Communities

See our Communities Travel Guide

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.

The Dunlap farmhouse appears much as it did in 1830.

Open house set at historic Dunlap farm, cemetery

Historians and history buffs are invited to an open house at the historic Dunlap farm and cemetery at Red Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in Monroe County 2-5 p.m. Sunday, October 3. Built in about 1830, the farm’s manor house may be the oldest structure in the former resort town that developed around Red Sulphur Springs, … Read more

The Green Bank Telescope in Pocahontas County will be employed in the international effort.

WVU joins gravitational wave detection network

The hunt for more evidence of gravitational waves— the ripples in space-time formed by cataclysmic events in the distant universe—will be accelerated with a nearly $2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to a West Virginia University scientist and her colleagues. Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Maura McLaughlin will serve as principal investigator on the project, … Read more

A young West Virginia farmer tends a greenhouse crop.

Statewide agriculture competition to reward student innovation

The Robert C. Byrd Institute at Marshall University and a statewide group of partners are announcing the fifth-annual Student Agriculture Innovation Challenge to encourage problem-solving and innovation among West Virginia students interested in agriculture. Students in grades 7-through-12 are eligible to compete for multiple prizes, including a grand prize of $1,000 cash, an iPad, and … Read more

Lobelia siphilitica blossoms brilliant blue in late August through mid-September.

Native blue lobelia provides ideal color in early autumn

These days it seems that just about every gardener I speak with is searching for pollinator plants. There’s a major focus on Lobelia cardinalis, and with good reason, although its cousin Lobelia siphlitica is being sadly overlooked, and not with good reason. Lobelia cardinalis, also known as the “Cardinal Flower,” surely does its job attracting … Read more

Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Wheeling, WV, Ohio County, Mid-Ohio Valley Region

Historic suspension bridge at Wheeling to be restored

Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Division of Highways have announced that a project to repair and rehabilitate the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge at Wheeling, West Virginia, has been awarded. Advantage Steel & Construction was awarded a contract for $17,907,147 to make necessary repairs to the historic bridge’s superstructure and substructure, to replace any … Read more

The class will collect folklore from the region, attempt to understand the collected samples, and compile the regional treasures into a book.

New River college sets fall Appalachian writing class

New River Community and Technical College will offer an Appalachian Folklore and Heritage Writing class at its Nicholas County Campus in Summersville, West Virginia, on Thursday evenings beginning Sept. 16, 2021, from 6 to 8 p.m. At the conclusion of the five-week course, participants will receive a bound, hard-back book of the stories written in … Read more

City of Beckley, West Virginia, Raleigh County, New River Gorge Region

National Park Service awards W.Va. preservation alliance $550,000

The National Park Service has awarded the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia a $550,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant to help preserve endangered historic buildings in West Virginia. The alliance will add the grant to its existing Saving Historical Places Grant Program, which provides funding to preserve West Virginia’s historical buildings that have fallen into … Read more