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.
COWEN, W.Va. — Travelers can now spend the night 80 feet above a remote West Virginia forest, sleeping in a restored fire lookout for as little as $100 a night. The Red Oak Fire Lookout opened Tuesday for overnight stays in the Monongahela National Forest. Its 14-by-14-foot cab sits atop a steel tower at an … Read more
CHESAPEAKE, W.Va. — A West Virginia nonprofit that provides community exercise, nutrition, and recovery programs has been awarded $1.17 million to bring healthcare services closer to workers as the state begins distributing nearly $200 million in federal rural-health funding. Spotted Owl Healthcare Organization, based in Dunbar, received $1.174 million through West Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation … Read more
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — A historic district in this Nicholas County mountain town could roughly double in size, encompassing distinctive homes, churches, and other landmarks as preservationists work to protect the character of a community at the western gateway to the Monongahela National Forest. The proposed expansion would extend the existing Downtown Richwood Historic District eastward … Read more
LANSING, W.Va. — Two unbanded peregrine falcons have been confirmed at the New River Gorge Bridge, an encouraging development nearly two decades after conservationists began an ambitious effort to restore the species to the central Appalachians. Bridge Walk guides, who lead tours along the catwalk beneath the landmark span, observed the two birds together Monday … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy reshape the bodies of millions of Americans, their influence may be reaching beyond doctors’ offices and into closets, fashion studios and clothing stores. A West Virginia University fashion researcher says the rapid rise of the medications coincides with a retreat from the body-size inclusivity … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s restored elk are beginning to roam farther from the southern coalfields where they were reintroduced, even as the state prepares to welcome visitors for another season of guided elk-viewing tours. The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources announced Sunday that tickets are available for its 2026 Elk Management Tours, which begin Sept. … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The traits that help make a successful athlete can become a liability when that athlete gets hurt. An injured player told to run a mile who instead runs several might appear exceptionally dedicated. But Dana Voelker, director of the School of Sport Sciences at West Virginia University in Morgantown, says excessive exercise … Read more
GLENVILLE, W.Va. — In a West Virginia county with fewer than 8,000 residents, a $26 million university development is about to make its most visible public debut. Glenville State University will dedicate the new Ike and Sue Morris Stadium on Thursday, opening the centerpiece of a health, fitness and athletics complex whose significance extends well … Read more
THOMAS, W.Va. — A long-planned $4.3 million development will bring new workforce housing and commercial space to downtown Thomas, where the growth of the small Allegheny Mountains tourism community has increased the need for places for local workers to live. Woodlands Development & Lending will break ground Sept. 4 on the TAProom project at 242 … Read more
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
