10 Forgotten & Isolated West Virginia Towns | One Has Just 240 People

10 forgotten and isolated towns in West Virginia, from tiny mountain communities to county seats where the old main streets tell a much bigger story. One town has around 240 residents. One county has no store selling fresh produce. And a town of fewer than 1,000 prepares for a Roadkill Cook-Off that can bring up to 20,000 visitors. Beyond the highways and tourist attractions, West Virginia is full of places built by coal, timber, gas, railroads and river trade. When industries closed and floods came, families moved away — but the towns did not disappear. In this countdown, discover the high school player who scored 135 points in one game, the armed crowd that took a county's records in the night, and the 1985 flood that put boats on Main Street high enough for people to touch a traffic light. We visit ten West Virginia towns and explore why their surrounding counties are among the state's sparsely populated places. The list is ordered by county population density, from the more populated county at #10 to the least densely populated at #1. It is NOT a ranking of the towns' own population, poverty, or quality of life. Each town comes from a different county. Towns featured (alphabetical): Burnsville, Clay, Elizabeth, Glenville, Grantsville, Hamlin, Hundred, Marlinton, Parsons, Webster Springs. These are not abandoned ghost towns. People still live, work and remember their families' histories in all of them. Which West Virginia town did we leave out? Have you lived in one of these communities — and did we get the ranking wrong? Share your memories in the comments. The places mentioned most often could become a future episode. Research and data: U.S. Census Bureau — Population Estimates: www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census and ACS 2020–2024: data.census.gov U.S. Census Bureau — Gazetteer land area: www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html West Virginia Encyclopedia: www.wvencyclopedia.org Population figures use estimates for July 1, 2025 where supplied in the research. County density is based on county population estimates and 2020 Census land area. Small-community estimates have margins of error. Claims about past events are based on the historical sources discussed in the documentary. #WestVirginia #ForgottenTowns #WestVirginiaHistory