Moving to Bluefield, WV

Nestled along the base of the East River Mountain Range, Bluefield is a mountainous community of over 10,000 residents spread across 6,000 households located in the southern part of West Virginia bordering Virginia. The city derived its name from the blue chicory flowers that color the landscape a purplish blue hue during the summer.  Known as “Nature’s Air-Conditioned City”, lemonade is distributed throughout the community when the temperature reaches 90 degrees. The promotion began in 1939 by then chamber manager Eddie Steele, but was not served until 1941 due to the mild temperatures. Bluefield is home to a diverse population, unique dining, boutiques, galleries, outdoor recreation, and great small town hospitality. Thank you for making our community your home; we look forward to welcoming you!

Climate

Moderate temperatures prevail in Four Seasons Country most of the year, but Bluefield does experience some winter weather. Bluefield is known as “Nature’s Air Conditioned City” where summers are normally very pleasant; seasonal temperatures and low humidity. The rugged terrain offers spectacular changes of season with vibrant spring colors and warm magnificent fall foliage. Temperatures on average range from 52 degrees with a January average of 30.9 degrees as the low. July average is 70.2 degrees as the high with rainfall on average 38.5 inches and snowfall averaging 34.6 inches.

Relocation Resources

Are you considering moving to Bluefield? Mercer County Board of Realtors

Cost of Living

An important factor to consider when relocating to Bluefield is the cost of living in West Virginia. If you live in a major urban area of the country, a high population density increases the costs of homes, rent and insurance. Factors such as state taxes, location and climate also determine the cost of living. The cost of living in Bluefield, West Virginia is 8.5% lower than the average cost of living in the state of West Virginia and lower than the U.S. average. See news article “Affordability: Kudos to Bluefield for top 5 ranking“.

Housing

From secluded mountain hideaways to stately city residences, unique historic homes, townhouses, condominiums, apartments or mobile-home dwellings, Bluefield has just what you are looking for. There are a variety of residential types and price ranges to choose from.

Education

Bluefield recognizes education is needed in order to grow and prosper as a community.  The area offers a multitude of traditional and special education programs, preschool and after school programs, K-12 and up through higher education, which incorporate technology into traditional classrooms with many having video classrooms for distance learning, which provides links to local colleges and various area secondary schools.

Mercer County Schools
Bluefield High School
American National University
Bluefield College
Bluefield State College
Concord University
Mercer County Career & Technical Center
New River Community & Technical College
Valley College of Technology

Things to Do

The City of Bluefield is alive with beautiful scenery, city parks, the Ridge Runner train, history, arts and culture, and hiking and biking trails. The Appalachian League Blue Jays calls Bowen Field in Bluefield home.  Mercer County is unique in that it houses two minor league baseball teams in one county (Bluefield Blue Jays and Princeton Rays) a feat not many counties in West Virginia can claim.

Fitness and Recreation

The Bluefield Fitness and Recreation Center is a full service, family-focused fitness center. The FitRec has become a cornerstone in Bluefield that promotes strong community partnerships and empowers individuals to achieve their fullest potential. Our staff is dedicated in helping everyone who has a fitness need.

The City of Bluefield Parks & Recreation Department’s mission is to provide quality recreational programs and outdoor activities for all ages during the entire year. For a detailed list of our programs please visit the Tourism and Recreation section on our myBluefield.org web page.

Highways and Public Transit

The City of Bluefield is located along a number of major highway intersections, which provides easy access to all of the eastern United States. The city is adjacent to Interstate 77 and is approximately 42 miles from I-81 north and south. It is also approximately 45 miles from I-64 running east and west. US Route 460 is a major corridor linking Bluefield to the interstate system. The City of Bluefield is situated within a one-day drive from over half of the country’s population. The Bluefield Area Transit (BAT), is a division of the City of Bluefield and services Mercer and McDowell counties with routes into Bluefield, Princeton, Athens, Welch, Pipestem State Park and local colleges. Whether you are going shopping or to visit friends or family, the Bluefield Area Transit provides a convenient, easy way to get to your destination.

Healthcare

Bluefield Regional Medical Center is your community healthcare provider offering inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, medical, surgical and emergency care. We believe in the power of people to create great care. We’re 130 healthcare professionals strong. We are an acute care hospital as well as a teaching facility for osteopathic medicine. And we work hard every day to be a place of healing, caring and connection for patients and families in the community we call home.

The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias is an affiliate of Princeton Community Hospital. We offer a variety of services provided in our state-of-the-art facility that are designed to assure dignity and respect for our patients.

The City of Bluefield has numerous doctors in various health care professions to serve you. To see a comprehensive list please see our Business Directory and click on the Healthcare Tab.

Nursing Homes and Assisted Living

The Maples Nursing Home & Assisted Living Community is located in historic downtown Bluefield, WV. The Maples is a family-owned nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living center that has been providing the highest quality senior care for nearly three decades. The Maples is a duly-certified, fully-licensed skilled nursing facility with 60 nursing beds and 20 assisted living units. Our dedicated, professional staff provide exceptional senior and rehabilitative care.

Mercer Nursing And Rehabilitation Center, LLC in Bluefield, WV is a newly constructed, 83 bed private nursing home that accepts Medicare and Medicaid.

Places of Worship

Worship and faith have an important part in the City and region. There are 42 churches listed in our Business Directory.

Government

The City of Bluefield, West Virginia employs a paid city manager form of government with a five member elected Board of Directors. The state of West Virginia has a state legislature with a senate and house of delegates, the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and commissioner of agriculture serving as statewide office holders. County elected officials include three county commissioners, a sheriff, circuit court clerk, county clerk, assessor, two circuit court judges, a family law judge, magistrates, prosecuting attorney and board of education. 

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