Smithers, West Virginia. Smithers is a city in Fayette and Kanawha counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located along the Kanawha River, it lies almost entirely in Fayette County. The population was 813 at the 2010 census. The city most likely takes its name from Smithers Creek. The small river city is noted for having a rich cultural history related to both its coal mining and Italian-American heritages.