Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city of 9,387 people in Mercer County, West Virginia.
Why visit Bluefield
Townapedia lists 14 museums and landmarks, 9 parks and trails, 23 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Bluefield Downtown Commercial Historic District, Bluefield Green Book Historic District, Bowen Field and Mitchell Stadium.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; January lows average 22°F, and about 40 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Bluefield
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Bluefield
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. Its population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. The city is home to Bluefield State University, a public, historically black university serving nearly 1,300 students.
From the Wikipedia article Bluefield, West Virginia (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks14
Bluefield Downtown Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic district in West Virginia, United States
Bluefield Green Book Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic district in Bluefield, West Virginia, United States
Country Club Hill Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Historic district in West Virginia, United States
Easley House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Historic house in West Virginia, United States
Hancock House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Building in West Virginia, United States
Hatter Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Building at Bluefield State College in West Virginia, USA
Jefferson Street Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, West Virginia
Municipal Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Rathaus in West Virginia, United States of America
South Bluefield Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Historic district in West Virginia, United States
Upper Oakhurst Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic district in West Virginia, United States
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Walter McDonald Sanders House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Bluefield, VA, listed on the NRHP in Virginia
2 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
Restaurants and cafes23
Joe's Pizza & Subs
Restaurant · Italian, Pizza · 2.8 mi
527 Commerce Drive, Bluefield
11 more on the map.
Where to stay2
Econo Lodge Near Bluefield College
Motel and hotel · 1.0 mi
3400 East Cumberland Road, Bluefield
Quality Hotel and Conference Center
Motel and hotel · 1.3 mi
3350 Big Laurel Highway, Bluefield
History
The history of Bluefield began in the 18th century, when the Davidson and Bailey families settled in a rugged and remote part of what is now southern West Virginia. Others joined them, and they built a small village with a mill, a church, a one-room schoolhouse, and a fort for defending the settlement against invasions by the Shawnee tribe, which had a village on the banks of the Bluestone River.
In 1882, the descendants of the Davidson and Bailey families sold a portion of their land, when Captain John Fields of the Norfolk and Western Railway pioneered the area and began building a new railroad through the hills of Bluefield. The city is traditionally thought to be named after the chicory flowers in the area, which give the fields a purplish blue hue during the summer. Research has shown that this settlement, also known as Higginbotham's Summit in the 1880s, was probably named for the coal fields that were developed in the area of the Bluestone River.
From the History section of Bluefield, West Virginia on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship47
Greater Mt Zion Pentecostal Church
Church · Pentecostal · 1.2 mi
104 Park Street, Bluefield
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 1.0 mi
114 Bedford Street, Bluefield
Scott Street Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 0.6 mi
564 Scott Street, Bluefield
Shopping4
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare2
Map of Bluefield
125 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°F | 22°F | 3.5 in | 9.9 in |
| Feb | 44°F | 24°F | 3.4 in | 9.9 in |
| Mar | 53°F | 30°F | 4.5 in | 7.5 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 38°F | 4.1 in | 1.4 in |
| May | 72°F | 48°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 78°F | 56°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 60°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 59°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 53°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 64°F | 41°F | 2.9 in | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 30°F | 3.0 in | 1.7 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 26°F | 3.8 in | 8.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bluefield (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
Mercer County has had 19 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)
- 2024-12-09: Post-Tropical Storm Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2020-04-03: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2015-03-31: Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Mercer County Airport (BLF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Bluefield 4 mi southwest, about 6 min by car
- Bluewell 4 mi northwest, about 7 min by car
- Athens 15 mi northeast, about 25 min by car
- Tazewell 19 mi southwest, about 30 min by car
- Wytheville 22 mi south, about 36 min by car
- Narrows 23 mi east, about 37 min by car
- Rural Retreat 25 mi south, about 40 min by car
- Pearisburg 27 mi east, about 43 min by car
- Pulaski 29 mi southeast, about 46 min by car
- Dublin 31 mi east, about 49 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
- Edgewood near Mountain View, Bluefield, Nyttend, Public domain
- Oakhurst west of Ledge, South Bluefield, Nyttend, Public domain
- Jefferson, 2100 block, Bluefield, Nyttend, Public domain
- Greetings from Bluefield, West Virginia, Nature's Air Conditioned City - Large Letter Postcard (8317106743), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- NS Yard in Bluefield, WV (5792175958), jpmueller99 from Columbus, OH, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Hancock House in Bluefield through trees, Nyttend, Public domain
- 2017-07-21 16 55 47 View east along U.S. Route 460 at Cherry Drive (West Virginia State Route 598) in Bluefield, Mercer County, West Virginia, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2017-07-21 17 00 36 View north along West Virginia State Route 598 (Cherry Drive) at U.S. Route 460 in Bluefield, Mercer County, West Virginia, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9306402914), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9306409578), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303631445), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9306414746), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303635091), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303633841), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303629509), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9306407698), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303621853), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9306406402), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kmart Bluefield, WV (9303622861), Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bluefield, WV Departure (5791618185), jpmueller99 from Columbus, OH, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 2017-07-21 16 46 26 View north along U.S. Route 19 and south along U.S. Route 52 Truck (Princeton Avenue) at Grassy Branch Road just northeast of Bluefield in Mercer County, West Virginia, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Easley House, Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bluefield Municipal Building, Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Walter McDonald Sanders House, Nyttend, Public domain
- The Old and the New (5788158978), jpmueller99 from Shenandoah Valley of VA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- East River Mountain Overlook, Davebanner12, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mitchell Stadium 2014, Davebanner12, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2017-06-11 15 43 00 View south along Virginia State Route 598 just south of the West Virginia state line in Bland County, Virginia, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2017-07-21 17 10 38 View east along West Virginia State Route 123 (Airport Road) at U.S. Route 52 (Coal Heritage Road) in Brush Fork, Mercer County, West Virginia, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ISS041-E-104142 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS012-E-7921 - View of North Carolina, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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