At 2,655 feet above sea level, Bluefield is West Virginia's most elevated city, lying in the extreme southern portion of the state, in the shadow of East River Mountain. There is substantial evidence of extensive Native American inhabitation in the limestone valleys along the East and Bluestone Rivers, but Bluefield's modern history began with the arrival of the hardy Scots-Irish pioneer Davidson and Bailey families shortly after the American Revolution. For nearly a century, the descendants of these early settlers lived in a small rural community, farming and herding in the broad valley below the steep and rugged hillsides. The discovery and promotion of the vast Pocahontas Coalfield after the Civil War transformed this isolated and bucolic valley rapidly into the center of the industrial coal empire in southern West Virginia. Bluefield was born when the mighty Norfolk & Western Railway chose the valley for the location of its vital Pocahontas Division headquarters. Officially incorporated in November 1889, the town grew spectacularly, paralleling the explosion of the southern West Virginia coalfields. Only 600 citizens lived along the dusty streets of the community in 1890, sharing the right of way with cows, chickens and pigs. By 1900, 5000 people crowded the smartly built brick downtown along the "Avenue" above the rail yards. In 1903, there were 13 churches, 5 parsonages, 4 banks, 2 YMCA's and 2 hospitals gathered around the railhead. Bluefield reportedly boasted the highest per capita automobile ownership in the country at that time. With the N&W the only transportation into the remote valley, Bluefieldians were a close-knit bunch, tied together by a common purpose and a steep topography. "If you don't like standing around in Bluefield," the old story relates, "you can always lean up against it for awhile." Although the nearest drift mouth was ten miles away, Bluefield quickly became the undisputed capital of the regional coalfield. Wholesale warehouses, banks, utilities, insurance companies, furniture factories, textile and flour mills and mine equipment firms sprang up to meet the needs of the industry. Merchandise supply houses sent traveling salesmen to stock the company stores of the coal towns along the railroad. Hotels, restaurants, shops and theaters gave the city a reputation as an entertainment center in southern West Virginia, whose residents rode the train into town, shopped all day, and took in a movie before cashing in the return fare. Italian stonemasons, Jewish merchants, Hungarian and Slavic miners, and farmers hawking produce brushed elbows with sharply dressed New York and Pennsylvania businessmen. A 1921 city charter made Bluefield only the second city in America to adopt the city board system, with a progressive city manager form of municipal government. The central business district climbed steadily south up the hill from the N&W yards, rising in immense and ornate concrete and steel masonry buildings. The 12-story West Virginian Hotel, completed in 1924, was by far the tallest structure in southern West Virginia. The new City Hall, finished the same year, was a massive three-story masterpiece of columned splendor, with terrazzo floors, a grand atrium and a fine auditorium. Other huge buildings completed the edifice of downtown Bluefield, befitting the community's position of leadership and power in the coalfields. By 1940, more than 25,000 people called Bluefield home. Wealth and power were evident as lovely homes sprang up south of the noise and bustle of the smoky rail yards. The Kee family -- John, Jim and Elizabeth -- held West Virginia's Fifth Congressional District seat in the United States House of Representatives for forty years, an unmatched record in American history. Hugh I. Shott built the Bluefield Daily Telegraph into a powerful media and public opinion empire. His WHIS radio station, founded in 1929, became an important leader in live country music. Bluefield Colored Institute, founded in 1895 to train African- American teachers for the segregated schools in the coal camps, emerged as Bluefield State College, a centerpiece of the rich and vibrant black community. Bluefield possesses a rich heritage of diversity, with two African-American mayors and a black police chief. Civic-minded Bluefieldians took the initiative in redeveloping the community. Old City Hall was reborn as the Area Arts and Crafts Center, host to shops and galleries, the Summit Players, a theatre troupe which plays to full houses in the refurbished auditorium, and the Science Center, a hands-on children's discovery museum. An ambitious Main Street program seeks to revitalize the lovely old downtown, and the Craft Memorial Library is host to the Eastern Regional Coal Archives, a public history research center. The 1989 Bluefield Centennial Celebration brought back many for homecomings, and built a heightened awareness and appreciation for the community's many attractive features. Both the central business district and the tree-lined residential neighborhood along Oakhurst are officially listed as Historic Districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Bluefield's active Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Mountain Festival each Memorial Day weekend, and new hotels have made Bluefield a leader in regional conferences and reunions. Antique shops, clubs, restaurants and trendy boutiques proliferate in south Bluefield along Jefferson Street. The Mercer County Airport and close access to both Rt. 460 and Interstate I-77 have ended Bluefield's long isolation, although the old route winding over East River Mountain has been reconstructed into a spectacular Overlook with public access. The Bluefield Orioles in cozy and historic Bowen Field still own the longest relationship between a minor-league club and a major-league franchise in baseball history. The biennial Coal Show attracts thousands to the Brushfork Armory, a first-rate facility. A new industrial park along the turnpike promises to accelerate industrial development. Owing largely to its remarkable heritage, Bluefield possesses a nearly unmatched quality of life. On the infrequent days that the summer temperature exceeds ninety degrees, the Chamber serves free lemonade, a fun promotion that merely serves to draw worldwide attention to the mild and breezy weather in Bluefield. Two modern hospitals offer accessible health care options, and a daily newspaper and television station keep Bluefield in touch with the world. Recreational facilities abound. City Park, golf courses, proximity to whitewater rafting, skiing and hiking in Pipestem State Park, or along the nearby Appalachian Trail make Bluefield the perfect center for mountain vacations. Bluefield is a unique and distinctive city, its story wholly American, fascinating and intriguing. With a rich history and a bright future, the community is poised once again to make history.