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Welcome to Harper ...

Harper is located in Raleigh County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Harper, you might consider that their post office opened in 1903.

Harper is 2,130 feet [649 m] above sea level.<2> In other words, the elevation of Harper is about ½ mile above sea level.

Time Zone: Harper lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Harper: 304 & 681<3>

The ZIP code for Harper: 25851<4>

Communities Also Named Harper ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two West Virginia communities named Harper: This one is located in Raleigh County and the other is located in Pendleton County.

Beyond West Virginia, there are 28 communities that are also named Harper - they are located in California (2), Florida, Georgia, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa (2), Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan (2), Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio (3), Ontario, Oregon, Prince Edward Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Harper.

Communities near Harper ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Harper.

  • Beckley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Oak Hill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Fayetteville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Mullens
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mount Hope
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Mabscott
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mabscott is located in Raleigh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabscott
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,251 people
  • Sophia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Whitesville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Lester
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lester is located in Raleigh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 312 people
  • Rhodell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Harper. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Harper.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Harper. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Harper.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Harper. See our Newspapers Page for Harper.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Harper ...

Looking for more information about Harper? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Harper, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Harper.

Adding Harper to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Harper in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Harper was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>

From that list, the Harper post office opened in 1903.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Harper.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including Raleigh, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Harper - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 304 code has been Overlayed with the 681 area code. New phone numbers in the Harper area will be assigned with one of these codes: 304 or 681. As a result, placing a call in the Harper area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<4>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Harper). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Harper or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/