Alderson, West Virginia
Alderson is a town of 1,383 people in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
Why visit Alderson
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 1 place to eat and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Alderson Bridge, Alderson Historic District and Alexander McVeigh Miller House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Alderson
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Alderson
Alderson is a town in Greenbrier and Monroe counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, on both sides of the Greenbrier River. The population was 975 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Alderson, West Virginia (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Alderson Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Bridge in United States of America
Museums and landmarks5
Alderson Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic district in Alderson, West Virginia
Alexander McVeigh Miller House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
House in Alderson, West Virginia
Argabrite House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
House in Alderson, West Virginia
Miller-Pence Farm
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic house in West Virginia, United States
Sunset Hill
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Building in West Virginia, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Alderson is a community located along the Greenbrier River in Greenbrier County and Monroe County, incorporated in 1881.
In 1763, the nearby Muddy Creek settlements were destroyed by Shawnee Indians under Chief Cornstalk.
Alderson was originally settled in 1777 by "Elder" John Alderson, a frontier missionary for whom the town is named, who organized the first Baptist church in the Greenbrier Valley.
Alderson became an important livestock shipping point on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.
Alderson is the location of the Federal Reformatory for Women, which opened in 1927 as the first federal prison for women.
During the early 1900s, Alderson became a hub of higher education in the state. It was home to three separate institutions of higher education, including the Alderson Academy and Junior College, which eventually was integrated into Alderson-Broaddus College in 1932.
The Alexander McVeigh Miller House in Greenbrier County is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is Sunset Hill in Monroe County. The Alderson Bridge and Alderson Historic District are located in both counties.
From the History section of Alderson, West Virginia on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping1
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Map of Alderson
16 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°F | 22°F | 3.0 in | 3.6 in |
| Feb | 45°F | 24°F | 2.9 in | 4.2 in |
| Mar | 54°F | 30°F | 3.8 in | 2.0 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 39°F | 3.6 in | 0.1 in |
| May | 75°F | 49°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 58°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 62°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 83°F | 60°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 54°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 41°F | 2.6 in | 0.1 in |
| Nov | 55°F | 30°F | 2.5 in | 0.2 in |
| Dec | 45°F | 25°F | 3.4 in | 2.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Alderson (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Greenbrier County has had 15 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2025-02-26: Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-03: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-06-25: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2015-05-21: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Pearisburg 28 mi south, about 45 min by car
- Beckley 29 mi west, about 46 min by car
- Narrows 29 mi south, about 47 min by car
- Blacksburg 36 mi south, about 59 min by car
- Covington 36 mi east, about 58 min by car
- Merrimac 39 mi south, about 1 h by car
- Radford 42 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Christiansburg 43 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Salem 44 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Roanoke 49 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Alderson WV Historic Section, CZmarlin — This image is licensed under the Creative Commons license assuming that proper attribution ( Christopher Ziemnowicz ) is provided. If you use this image anywhere other than Wikipedia..., CC BY 3.0
- Alderson WV Depot - Trackside, Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Amtrak station Alderson, WV 24910, USA - panoramio, Loco Steve, CC BY 3.0
- Sunset Hill near Alderson, Nyttend, Public domain
- Alderson Memorial Bridge in West Virginia, CZmarlin — This image is licensed under the Creative Commons license assuming that proper attribution ( Christopher Ziemnowicz ) is provided. If you use this image anywhere other than Wikipedia..., CC BY 3.0
- Argabrite House, Nyttend, Public domain
- Alexander McVeigh Miller House, Nyttend, Public domain
- Alexander McVeigh Miller House 2020 (cropped), Nyttend, Public domain
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