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Welcome to War ...

The city of War is located in McDowell County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of War, you might consider that their post office opened in 1906.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, War has a population of 686 people<2> (see below for details).

War is 1,590 feet [485 m] above sea level.<3>.

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

Area Codes for War: 304 & 681<4>

The ZIP code for War: 24892<5>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, War had an population of 686 people. This is a decrease of 20.42% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 12.94% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, War had a population of 862 people. This makes War the county's 3rd most populous community.

The population of War represents 0.05% of the total population of West Virginia (which has 1,852,994 people), making it the state's 123rd most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 862 people, the population of War increased 9.39% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 788 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for War.

Communities near War ...

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

  • Richlands
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Tazewell
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,113 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tazewell <6>
  • Welch
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Welch is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welch <6>
  • Cedar Bluff
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Gary
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gary is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
  • Pocahontas
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
  • Davy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Davy is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davy
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
  • Northfork
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bradshaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Iaeger
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Iaeger is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 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 War. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for War.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of War. 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 War.

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

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for War ...

Looking for more information about War? 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 War, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for War.

Adding War to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of War 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 War was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>

From that list, the War post office opened in 1906.

For more details, see References and Mentions for War.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including McDowell, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for War.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around War - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>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 War area will be assigned with one of these codes: 304 or 681. As a result, placing a call in the War area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>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 city (such as War). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether War or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<7>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/