Pineville, Wyoming County, West Virginia

I lived in Pineville, West Virginia in 1972-1973, when I was in my mid-twenties. It was a very happy and productive time in my life.

Pineville, with a population of well under 1,000, is the seat of Wyoming County in the rugged and remote coal mining region of southern West Virginia. The town is nestled mostly into a narrow strip of land along the Guyandotte River and Rockcastle Creek. The twisting valley is just wide enough for a couple of streets, a railroad track, and the river. In summer the sheltering mountains are lush and green, but in winter, when the sun rises above one mountain in mid-morning and slips behind another in mid-afternoon, it can be a bit depressing.

There's not a lot to do here, unless you enjoy exploring jumbled mountains which are criss-crossed with old logging and and mining roads. Trout fishing is also available in local streams, especially Pinnacle Creek. Twin Falls State Resort Park is only nine miles away. It's an hour's drive over winding mountain roads to the closest mall, cinema or other such ammenities - including a super Wal-mart - in the city of Beckley.

I last visited Pineville in May of 2006. Sadly, the town has a smaller population now than it did 35 years ago, when there were more than 1,300 people living there. It was disheartening to see several downtown businesses which were once thriving now closed. The entire economy is based on coal mining, which can provide a hard and not always dependable living, to say nothing of being dangerous. Coal miners are generally paid well when they are able to work, unlike those of a couple of generations ago who ""owed their souls to the company store."

Pineville is home to some of the most decent, honest, and honorable people I have ever known, plus a couple of rascals and a half dozen siftless hillbillies.