| Official Name: | City of Montgomery |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Logo of Montgomery, West Virginia.png |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Pushpin Map: | West Virginia#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Fayette, Kanawha |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Greg Ingram, elected 2020 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.53 |
| Area Land Km2: | 4.14 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.39 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.75 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.60 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.15 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Est: | 1257 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1280 |
| Population Density Km2: | 363.88 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 942.50 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 194 |
| Elevation Ft: | 636 |
| Coordinates: | 38.18°N -81.3267°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 25136 |
| Area Code: | 304 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 54-55468[3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1555154[4] |
Montgomery is a city in West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. Most of the city is in Fayette County, with the remainder in Kanawha County. The population was 1,280 at the 2020 census.[2]
From 1876 to 1890, the town was called Coal Valley Post Office. The name then changed to Montgomery's Landing, then to Coal Valley. In 1890 it was again renamed, as Cannelton. It was incorporated on April 1, 1891, and the name Montgomery was settled upon; it was named for James C. Montgomery,[5] one of the city's first settlers. The land was given to James Montgomery as a wedding present from his father-in-law, Levi Morris, who owned all the land.
The town's late-19th century growth was due to the construction of the Kanawha & Michigan Railroad across the river and the connection of the Virginian Railway at nearby Deepwater. In the early 1910s, Montgomery was the shipping center for 26 different coal operations and was the largest town in Fayette County at the time.[6]
From 1895 until its 2017 move to Beckley, Montgomery was the home of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, popularly called WVU Tech. The city is currently home to BridgeValley Community and Technical College – Montgomery Campus.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.59sqmi, of which 1.57sqmi is land and 0.02sqmi is water.[7]
As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 1,638 people, 645 households, and 302 families living in the city. The population density was 1043.3PD/sqmi. There were 838 housing units at an average density of 533.8/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 78.3% White, 17.4% African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.
There were 645 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.0% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 53.2% were non-families. 43.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.71.
The median age in the city was 30.1 years. 12.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 31.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 22.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.3% male and 46.7% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,942 people, 725 households, and 326 families living in the city. The population density was 1237.5/mi2. There were 869 housing units at an average density of 553.7/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 76.47% White, 17.40% African American, 0.31% Native American, 3.76% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.62% of the population.
There were 725 households, out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.9% were non-families. 42.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution, which is strongly influenced by the presence of WVU Tech, is: 13.2% under the age of 18, 33.0% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,606, and the median income for a family was $32,000. Males had a median income of $27,794 versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,663. About 25.7% of families and 37.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.4% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.
See also: Montgomery (Amtrak station). The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway stopped in Montgomery until 1971. Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Montgomery on the Cardinal route. CSX transportation's Kanawha Subdivision also services Montgomery.[9]
US Route 60 passes through Montgomery.
Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority bus 22M runs from Montgomery to Charleston.[10]
The novel Goodbye Miss 4th of July by Christopher Janus is a biographical story of the author's Greek family's struggles while growing up in Montgomery. In 1988, a film version of Goodbye Miss 4th of July was produced by the Disney Channel.