Southern West Virginia

Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : Southern West Virginia

Southern West Virginia is a culturally and geographically distinct region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Generally considered the heart of Appalachia, Southern West Virginia is known for its coal mining heritage and southern affinity. The region is also closely identified with southwestern Virginia and southeastern Kentucky, with close distance to northwestern North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Today, Southern West Virginia continues to grapple with poverty and an accelerating population loss.

Southern West Virginia, in a cultural and historical context, includes the following counties:

The City of Beckley, in Raleigh County, is the largest city in this region, followed by Bluefield, in Mercer County. Beckley has recently undergone a period of modest economic growth, and serves as the primary economic and cultural hub of much of Southern West Virginia.

Geographically, Southern West Virginia is occasionally expanded to include the counties of the Charleston-Huntington Metro Valley region:

Population decline

County	2004 (estimate)	2000	1990	1980	1970	1960	1950
Boone	25,721	25,535	25,870	30,447	25,118	28,764	33,173
Fayette	47,049	47,579	47,952	57,863	49,332	61,731	82,443
Greenbrier	34,886	34,453	34,693	37,665	32,090	34,446	39,295
Lincoln	22,564	22,108	21,382	23,675	18,912	20,267	22,466
Logan	36,502	37,710	43,032	50,679	46,269	61,570	77,391
McDowell	24,726	27,329	35,233	49,899	50,666	71,359	98,887
Mercer	62,070	62,980	64,980	73,942	63,206	68,206	75,013
Mingo	27,389	28,253	33,739	37,336	32,780	39,742	47,409
Monroe	13,568	14,583	12,406	12,873	11,272	11,584	13,123
Nicholas	26,276	26,562	26,775	28,126	22,552	25,414	27,696
Raleigh	79,175	79,220	76,819	86,821	70,080	77,826	96,273
Summers	13,809	12,999	14,204	15,875	13,213	15,640	19,183
Wyoming	24,698	25,708	28,990	35,993	30,095	34,836	37,540

External links

[Southern West Virginia Convention & Visitors Bureau]

	State of West Virginia Cities \| Towns \| Villages \| Census-designated places \| Governors \| Colleges and universities
	Regions
	Allegheny Mountains \| Allegheny Plateau \| Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area \| Cumberland Plateau \| Eastern Panhandle \| Northern Panhandle \| Potomac Highlands \| Ridge-and-valley Appalachians \| Southern West Virginia
	Major cities (populations over 25,000)
	Charleston \| Huntington \| Parkersburg \| Wheeling \| Morgantown
	Smaller cities (populations over 10,000)
	Beckley \| Bluefield \| Clarksburg \| Cross Lanes \| Fairmont \| Martinsburg \| St. Albans \| South Charleston \| Teays Valley \| Vienna \| Weirton
	Counties
	Barbour \| Berkeley \| Boone \| Braxton \| Brooke \| Cabell \| Calhoun \| Clay \| Doddridge \| Fayette \| Gilmer \| Grant \| Greenbrier \| Hampshire \| Hancock \| Hardy \| Harrison \| Jackson \| Jefferson \| Kanawha \| Lewis \| Lincoln \| Logan \| Marion \| Marshall \| Mason \| McDowell \| Mercer \| Mineral \| Mingo \| Monongalia \| Monroe \| Morgan \| Nicholas \| Ohio \| Pendleton \| Pleasants \| Pocahontas \| Preston \| Putnam \| Raleigh \| Randolph \| Ritchie \| Roane \| Summers \| Taylor \| Tucker \| Tyler \| Upshur \| Wayne \| Webster \| Wetzel \| Wirt \| Wood \| Wyoming

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	State of West Virginia Cities \| Towns \| Villages \| Census-designated places \| Governors \| Colleges and universities
	Regions
	Allegheny Mountains \| Allegheny Plateau \| Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area \| Cumberland Plateau \| Eastern Panhandle \| Northern Panhandle \| Potomac Highlands \| Ridge-and-valley Appalachians \| Southern West Virginia
	Major cities (populations over 25,000)
	Charleston \| Huntington \| Parkersburg \| Wheeling \| Morgantown
	Smaller cities (populations over 10,000)
	Beckley \| Bluefield \| Clarksburg \| Cross Lanes \| Fairmont \| Martinsburg \| St. Albans \| South Charleston \| Teays Valley \| Vienna \| Weirton
	Counties
	Barbour \| Berkeley \| Boone \| Braxton \| Brooke \| Cabell \| Calhoun \| Clay \| Doddridge \| Fayette \| Gilmer \| Grant \| Greenbrier \| Hampshire \| Hancock \| Hardy \| Harrison \| Jackson \| Jefferson \| Kanawha \| Lewis \| Lincoln \| Logan \| Marion \| Marshall \| Mason \| McDowell \| Mercer \| Mineral \| Mingo \| Monongalia \| Monroe \| Morgan \| Nicholas \| Ohio \| Pendleton \| Pleasants \| Pocahontas \| Preston \| Putnam \| Raleigh \| Randolph \| Ritchie \| Roane \| Summers \| Taylor \| Tucker \| Tyler \| Upshur \| Wayne \| Webster \| Wetzel \| Wirt \| Wood \| Wyoming