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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.

Ramps in West Virginia
Communities

Commercial ramp harvest prohibited in Monongahela National Forest

by David Sibray

Digging and eating ramps in the spring is a traditional activity throughout West Virginia, notably within the Monongahela National Forest in its eastern mountains. While collecting ramps for personal use is permitted in the forest within established limits, the commercial harvest of ramps—including the re-sale of ramps collected for personal use—is prohibited, according to Kelley … Read more

Spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) welcome spring to West Virginia with their early March song.
Communities

Ignore groundhogs: look to frogs to announce spring

by David Sibray

BEAVER, W.Va. — Say what you will about groundhogs, their ability to predict the arrival of spring is nowhere near as accurate as that of frogs: like clockwork, spring peepers will herald the return of light and warmth in central Appalachia in late February and early March. Triggered by rising temperatures, the tiny frogs (Pseudacris … Read more

French Creek Freddie, a favorite resident of the W.Va. Wildlife Center, will offer his advice on the weather this weekend.
Communities

French Creek Freddie predicts early spring for West Virginia

by David Sibray

FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Get ready for an early spring, West Virginia! French Creek Freddie called for warmer temperatures during his annual Groundhog Day celebration at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in Upshur County. Trevor Moore, a wildlife biologist for the center, says he’d bank on Freddie, whose predictions are right half the time. “When … Read more

Blueberry bushes thrive in a West Virginia nursery
Communities

Nursery and landscape industry growing in West Virginia

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State and federal economic statistics show that the nursery and landscape industry and related employment has grown in West Virginia and will continue to expand through 2026, according to Julie Robinson, executive director of the West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association. Robinson said the association’s workforce development and scholarship support in all … Read more

The new West Virginia Historic Preservation Center will be located in the historic high school building at Arthurdale, West Virginia.
Communities

Alliance to establish W.Va. state historic preservation center

by Clyde Craig

ARTHURDALE, W.Va. — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, in cooperation with Arthurdale Heritage Inc., has taken a next step in establishing a historic preservation center in this historic community in northern West Virginia. The cooperative is seeking qualified professionals and architecture firms to create a master plan for the center, an adaptive reuse of … Read more

Maple syrup production is growing in West Virginia.
Communities

Maple Syrup Days on tap at six Pocahontas County farms

by David Sibray

MARLINTON, W.Va. — Syrup production is thriving in Pocahontas County, where organizers of Maple Days events are welcoming new producers and expecting more attendees, thanks partly to a renewed interest in Appalachian customs. Six maple producers are opening their doors to public tours in February and March 2023 as the number of maple syrup producers … Read more

A hellbender gazes back at the camera from an aquarium exhibit.
Communities

W.Va. launches citizen science survey of hellbenders, mudpuppies

by David Sibray

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — To learn more about the distribution of odd-looking hellbenders and mudpuppies, the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen science project to track sightings of these important but declining salamanders around the state. The project, which will take two years to complete, gives anglers, science enthusiasts and public members … Read more

French Creek Freddie, a favorite resident of the W.Va. Wildlife Center, will offer his advice on the weather this weekend.
Communities

46th Groundhog Day being celebrated at W.Va. Wildlife Center

by Will Reedy

FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Will West Virginia suffer more winter or enjoy an early spring? “French Creek Freddie,” the Mountain State’s unofficial weather-prognosticating groundhog, will weigh in during the 46th annual Groundhog Day Festival at the West Virginia Wildlife Center on Thursday, Feb. 2. According to Trevor Moore, a wildlife biologist at the center, the public … Read more

Communities

WVU and partners build a solar-power test site in Fairmont

by Clyde Craig

FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The launch of a partnership between West Virginia University engineers and the nonprofit and utility sectors could bring the region one step closer to integrating solar-generated power into the electrical grid. Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, will support the construction and analysis of a … Read more