Explore South Charleston, West Virginia, with this interactive street and satellite map.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for South Charleston, West Virginia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of West Virginia or beyond.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to South Charleston.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | South Charleston |
| State | West Virginia (WV) |
| County | Kanawha County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (America/New_York) |
| Latitude | 38.346476 |
| Longitude | -81.716608 |
| Population | 13,647 |
| Density | 609.7 /km² |
| Incorporated | Yes |
| ZIP Codes | 25303, 25309 |
| Area Code | 304 |
| County Seat | Charleston |
| School District | Kanawha County School District |
South Charleston sits firmly upon the banks where the Kanawha River carves a deliberate path through the landscape. It lies 3.8 miles west-northwest of Charleston, WV (from Charleston, WV: bearing 290°T), and is situated 6.5 miles east of St. Albans. Albans. The low-lying terrain gives way to the subtle contours of Ward Hollow, a short distance away, where the morning mist often lingers against the damp earth. Beyond the immediate development, the horizon offers a faint, jagged silhouette of the Appalachian Mountains, reminding observers of the vast, ancient ranges that define this interior geography. A brief walk leads one to the quiet surface of the Waste Water Retention Pond, which reflects the shifting colors of a cloudy sky. The air here carries the scent of damp soil and hardwood, grounding South Charleston in a world of river-fed plains and distant, shadowed ridges.
Industrial growth defined the early trajectory of South Charleston, transforming the riverfront into a hub of innovation and labor. The promise of abundant resources fueled the development of large-scale chemical manufacturing, which brought both prosperity and a distinct identity to the working population. Men and women once filled the shifts at sprawling plants, their efforts contributing to the national supply of essential materials. Even as the local economy shifts toward modern commerce and service-oriented work, the remnants of this industrious spirit remain evident in the sturdy architecture of the older districts. The rhythm of daily life still honors those who labored in the valley, keeping the memory of the coal-camp era and its persistent, hardworking ethos alive.
Criel Mound Park serves as a silent, grassy anchor for the identity of South Charleston, preserving an earthen monument that predates modern settlement by centuries. Local gatherings often gravitate toward this space, where the shade of mature trees provides a cool respite from the heat of the afternoon. While the nearby Kanawha State Forest invites hikers to explore the dense green canopy eight miles away, the town itself maintains a steady, deliberate pace. Those seeking the rush of moving water can visit Upper Falls, where the power of the river is most visibly displayed. Notable figures such as the musician Kathy Mattea have emerged from the broader region, carrying the influence of these hills into the wider world. Life here moves with a quiet integrity, defined by the people who walk these streets and the persistent presence of the land around them.
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This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of South Charleston, West Virginia. Coordinates: 38.346476, -81.716608. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.
Detailed location data for South Charleston includes the ZIP code (25303, 25309), telephone area code (304), county seat of Kanawha County (Charleston), and school district assignment (Kanawha County School District).
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. |