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() is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,222 at the 2000 census. The 2006 census estimate has Hurricane with a population of 6,071.
Hurricane was named after Hurricane Creek. Hurricane Creek was, in turn, named after a group of trees at the mouth of the river bent in one direction. A party of surveyors commissioned by General George Washington noted the site appeared to have been struck by a hurricane, so they named it so. It is interesting to note that less than 17 miles south-east of Hurricane is a small village named Tornado.
A town named Hurricane Bridge was located where West Virginia Route 34 now crosses the creek, near current-day Hurricane. The town can be traced back to an 1811 Virginia map. The town primarily consisted of a small inn. On March 28, 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought a Civil War battle at Hurricane Bridge, (West) Virginia, now known as the Skirmish at Hurricane Bridge.
Hurricane itself can be traced back to 1873, when a railroad track was laid through the town and a small depot was constructed. It was during this period that Main Street developed, and other businesses in the area. It was incorporated as a town in 1888, and as a city in the 1970s.
In the early 1990s, the old depot, which once served as the catalyst for the town's development, was torn down and replaced with a small gazebo. It was also during the 1990s that the city began to see a surge in urban growth as several subdivisions were established in the city limits. The population increase resulted in the widening of Route 34, a connecting road to Teays Valley, and an expansion of Hurricane High School.
In 2002, a winning multi-state Powerball ticket was sold at a supermarket in Hurricane. The winning ticketholder was Jack Whittaker. At the time it was the largest jackpot ever won by a single winning ticket in the history of American lottery, let alone West Virginia.