Community Profile

Presented by the Development Authority of Mercer County

 

LOCATION

Mercer County lies in the ridge and valley region of the extreme southern section of West Virginia, approximately 100 miles from the State Capitol, City of Charleston. Two major cities in the county are Bluefield and Princeton, the County Seat. Mercer County is within a 500-mile radius of 50% of the U.S. population. Southern West Virginia has four distinct seasons. A legacy of warm summer days and cool nights inspired Bluefield’s nickname, “The Air-Conditioned City.” Cool autumn days with a rainbow of fall colors make way for a cold, dry winter and spectacular rebirth of spring flowers.

POPULATION (2015 Est.)

County………………….61,785
Princeton………………  6,359
Bluefield……………….10,473

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Mercer County...... $34,160.00

Major Employers

CLIMATE

Temperature: 

Annual Average – 52℉
Monthly Average – January: 30℉ – July: 70℉
Rainfall (inches) 38.4
Snowfall (inches) 35-45

LODGING I RETAIL OUTLETS

Motels: 16
Total Rooms: 1023
Shopping Centers: 6
Department Stores: 9

AREA RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

Protestant: ……………….140
Catholic: …………………..3
Synagogue: ……………….1

EDUCATION

 

HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL

 

Recreation Facilities 

 

Other Recreational Facilities

• Bluefield Elks Lodge
• Bluefield Auditorium
• Brushfork Armory
• Coal City Auditorium
• Princeton Elks Lodge

Labor Analysis

Radius of Labor Drawing Area: 50 Miles

Estimated Available: 250,000 Total

Annual Number of High School Graduates: 850

Work Stoppages in the Last 5 Years: 0

Manufacturing Workers in Union: 5%

Right to Work Law: Yes

Wage and/or Labor Survey Available: Yes

Taxes

Property situated in the state is broken down into four classifications: Class I is all intangible personal property, such as notes, accounts receivable, etc.; Class II is owner-occupied residences; Class III is all other tangible property outside of municipalities; and Class IV is all other property within municipalities. Industry is taxed under Class I, plus Class III or IV, depending upon the municipality or district in which the plant is located. The published property tax rates in the respective classifications are as follows (per $100.00 appraised value):

2015 Levy Rates

State Taxes

Corporate Net Income......6.5%

Consumer Sales/Use........6%

Individual Income

Maximum Rate...................6.5%

Minimum Rate....................30/0

 

Communications

 

Newspapers

Radio

Television

• WVVA-TV
• Comcast
• Sudden Link
• WWD

Telephone

Frontier Communications

Transporation

Mercer County, West Virginia lies at the hub of several major transportation routes serving the eastern United States. Not only does this network facilitate excellent intra-regional transportation links, but it also offers outstanding intraregional networking potential. I-77 provides an ideal link with major northern population centers like Cleveland and via I-79, Pittsburgh. I-77 offers excellent access to major centers in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as many major population centers in the southern United States. 1-64 east of Beckley, West Virginia provides access to the Midwest and with U.S. Route 460 in Virginia, the area has excellent service to the East Coast. 1-64, I-77 and U.S. Route 460 provide convenient hookups with 1-81, which extends from Tennessee to New England.

Motor Trucking

• Consolidated Motor Express
• Heavy Hauling
• Overnight
• Yellow

Air Service

Mercer County is served by the Mercer County Airport.

Runway Length: 4,743 Feet

Surface: Asphalt

Automobile Rental

Cole Cadillac Chevrolet GMC

RTE 460 E, Bluefield

304-324-2206

 

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

463 Old Bluefield Road, Princeton

800-325-8007

 

Hertz Rent-A-Car

Mercer County Airport

800-654-3131

Bus Service

• Bluefield Area Transit System
• Greyhound

Parcel Service

• Airborne Express
• DHL Worldwide Express
• FedEx
• United Parcel Service
• Wells Fargo

Railroad Service

Norfolk Southern Railway Company

Taxi Service

Taxi One

Limousine Service

Greenbrier Valley Limousines

Government

Mercer County government is responsible for numerous and varied functions.

These functions are administered by local elected officials. The government of Mercer County plays a very large role in delivering public services to the citizens in their county, ie: police protection, health services, recreation, fire protection, flood protection, ambulances, senior citizen programs and transportation. 

The County Commission consists of three commissioners, each elected for six-year terms.

The Sheriff is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.

The Assessor is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.

There are six municipalities in Mercer County: 

• Athens
• Matoaka
• Bluefield
• Oakvale
• Bramwell
• Princeton - The County Seat