Westmoreland was beginning to develop about the same time. In 1954, the Westmoreland area was annexed to the city. Also during 1954 and 1955, the construction of a giant sewer project kept the city administration quite busy. The Valley Drive area was annexed to the city in 1957. This figure is about the highest in population that the city of Dunbar ever reached.
Many people wonder why the population has diminished in numbers.
Many attribute the reason to that of the interstate highway causing quite a lot of houses being removed for the highway, but the real reason is the same as all the State of West Virginia has experienced, the baby boomers moving out of town. After World War II, more children than usual were born. After about 20 years, these children had graduated from school and began leaving the city for jobs in other areas and states. Many married and moved to areas such as Teays Valley and Cross Lanes. Thus, the population of Dunbar began to shrink.