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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.

Gov. Justice announces 2021 Community Development Block Grant awards

Communities

Justice announces more than $13 million for community projects

June 8, 2021 by Clyde Craig

Gov. Jim Justice today awarded 19 grants worth $13,734,817 for parks, broadband, demolition, and water-sewer to communities in 14 counties across the state. The Federal Community Development Block Grant funds are a pleasure to provide, said Justice, who was joined for a virtual ceremony by local officials representing many of the communities receiving these grants. … Read more

Brian Fanary believes Sophia can benefit greatly from regional growth.

Communities

Historic Sophia poised for growth, mayoral candidate says

June 1, 2021 by David Sibray

Adjoining a newly completed expressway,

A biologist displays a muskellunge on the Ohio River.

Communities

West Virginia partners in multi-state musky mortality project

May 7, 2021 by David Sibray

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has partnered with fish and wildlife agencies and angling organizations across the eastern U.S. to attempt to gauge sport-fishing impacts on the muskellunge population. In cooperation with Coastal Carolina University and West Virginia University and state agencies in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, the study will help … Read more

Liz Moss prepares heirloom seedlings harvested from the West Virginia State University campus.

Communities

Plant a part of W.Va. State University history with oak seedlings

May 7, 2021 by David Sibray

The extension service at West Virginia State University is inviting West Virginians to plant a part of state history by planting oak tree seedlings grown from the acorns of trees on the university’s historic campus at Institute. Extension Agent Liz Moss said the initiative was created to help spread heirloom species planted long ago at … Read more

Historic properties in North Wheeling may soon be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Communities

Tax credit for historic W.Va. buildings now permanent

May 6, 2021 by David Sibray

West Virginia has made its historic tax rehabilitation credit program permanent, a move real estate developers are hailing for its economic influence in downtowns. Gov. Jim Justice recently signed the bipartisan bill, which provides a 25-percent tax credit for those who rehabilitate historic income-producing properties, according to Danielle Parker, executive director of the Preservation Alliance … Read more

Students plant trees at the head of Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy West Liberty University)

Communities

West Liberty University students planting trees in Ohio County

April 21, 2021 by David Sibray

Just in time for Earth Day, biology and ecology students at West Liberty University are planting trees in public spaces from Wheeling to West Liberty to increase the quality of life in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Students planted two types of native flowering trees along a portion of the Heritage Trail along the … Read more

Blue phlox blossom in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Communities

Name change reflects expansion of W.Va. wildflower event

April 18, 2021 by David Sibray

Officials with the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve say the expansion of the park’s annual wildflower event from one weekend to two months and from one park to many called for a name change. Formerly known as the “New River Gorge Wildflower Weekend,” the regional celebration of ecology in southern West Virginia has … Read more

Communities

Rare West Virginia wildflower named for Thomas Jefferson

April 17, 2021 by Barry Glick

During this Corona pandemic, silver linings aren’t that difficult to uncover. Take the air in our major cities: at no time in our industrial age has that air has been this clean. People talk about social distancing: we invented social distancing in West Virginia. With more than 25,000 square miles and fewer than 1.8 million … Read more

The Hill Top House may be accepting guests by 2024 now that the City of Harpers Ferry has approved construction.

Communities

Hill Top House project in Harpers Ferry moving ahead

April 14, 2021 by Christine Snyder

It’s been a long time coming, but there’s good news for fans of the renowned Hill Top House Hotel, the majestic destination in Harpers Ferry that opened its doors in 1888. More than 13 years after the decaying hotel shut down, town officials have signed off on agreements that business owners and others here say … Read more

The tower on the McMaster's residence looks out across the historic landscape in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Communities

Home at site of abolitionist John Brown’s hanging for sale

April 14, 2021 by Christine Snyder

In the market for a new home? The Victorian mansion built on the site of abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 hanging in Charles Town is up for grabs. The asking price for the historic Gibson-Todd House with its 113-foot turret, five bedrooms, stained glass windows, carriage house, and outdoor pool is $875,000. Carolyn Snyder, a Martinsburg … Read more

The forgotten story behind Wheeling’s historic Madonna of the Trail monument

Road closures to affect access to Cranberry and Williams River recreation areas

Ancient river once flowed across West Virginia before vanishing during the Ice Age

Tomlinson Run preserves unusual Appalachian forest rarely found in Northern Panhandle

More hotels are using AI this summer. Here’s what travelers should expect

Fireflies are peaking across West Virginia this week. Here’s where to see them

Why West Virginia may be the East’s best escape from the Fourth Of July heat

West Virginia University study finds judges welcome AI, but say justice must stay human

How hot can West Virginia get? A look at the Mountain State’s worst heat waves

George Washington’s secret agent is remembered at West Virginia’s Champe Rocks

Why visitors to Berkeley Springs in eastern West Virginia keep asking, “Where’s Bath?”

Where to watch Fourth of July fireworks in West Virginia in 2026

New West Virginia hunting rules could affect thousands of hunters this fall

Here’s why West Virginia is the East’s premier whitewater rafting capital

West Virginia’s wild turkeys have made one of America’s greatest wildlife comebacks

More New River Gorge hikers are leaving Endless Wall for the Grandview Rim Trail

Communities

Justice announces more than $13 million for community projects

Historic Sophia poised for growth, mayoral candidate says

West Virginia partners in multi-state musky mortality project

Plant a part of W.Va. State University history with oak seedlings

Tax credit for historic W.Va. buildings now permanent

West Liberty University students planting trees in Ohio County

Name change reflects expansion of W.Va. wildflower event

Rare West Virginia wildflower named for Thomas Jefferson

Hill Top House project in Harpers Ferry moving ahead

Home at site of abolitionist John Brown’s hanging for sale