| Rand | |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Mapsize: | 300px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kanawha |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.461 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.461 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1631 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 38.2825°N -81.5622°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Rand is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,631. It is surrounded by the communities of Malden and DuPont City.
The unincorporated community within the historic Kanawha Salines area, was named after Plus Rand Levi, son of Mordecai Levi, patent holder of the Brick Road. It was originally named "Plus" from 1907 to 1909, when a large tract was purchased from the Dickinson family. Because there was already a town already called Plus, the community changed its name to Levi. Around the 1930s or 1940s, due to a town in Braxton County being named Levi, the community changed its name again, to Rand.[3] [4]
Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver and ESPN analyst Randy Moss was born and raised in Rand, as well as Samuel Singleton Jr, a former minor league baseball player.[5] [6]
The ESPN Films production Rand University, which chronicled Moss’ journey from Rand to the National Football League, was largely filmed in Rand; the title refers to the area behind the town’s only hangout spot, a 7-Eleven store where many locals openly drink alcohol behind the store’s dumpsters.[6]