8 PRETTIEST Towns in WEST VIRGINIA Nobody Has Heard Of

West Virginia’s prettiest towns were not built as resorts—they were shaped by coal, railroads, frontier politics, colleges, county courthouses, and the people who kept them alive. In this video, I explore nine overlooked towns across the Mountain State—yes, nine rather than eight, because I follow the honest count and the 2020 census numbers. I travel through tiny county seats, railroad towns, historic college communities, river settlements, and places shaped by glassmaking and the Greenbrier region. Along the way, I uncover the history behind these streets and explain why West Virginia’s most beautiful towns often owe their character to the work that built them. 0:00 Why there are nine towns 0:51 Franklin's tiny county seat 1:49 Elkins' railroad festival legacy 2:53 Bethany's historic college town 3:53 Romney's 1762 county seat 4:52 Shepherdstown on the Potomac 6:40 Harpers Ferry between two rivers 7:15 Petersburg's railroad county seat 8:11 New Martinsville's glass heritage 9:16 Lewisburg near the Greenbrier 10:08 Who visits these towns 10:34 The beauty left by work #WestVirginia #HiddenGems #SmallTowns #Travel #Appalachia