| Official Name: | Dunlow, West Virginia |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | West Virginia#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wayne |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.7 |
| Area Land Km2: | 60.814 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.002 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.3 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.3 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.0 |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Total: | 1,105 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 18.17 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 335.89 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1101.998 |
| Coordinates: | 38.0231°N -82.4315°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 25511 |
| Area Code: | 304 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Dunlow is an unincorporated community in southern Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, on Twelvepole Creek. Originally a small settlement called Twelvepole, it was greatly expanded after entrepreneur Jedediah Hotchkiss chose the village for development along the route of the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) ine that was being laid out to the Ohio River. The town was laid out along the N&W's Ohio Extension in 1892, and was incorporated the same year. The area had plentiful coal deposits that were expected to be exploited. Population in 1892 was about 200, with a school, church, and a 70-room hotel. The town became the headquarters of the Guyandotte Coal Land Association, which administered land transactions for coal-related businesses.[1]
A devastating fire in December 1901 destroyed most of the center of town, which never recovered. The population in 1919 was 75. Coal in the vicinity of Dunlow was found to be unprofitable to mine. The railroad up the West Fork of Twelvepole Creek through Dunlow was shut down in the early 1930s, supplanted by the newer, straighter Big Sandy Line,[1] and what is left of the town is unincorporated.
At the 2000 census, the Dunlow postal district had a population of 1,105. In 2009, the population in zip code 25511 was listed as 961.[2]
Dunlow is noted for its wildlife sightings. There have been several accounts of sightings of black panthers and other jungle animals in Dunlow. A circus train that derailed in the mid-1940s, from which several jungle creatures escaped and were never recovered, is rumored to be the source of these animals.[3]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Dunlow has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[4]