Bluefield: Railroad Town on the Coalfield Edge
Bluefield straddles the Virginia border in Mercer County and grew as a division point of the Norfolk and Western Railway, which connected the Pocahontas Coalfield to tidewater ports beginning in the 1880s. At its peak in the mid-twentieth century the city handled enormous volumes of coal traffic, and the Norfolk and Western yards employed thousands. The Virginia side of the state line has its own smaller incorporated Bluefield, though the two share much of their history.
The city's marketing slogan for decades has been "Nature's Air-Conditioned City," a reference to the elevation and mountain position that historically kept summer temperatures lower than the surrounding region. The Chamber of Commerce once famously gave away free lemonade when the temperature reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Bluefield State University, founded in 1895 as a black normal school, is now a historically black institution with an integrated enrollment.
Pocahontas Coalfield production collapsed from the late twentieth century onward, and Bluefield's population has declined from a peak above 22,000 in 1950 to around 9,000 today. Westvaco and later Mercer Street commercial areas have seen redevelopment efforts. The Norfolk Southern yards still operate at reduced scale for coal traffic and general freight.
Escort sites covering Bluefield and the Princeton-Bluefield metropolitan area are reviewed and indexed on Escortservice.com. The directory does not arrange meetings, verify licensure, or intercede between parties. All users must be at least 21 years of age.
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Bluefield straddles the Virginia border in Mercer County and grew as a division point of the Norfolk and Western Railway, which connected the Pocahontas Coalfield to tidewater ports beginning in the 1880s. At its peak in the mid-twentieth century the city handled enormous volumes of coal traffic, and the Norfolk and Western yards employed thousands. The Virginia side of the state line has its own smaller incorporated Bluefield, though the two share much of their history.
The city's marketing slogan for decades has been "Nature's Air-Conditioned City," a reference to the elevation and mountain position that historically kept summer temperatures lower than the surrounding region. The Chamber of Commerce once famously gave away free lemonade when the temperature reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Bluefield State University, founded in 1895 as a black normal school, is now a historically black institution with an integrated enrollment.
Pocahontas Coalfield production collapsed from the late twentieth century onward, and Bluefield's population has declined from a peak above 22,000 in 1950 to around 9,000 today. Westvaco and later Mercer Street commercial areas have seen redevelopment efforts. The Norfolk Southern yards still operate at reduced scale for coal traffic and general freight.
Escort sites covering Bluefield and the Princeton-Bluefield metropolitan area are reviewed and indexed on Escortservice.com. The directory does not arrange meetings, verify licensure, or intercede between parties. All users must be at least 21 years of age.
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