City of Bluefield, West Virginia
Seal
Nickname: "Nature’s Air Conditioned City"
Location in the State of West Virginia
Coordinates: 37°15′44″N, 81°13′7″w
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Mercer
Mayor	Bob Perkinson
Area
- City	8.7 mi² 22.6 km²
Elevation	2,611 ft - 795.8328 m
Population
- City (2004)	11,222
- Metro	107,578 (Bluefield Micropolitan Area)
	U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 Population Estimates
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.ci.bluefield.wv.us

Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 11,451 at the 2000 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578. The micropolitan area is the 350th largest statistical population area and the thirty-third largest micropolitan area in the United States. Image File history File links Bluefield_Seal. ... // A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Bobby, Rab, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all short for Robert). ... Image File history File links WVMap-doton-Bluefield. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... The political units and divisions of the United States include: the fifty states, which units are typically divided into counties and townships, and incorporate cities, villages, towns, and other types of municipalities, and other autonomous or subordinate public authorities and institutions; and the federal state, which unit is the United... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 39 independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census puposes. ... Mercer County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Basic Definition In geography, the elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or some other fixed point). ... A human foot - Enlarge to view legend For other uses, see Foot (disambiguation). ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) A metre or meter[1] (symbol: m) is a unit of length and the current base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). ... A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... The Eastern Standard Time Zone is a geographic region that keeps time by subtracting five hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). ... -12 | -11 | -10 | -9:30 | -9 | -8 | -7 | -6 | -5 | -4 | -3:30 | -3 | -2:30 | -2 | -1 | UTC | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7:30 | +8 | +8:30 | +8...  Areas that observe daylight saving time  Areas that once observed daylight saving time  Areas that have never observed daylight saving time A public service announcement for turning the clock back one hour at the end of daylight saving time Daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time and sometimes... Eastern Daylight Time or EDT is equal to: In North America, Eastern Standard Time + 1, or UTC − 4 hours. ... for North America see also: Atlantic Standard Time Zone and Eastern Daylight Time Categories: Time zones ... Mercer County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Nickname: Virginia’s Tallest Town Location Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Virginia Tazewell Mayor James Jones Geographical characteristics Area     City 7. ... United States micropolitan areas, as defined by the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget, are areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. ...

Geography

Bluefield is located at 37°15′44″N, 81°13′7″W (37.262219, -81.218674)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.6 km² (8.7 mi²), all land. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... A square mile is an Imperial unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, 1,609. ...

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,451 people, 5,038 households, and 3,078 families residing in the city. The population density was 506.4/km² (1,311.3/mi²). There were 5,966 housing units at an average density of 263.9/km² (683.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.84% White, 22.14% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ...

There were 5,038 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87. A marriage is a relationship between or among individuals, usually recognized by civil authority and/or bound by the religious beliefs of the participants. ...

The age distribution is 21.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,672, and the median income for a family was $36,508. Males had a median income of $31,396 versus $21,051 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,751. About 13.0% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population. ... Map of countries showing percentage of population who have an income below the national poverty line The poverty line is the level of income below which one cannot afford to purchase all the resources one requires to live. ...

History

The history of Bluefield begins in the 1780s, when two families settled in a rugged and remote part of southern West Virginia, and built a small village with a mill, a church, a one-room schoolhouse, and a fort for defending the small settlement against invasions by the much larger Shawnee Indian tribe on the banks of the Bluestone River. The Davidson and Bailey family had to sell a portion of their land when in 1882, Captain John Fields, of the Norfolk and Western Railroad pioneered the area and began building a new railroad through the hills of Bluefield (named after the chicory flowers in the area that painted the landscape a purplish blue hue during the summer) and nearby Harman, Virginia.

Underneath the feet of the Davidsons and Baileys lie the largest and richest deposit of bituminous coal in the world - the soft burning coal which was ripe for fueling the industrial machines of the developing world. The first seam was discovered in nearby Pocahontas, Virginia, in the backyard of Jordan Nelson, which was in the words of President Frederick Kimball of the Norfolk and Western Company, the "most spectacular find on the continent and indeed perhaps of the entire planet." The seam is mentioned in Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia," but it was not mined until 1890.

Around that time, the coal mines that soon opened up in the area, around Harman, Bluefield, War, and Pocahontas, were known as the Pocahontas coal fields; they helped to drive the entire Industrial Revolution in the United States and to fuel the US and British Navies during both World Wars. The herculean effort to extract the coal from the mountains created a vast civilization, bringing emmigrant European workers to the mountains in search of work, so literally overnight, a metropolis was born. Today's Bluefield does not resemble the Bluefield of long past because today's it is a sleepy town, almost a ghost town compared to the hustle and bustle of the years from 1890 to 1960, the coal rush years. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the extraction of coal from the Earth for use as fuel. ...

So-called "Summit City", because of its high elevation, and its naturally sloping divides in the coal yards, Bluefield became one of the first cities in the world to have a noticeable skyline - with high rises that were only comparable to New York and Chicago in their day. Today, those high rises remain, but they are nowhere near the height which are common in many modern American cities today.

The city's growth was phenomenal. In a one year period from 1887 to 1888, passenger travel along the railroad escalated an astonishing 317%. Like San Francisco of the gold rush period in California, Bluefield became a city that sprung up overnight, and it far outpaced the infrastructure available to it at the time. Urban sprawl and blight were common complaints in the early days.

Unfortunately, Bluefield was not a city that had control over its own destiny. That rested entirely with the giant Norfolk and Western Railroad, and it depended on the whims of the international market. When coal tonnage was good and the market for coal was booming, Bluefield was literally a "Little New York" as it was called in the day. A bustling metropolis, it had a nightlife and a personality that was a little bit Chicago, a little bit New York, and a whole lot of Pittsburgh - rugged and with steel and coal embedded in its soul.

In 1889, the city of Bluefield, West Virginia was officially incorporated. The city government was always known in those days as being corrupt, inefficient, and was quite a scandalous affair, with drunken brawls and fights breaking out on the floor of City Hall on an almost daily basis.

With a strong ethnic community, Bluefield was the site of the 1895 founding of the Bluefield Colored Institute, the nation's first college with primarily black students. That college is today's Bluefield State College, and the site of a November 21, 1968 terrorist bombing. Bluefield State College is an historically black college located in Bluefield, West Virginia. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... This article is becoming very long. ...

The coal boom fueled a wave of money into the area, and nearby Bramwell, a small suburb of Bluefield, boasted itself as the Millionaires' Town because more millionaires per capita lived there than anywhere else in the nation- that today means little to national history save the remnants from that era which are showcased every spring as people are invited to tour Bramwell's historic homes. The city also had more automobiles per capita than any other city in the country at the time, which meant that in the early days, Bluefield knew more than any other city could ever want to know about the five o'clock traffic jam. They had them even before New York.

During the 1920s, the most impressive high rise in Bluefield history was built, the twelve story opulent West Virginian Hotel, now the West Virginia Manor and Retirement Home. It was one of the first "skyscrapers" in the area and one of the tallest buildings in the world at the time.

In 1924, nearby Graham, Virginia decided to rename itself Bluefield, Virginia to try and cash in on the opulent growth of its West Virginia neighbor. Additionally, Nobel-prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash was born in Bluefield in 1928. Nickname: Virginia’s Tallest Town Location Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Virginia Tazewell Mayor James Jones Geographical characteristics Area     City 7. ... Nash in 2003. ...

The Great Depression however, broke the city's back. With the government nearly bankrupt, and series of devastating structural fires that swept through the downtown area and nearly took down every high rise the city had so feverishly built, the city was nearly destroyed. It was not until World War II came that the coal fires started burning again. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 (although its effects were not fully felt until late in 1930) and lasting through most of the 1930s. ...

The importance of the city was so great that Adolf Hitler even put Bluefield on its reputed list of German air raid targets in the United States. Air raid practice drills were common in the city during this time, as anyone living from those days can clearly recall.

Ironically, the worst thing to happen to Bluefield was the interstate road system, which finally punched through East River Mountain in the 1960s and for the first time allowed automobile traffic to pass through the city without crossing the top of the mountain. The dependence on railroad traffic waned and the city began to shrink in population and eventually lost its Amtrak station in the 1980s. As the importance of the railroad continued to decline, the city shriveled to a much smaller version of its prior glory. Interstate Highways in the lower 48 states. ...

Education

Educational institutions include Bluefield High School and Bluefield State College. Bluefield State College is an historically black college located in Bluefield, West Virginia. ...

Sports

Bluefield is the home of the Bluefield Orioles minor league baseball team which plays their home games at Bowen Field. The Bluefield Orioles, a professional baseball team, is a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia and Bluefield, Virginia. ... A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ... Bowen Field is a stadium in Bluefield, Virginia. ...

Bluefield is largely as football town and the rivalry between the Bluefield Beavers and their sister city Bluefield, Virginia's Graham G-Men always draw a large crowd at Mitchell Stadium. 2005 also saw the introduction of the Bluefield Barons, an Alliance Football League team. Nickname: Virginia’s Tallest Town Location Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Virginia Tazewell Mayor James Jones Geographical characteristics Area     City 7. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bluefield Barons are a semi-professional football team that plays in the Alliance Football League (formerly the Appalachian League) and had their inaugural start in 2005. ... The Aliance Football League (AFL) is a semi-pro football league the currently consisting of nine teams in the Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama areas. ...

Bluefield is also home to the East River Soccer Complex which has five fields and hosts local high school and college soccer games. An NCAA tournament game between Indiana University and the University of Tulsa in 2004 College soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by teams operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes. ...

External links

• City of Bluefield
• The Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce
• Bluefield State College
• Bluefield High School
• Bluefield High School Alumni Online
• Bluefield Orioles
• Bluefield Barons
• Mercer County Soccer
• Bluefield.Net
• BluefieldWV.Net

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.262219° -81.218674°
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  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	State of West Virginia
Topics	Cities | Towns | Villages | Census-designated places | Governors | Colleges and universities Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_West_Virginia. ... A state of the United States (a U.S. state) is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... List of cities in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... List of towns in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... List of villages in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... List of census-designated places in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... This is a list of Governors of West Virginia Categories: Lists of United States governors | Governors of West Virginia ... This is a list of colleges and universities in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ...
Capital	Charleston Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, site of first U.S. capital. ... Official website: www. ...
Regions	Allegheny Mountains | Allegheny Plateau | Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area | Charleston Metropolitan Area | Cumberland Plateau | Eastern Panhandle | North-Central West Virginia | Northern Panhandle | Potomac Highlands | Ridge-and-valley Appalachians | Southern West Virginia This list of regions of the United States includes official (governmental) and non-official areas within the borders of the United States, not including U.S. states, the federal district of Washington, D.C. or standard subentities such as cities or counties. ... The Allegheny Mountains are a part of the Appalachian mountain range of the eastern United States. ... The Allegheny Plateau is a large, dissected plateau area in southern New York, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. ... It has been suggested that Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA be merged into this article or section. ... The Charleston WV metroploitan area or the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area is the largest metro area in the state of West Virginia. ... The Cumberland Plateau includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia in the United States. ... Eastern panhandle The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. ... Map of North-Central WV North-Central West Virginia is a region of the U.S. State of West Virginia. ... Northern panhandle The Northern Panhandle is a region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... Potomac Highlands The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia is the root of the Eastern Panhandle, bordering Maryland and Virginia. ... The Ridge-and-valley Appalachians are a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey westward into Pennsylvania and southward into Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. ... Southern West Virginia is a culturally and geographically distinct region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ...
Major cities	Charleston | Huntington | Parkersburg | Wheeling | Morgantown List of cities in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... Official website: www. ... Huntington is a city located in the U.S. State of West Virginia along the Ohio River. ... Parkersburg is the county seat of Wood CountyGR6. ... Downtown Wheeling Different architectural styles, from Mansard to Italianate, make up these townhouses in Wheeling. ... Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, on the banks of the Monongahela River. ...
Smaller cities:	Beckley | Bluefield | Clarksburg | Cross Lanes | Fairmont | Martinsburg | Saint Albans | South Charleston | Teays Valley | Vienna | Weirton List of cities in West Virginia, arranged in alphabetical order. ... Alfred Beckley Beckley is a city located in Raleigh County, West Virginia, USA and founded on April 4, 1838. ... Clarksburg is a city located in Harrison County, West Virginia. ... Cross Lanes is an unincorporated census-designated place suburb of Charleston, WV located in Kanawha County, West Virginia. ... Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 19,097 at the 2000 census. ... Martinsburg is a city located in Berkeley County, West Virginia. ... The Kanawha River in St. ... South Charleston is a city located in Kanawha County, West Virginia. ... Teays Valley is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Putnam County, West Virginia. ... Vienna is a city located in Wood County, West Virginia. ... Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. ...
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 This is a list of counties in West Virginia: West Virginia county boundaries Barbour County Berkeley County Boone County Braxton County Brooke County Cabell County Calhoun County Clay County Doddridge County Fayette County Gilmer County Grant County Greenbrier County Hampshire County Hancock County Hardy County Harrison County Jackson County Jefferson... Barbour County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Berkeley County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Boone County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Braxton County is a county located in the central part of the state of West Virginia. ... Brooke County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Cabell County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Calhoun County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Clay County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Doddridge County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Fayette County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Gilmer County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Grant County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Greenbrier County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... Hancock County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Hardy County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Harrison County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Jackson County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Jefferson County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Kanawha County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Lewis County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Lincoln County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Logan County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Marion County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Marshall County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Mason County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... McDowell County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Mercer County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Mineral County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Mingo County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Monongalia County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Morgan County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Nicholas County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Ohio County is a county located in the northern panhandle of the state of West Virginia. ... Pendleton County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Pleasants County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Pocahontas County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... Preston County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... Putnam County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Raleigh County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Randolph County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Ritchie County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Roane County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Summers County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Taylor County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Tucker County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Tyler County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Upshur County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Wayne County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Webster County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Wetzel County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Wirt County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Wood County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Wyoming County is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ...