Buffalo, West Virginia Facts for Kids

Buffalo is a town in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States. It is located along the Kanawha River. In 2020, about 1,211 people lived there. Buffalo is part of the larger Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.

History of Buffalo
Geography of Buffalo
Population and People
- 2010 Census Information
Economy of Buffalo
Notable People from Buffalo
See also

History of Buffalo

Early Inhabitants

Long ago, many different ancient cultures lived in the Kanawha River Valley, including the area where Buffalo is now. Scientists have found Clovis points here. These are special stone tools that show people lived in this area over 10,000 years ago.

One of the last groups of ancient people were the Fort Ancient people. They had villages like Buffalo and Marmet. These villages were still active when Europeans first explored the area.

Native American Tribes

Later, historic tribes lived here. The Huron tribe came from the Great Lakes region. The Conoy (also called Kanawha) tribe also lived here.

These tribes were eventually moved out of the central valley by the Iroquois. The Iroquois were a powerful group from what is now Western New York. Many Conoy people moved to the west side of the Chesapeake Bay. Later, they moved north to Pennsylvania and joined with other tribes.

How Buffalo Got Its Name

The town of Buffalo was named after the American buffalo. These large animals used to roam freely in this area a long time ago.

Geography of Buffalo

Buffalo is located at ACoordinates: Unknown argument format
Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function.

The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 1.65 square miles (4.26 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 1.40 square miles (3.63 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.25 square miles (0.64 square kilometers), is water.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	268	—
1870	321	19.8%
1880	351	9.3%
1890	238	−32.2%
1900	364	52.9%
1910	384	5.5%
1920	300	−21.9%
1930	316	5.3%
1940	338	7.0%
1950	333	−1.5%
1960	396	18.9%
1970	831	109.8%
1980	1,034	24.4%
1990	969	−6.3%
2000	1,171	20.8%
2010	1,236	5.6%
2020	1,211	−2.0%
2021 (est.)	1,208	−2.3%
Source:

2010 Census Information

In 2010, there were 1,236 people living in Buffalo. They lived in 518 households, and 344 of these were families.

Most people in Buffalo were White (97.4%). A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian. Some people were also of mixed race or Hispanic or Latino.

About 28% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (51%) were married couples. About 13% of households had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The average age in Buffalo was about 42.8 years old. About 21% of residents were under 18.

Economy of Buffalo

A very large factory, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, is located in Buffalo. This factory is huge, covering over one million square feet. It makes parts for cars, specifically automobile engines and transmissions.

Notable People from Buffalo

Virginia Mae Brown: She was an important civil servant and lawyer.
Kathie Hess Crouse: She is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, which is part of the state government.
William Hope Harvey: He was a lawyer, author, politician, and businessman.

Buffalo, West Virginia facts for kids

Contents