Welcome to Independence ...
Independence is located in Preston County<1>.
The location of Independence has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Independence, you might consider that their post office opened in 1884.
Independence is 1,180 feet [360 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Independence lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Independence: (304) and (681)<4>
Communities Also Named Independence ...
While we believe that this Independence is located in Preston County, we know of another 3 West Virginia communities named Independence. Those communities are located in the following counties: Barbour, Clay and Jackson County.
Beyond West Virginia, there are 50 communities that are also named Independence - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California (2), Colorado (3), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana (2), Iowa, Kansas (2), Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota (2), Mississippi (2), Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota (2), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (2), Oregon, Pennsylvania (3), Tennessee (3), Texas (2), Utah (2), Virginia, Washington (2) and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Independence.
Communities near Independence ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Independence.
- Morgantown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgantown
- Morgantown is located in Monongalia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,847 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morgantown <5>
- Fairmont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
- Fairmont is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,370 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairmont <5>
- Grafton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Grafton is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,968 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grafton <5>
- Westover
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Westover is located in Monongalia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,220 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westover <5>
- Philippi
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philippi
- Philippi is located in Barbour County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,239 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Philippi <5>
- Granville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north) - Pleasant Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Pleasant Valley is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,141 people
- Kingwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
- Kingwood is located in Preston County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingwood <5>
- Star City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north) - Terra Alta
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terra Alta
- Terra Alta is located in Preston County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,504 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Terra Alta <5>
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 Independence. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Independence.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Independence. 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 Independence.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Independence. See our Newspapers Page for Independence.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Independence ...
Looking for more information about Independence? 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.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Independence, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Independence.
Adding Independence to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Independence 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 for Independence was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Independence post office opened in 1884.
We also found Independence in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Independence.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Independence. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including Preston, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Independence - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (681) is an overlay for area code (304). |
| <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 their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |