An industrial community surrounded by rich farming area. It is the geographic center and largest city of the great smokeless coal region of southern West Virginia. Beckley is the contemporary hub of the New River/Greenbrier Valley region. The city of Beckley grew with the post-Civil War fortunes of coal. Most of today's commerce is carried on in the malls that sprawl around the city, but uptown Beckley preserves the heart of the old town with shops, entertainment in the town square and the Rhododendron Festival each May.
Beckley's New River Park, open spring through fall, provides an excellent introduction to oldtime coal culture. At the Exhibition Coal Mine, real miners take visitors for an authentic 45 minute journey underground into the 1890s when workers dug out their livings with picks and shovels. Next door in the Coal Museum, the history of the local industry is depicted in artifacts and photographs. New River Park offers great wooded spaces, a playground, pool and waterslide.
