Prairietown, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prairietown, West Virginia
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 Prairietown, West Virginia
Location in West Virginia
Prairietown, West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Cabell |
| Elevation | 630 ft (190 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS ID | 1555403 |
Prairietown is a small, unincorporated community located in Cabell County, West Virginia, in the United States. An unincorporated community is a place that doesn't have its own local government, like a city or town. Instead, it's usually managed by the larger county it's part of. This means services like roads and police are handled by Cabell County.
Discovering Prairietown
Prairietown is found in the beautiful state of West Virginia. It's a quiet area where people live without the formal structure of a city. These communities are common in many parts of the United States. They often grow around a specific family or a historical event.
How Prairietown Got Its Name
The name "Prairietown" has an interesting story! It was actually supposed to be called "Perrytown." This name was chosen to honor the many descendants of a person named Rev. Benjamin Level Perry. He was born on April 12, 1808, in Orange County, Virginia. He lived a long life and passed away on June 8, 1897, near the area that would become "Perrytown."
However, when maps were being made, there was a mistake! The people who drew the maps, called cartographers, accidentally wrote "Prairietown" instead of "Perrytown." And so, the name stuck! It's a fun example of how a small error can create a unique name for a place.
