St. Albans has been through a bit of an identity crisis during its 200-year history. First called Ft. Tackett, the city was then known as Philippi, named after one of the area's initial settlers. Later it became Coalsmouth, due to its location along the Coal River. In 1868 the city was incorporated, not as St. Albans, but as Kanawha City. It wasn't until 1872 that the city finally became known as St. Albans. It's been that way for over 140 years now, so maybe the city is due for yet another name change.
The city of St. Albans is located close to the western edge of Kanawha County in West Virginia. The city is nestled snugly at the intersection of the Coal and Kanawha rivers, with 11,044 residents living in its 3.70 square miles. The climate in St. Albans is typical for the region, with temperatures of 60 to 90 degrees in the middle of summer, and 20 to 40 in the winter. The city gets an average of 42 inches of rain a year, and nearly 20 inches of snow. The comfort index, which measures summertime humidity, is 46%, close to the national average and about what you'd expect for a riverside city.
Moving to St. Albans
St. Albans is an older, well-established city, with around half of its housing units constructed in the 1940s and 1950s, and 500 or so built before 1940. The city hasn't stagnated by any means, however, and construction has continued to add several hundred new housing units in each subsequent decade. As in many cities of its size, around 30% of the housing units in St. Albans are rentals, and approximately 80% of housing units are single-unit detached homes.
If you're planning a move to St. Albans, bear in mind that while there are several apartment complexes in the city, due to the high percentage of single-unit homes, it's sometimes difficult to find apartment accommodation. Depending on your apartment requirements, it might take anywhere from three to six weeks to find a suitable place, or perhaps even longer if you're looking for a special-snowflake kind of home. It's always a good general strategy to start your search as early as possible, and check your sources frequently for new listings, if you wish to find apartment accommodation that fulfills all of your deepest desires.
St. Albans Neighborhoods
The City Center neighborhood of St. Albans includes a mixture of single-unit homes, mostly of three or four bedrooms, as well as smaller studio and one or two-bedroom apartments, and apartment complexes. Much of the real estate here was constructed between the 1940s and 1960s, but there are newer homes too. This neighborhood is often the place to look for a one bedroom apartment, or studio apartments for rent, as most of the apartment complexes are in this area.
Highlawn: Is a mainly owner-occupied suburban residential neighborhood of homes with three or more bedrooms, so it's not necessarily the place to search for premier apartments and studio accommodation. The properties here tend to be more spacious than in other St. Albans neighborhoods, and most were built in between 1940 and 1970.
Virginia Heights: Is a largely owner-occupied suburban neighborhood, with a smattering of rentals as well; most rentals here are single-unit houses, rather than apartment-style accommodation. The majority of homes in this area were built after 1970, but a small number are of older construction.
Apartment Communities in St. Albans
Kanawha Court Apartments: Has mainly two bedroom apartments, and a few with three bedrooms. The complex is close to the eastern edge of the city, around three miles from the main shopping district in the city center.
Knollview Village Apartment Complex: Is located near the city center and has one and 2 bedroom apartments for rent. It's close to the major shopping areas, giving it a good walk score and making it a convenient place to live.
River Island Apartments: Offers two bedroom-one bathroom townhouses, and is located near Coal River, around one and a half miles from the city center. Well-maintained, with ample storage space and some utilities included; some have hardwood floors and solid oak cabinets. River Island might be a good prospect if you're after luxury apartments in a relatively rural setting; while the complex is the outskirts of the city, it's only five minutes away from Interstate 64.
Living in St. Albans
Most of the shopping centers and retail stores in St. Albans are concentrated in the north-west region of the city, but since it's less than four square miles in size, residents don't have to travel overly far to shop or dine out, wherever they live. In general, the city center region has a good walk score, but this value decreases the further away from the center you go, since there are few retail or grocery store locations in other parts of the city. There are plenty of public parks and recreational areas in the city, a riverside boat ramp area for river access, and a public outdoor amphitheater, which features regular live entertainment events during the summer.
The nearest large city is Charleston, which is located just 10 miles away, providing almost anything else you desire in the way of shopping, dining, and entertainment. Columbus is 130 miles distant, and Philadelphia is 375 miles from St. Albans, so as a resident of this city you'll have a lot of scope for day trips, road trips, vacations, and general gadding about.
