller communities generally share a nearby post office town’s ZIP.
What is Boone County’s main industry?
Coal has historically dominated the county’s economy, alongside timber, natural gas, and small-scale farming.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.