Calhoun County, located in west-central West Virginia, has a size of 280.4 square miles and a 2010 population of 7,627. Calhoun County is in one of the more remote parts of West Virginia and as a consequence was settled late. The area was favored by hunters and trappers in early times, and nowadays it is one of the places where traditional culture remains strongest.
Grantsville, the county seat of Calhoun County, was named for Ulysses S. Grant in 1867.
Little Kanawha River begins near Craddock, Upshur County, and flows westward through Braxton, Gilmer, Calhoun, Wirt, and Wood counties.