East Bank, WV

East Bank sits on the east side of the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, a town shaped by the river and West Virginia Route 61. It was incorporated in 1889, and its name is as literal as its map: the main road and town blocks run along the river's eastern bank in the Upper Kanawha Valley. A regional planning profile places East Bank in the Upper Kanawha Valley Enterprise Community and records 320 households for 2017-2021. The surrounding valley connects it to neighboring river towns along Route 61, while the Kanawha keeps the town's geography easy to read.

Town Hall at 201 Walnut Street is also the address for the town's municipal water and sewer operation, so local services have a clear home. East Bank's school history runs through the same corner: Cabin Creek District High School opened in 1912 on WV 61 at Walnut Street, later becoming East Bank High School. The Pioneers won a state basketball championship in 1956 with Jerry West on the team, and West later played at West Virginia University and with the Los Angeles Lakers. Today, the river, Route 61, Walnut Street, and the old school story give East Bank a strong Upper Kanawha outline.