Communities in West Virginia offers 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, along with 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.
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt is calling for the passage of the “New Markets for State Inspected Meat and Poultry Act” to combat local meat shortages. Passage of such legislation would allow for meats processed in state-inspected facilities to cross state lines, said Leonhardt, who sent a letter recommending its passage to West … Read more
A national historic landmark built in 1800 near the northern end of the New River Gorge in West Virginia is for sale. (View the sales listing for the historic Tyree Tavern.) The Tyree Tavern, as it has long been known, has welcomed visitors as influential as Henry Clay and Daniel Webster over the last 220 … Read more
In an effort to understand declining firefly populations, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen-science project to track lightning bug sightings in the Mountain State. West Virginia’s 40 species of fireflies have declined in number due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other environmental causes such as light pollution, according to … Read more
Bids have been awarded for more than three dozen paving and road-construction projects across West Virginia worth more than $125 million combined, Governor Jim Justice and the state Department of Transportation have announced. Despite the shadow of the COVID-19 virus, vital road construction and maintenance will be ongoing in West Virginia, the governor said. “We … Read more
As farmers’ markets in West Virginia open for the season, West Virginia University is providing recommendations to help market managers and vendors safely sell their products. Dee Singh-Knights, an agribusiness economics specialist with the university’s extension service, says precautions must be taken to keep customers and farmers safe. Under the West Virginia governor’s current stay-at-home … Read more
The Early White Half-Runner Bean, beloved across the northern U.S., originated in West Virginia among the hill farms of southern Calhoun County. Though it may have been brought to the mountains from Germany generations before, it was first identified here. Tom Hardman, chairman of Hardman’s Supply Co., says the story of the heirloom’s origin is … Read more
Investing in historic properties has never been more popular in West Virginia. The state’s tax-credit budgets for rehabilitating older buildings now exceed those of surrounding states, and investors are looking to cut costs by fixing older buildings rather than building anew. Looking for information on tax credits? Interested in the history of your own home? … Read more
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen science project to track the distribution of eastern box turtles and is asking the public to report sightings of the important but declining reptile. Reporting box turtle sightings can be done by using geographic coordinates on the division’s map at tinyurl.com/wvboxturtle. Submitting a photo … Read more
West Virginia fields and forests teem with young wildlife in spring, and state biologists are reminding residents and visitors that disturbing young wildlife is unsafe, illegal, and often detrimental to the animal’s chance of survival. Tyler Evans, a wildlife biologist at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center near Buckhannon, West Virginia, says it’s a blessing … Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity for reform that could break the chains of outdated, and perhaps ineffective, approaches to policing, says a former police officer and professor of sociology at West Virginia University. Dr. James Nolan, who spent 13 years with the Wilmington Police Department in Delaware, says the outbreak is, in part, … Read more
