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Communities in West Virginia offer residents a welcoming atmosphere, affordable cost of living, and a strong sense of connection to nature and neighbors alike. From charming small towns to vibrant cities like Charleston and Morgantown, West Virginia communities provide friendly neighborhoods, excellent schools, and access to outdoor recreation right at your doorstep. Residents enjoy a slower pace of life, surrounded by the state’s beautiful mountains, rivers, and forests, as well as rich local culture, historic sites, and community events that bring people together.

 

With safe streets, local businesses, and a true spirit of Appalachian hospitality, living in West Virginia communities means enjoying a high quality of life and a supportive, tight-knit environment where everyone feels at home. Be sure to visit our Communities Travel Guide for information about communities in West Virginia.

Dolly Parton poses for an RCA Records publicity photograph in 1970. Parton later founded the Imagination Library, which now provides free books to more than 46,000 children in West Virginia. (Public domain)
Communities

Dolly Parton put books in the hands of 46,000 West Virginia children. Thousands more remain unenrolled

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than 46,000 West Virginia children are receiving free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an Appalachian literacy effort that will continue after the singer and philanthropist’s death this week. But nearly as many eligible West Virginia children are not enrolled. The latest county-by-county figures published by the W.Va. Department of Education … Read more

Autumn Leaves In The Canaan Valley in West Virginia
Communities

West Virginia vacation guide wins national award after 350,000 copies distributed

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 2026 Vacation Guide has won a national tourism marketing award as distribution of the printed publication has climbed past 350,000 copies, the West Virginia Department of Tourism said. The guide received a 2026 U.S. Travel ESTO Award for Excellence in Print Marketing, department spokesperson Lindsey Funk announced Wednesday. The award … Read more

Sunlight filters through a forest canopy. WVU researchers are using artificial intelligence to help scientists understand how forests respond to environmental change in near real time. Photo by John Towner
Communities

Forests ‘breathe’ 24 hours a day; West Virginia scientists want to watch it happen

by Clyde Craig

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Across the Appalachians, forests that can appear timeless are constantly changing, exchanging carbon, water and energy with the atmosphere as trees and other vegetation respond to sunlight, rain, drought and changing weather. Scientists can measure that activity as often as 20 times every second. Understanding what all those measurements mean, however, can … Read more

A vehicle promoting Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, passes Independence Hall in Philadelphia as part of a 12-week tourism campaign connecting the spa town's 250th anniversary with the nation's semiquincentennial. Photo courtesy Travel Berkeley Springs.
Communities

Berkeley Springs takes 250th birthday campaign to Philadelphia as tourism grows

by David Sibray

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — A 24.5% income increase over eight consecutive quarters is helping a historic West Virginia spa town bring its 250th-anniversary tourism campaign to Philadelphia during the nation’s own 250th year. Travel Berkeley Springs has launched a $36,000 campaign that will put 10 wrapped rideshare vehicles on Philadelphia streets for 12 weeks, according … Read more

Crews replace aging water lines in Chapmanville, West Virginia, where the water system had been losing more than half its treated water through leaks. Photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Communities

West Virginia targets water crisis with $145 million investment

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia will commit an additional $145 million to water and wastewater infrastructure over the coming year under a new state strategy that will give greater consideration to communities facing failing systems, boil-water orders, public health concerns and financial distress. Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced the investment Wednesday in Beckley as part of … Read more

West Virginia National Guard members navigate a partially destroyed road near Buckhannon following severe flash flooding in July 2026. More than seven inches of rain fell in parts of Upshur County, including 4.5 inches in just 37 minutes. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Edwin L. Wriston)
Communities

Why August can be especially dangerous for flash flooding in West Virginia

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The destructive flooding that swept across West Virginia this month arrived amid conditions that have long made summer thunderstorms particularly dangerous in the Mountain State—intense rainfall, steep terrain, and communities concentrated in narrow river valleys. Slow-moving storms moved across West Virginia from Aug. 16 through Aug. 18, producing excessive rainfall that triggered flash … Read more