Institute, West Virginia | |
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Coordinates: 38°23′1″N 81°45′55″W / 38.38361°N 81.76528°W[1] | |
Country | United States |
State | West Virginia |
County | Kanawha |
Elevation | 623 ft (190 m) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Institute is an unincorporated community on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States.[1] Interstate 64 and West Virginia Route 25 pass by the community, which has grown to intermingle with nearby Dunbar. As of 2018, the community had a population of 1,489, 54% of whom were African American.[2]
The town was founded by a formerly enslaved woman, Mary Barnes. Institute is home to West Virginia State University (formerly the West Virginia Colored Institute and the source of the town's toponym) and the West Virginia State Police Academy. Its economy includes several major industrial plants, which have had a number of environmental incidents polluting the local community.[2]