Lamar, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lamar, West Virginia
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 Lamar, West Virginia
Location in West Virginia
Lamar, West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Counties | Mercer and Wyoming |
| Elevation | 2,713 ft (827 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554904 |
Lamar is a small place in West Virginia, United States. It's not a city or a town with its own government, but rather an unincorporated community. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that are part of a larger county. Lamar is located in both Mercer and Wyoming counties. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of a place called Matoaka.
Discovering Lamar, West Virginia
Where is Lamar?
Lamar is found in the beautiful state of West Virginia, often called the Mountain State. This community is unique because it sits across two different counties. These are Mercer County and Wyoming County.
It's located in the southern part of West Virginia. If you were to look on a map, you would find it about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) northwest of a nearby community named Matoaka.
A Bit of History
Lamar has an interesting past, especially tied to the coal industry. The community first started around the year 1915. Back then, it wasn't called Lamar at all! Its original name was Algonquin.
The Algonquin Coal Company was responsible for founding the community. They likely built homes and facilities for their workers. This was common for "coal towns" in West Virginia.
How Lamar Got Its Name
The name of the community changed in 1930. The Algonquin Coal Company no longer owned the town. Instead, a new company called the Lamar Colliery Company took over.
When the Lamar Colliery Company became the owner, they decided to rename the community after themselves. So, Algonquin became Lamar. It is also thought that the community's name might have come from the Lamar family.
