Pineville: A Wild & Wonderful Town
Home. Familiarity. Strength. Resilience.
These concepts are the essence of a small town. Pineville, W.Va., is just one example of the fight that is being made to preserve unique heritage. Pineville’s perseverance through economic downturns, land ownership battles, and competing ATV towns shows how much heart this community truly has.
Small, rural towns have their own perks. Most offer a sense of safety. Most offer a sense of community, a sense of welcoming and inclusion, and a range of outdoor recreation.
Pineville offers all of these things.
Even though I am not from Pineville, I am from a small town in West Virginia very similar to it. I can say, from my own personal experience, that not all townspeople are as welcoming to outsiders as the residents of Pineville. Every single person I’ve met from Pineville has welcomed me — a college-aged storytelling strategist for #BrandPineville only visiting for a project. They have welcomed me with open arms and a warm heart. Honestly, I never expected that.
In addition to their always welcoming demeanor, the pride that Pineville residents have emanates each time they talk about their community. They are prideful in their scenery, their trails, their county seat, their school system, their courthouse, Castle Rock and more. And they should be! What other small towns can say that they have a trailhead (Pinnacle Creek) on the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trail System? What other small towns can say they have a sandstone formation in the middle of their downtown area? What other small towns can say that there is a river that can be used for whitewater rafting? What other towns have a restaurant that serves Mexican food, Italian Food, AND pizza? What other towns can say that there is a welcoming community that will help anyone out as much as they possibly can?
Pineville has so many wonderful landmarks among their rolling hills, but not many people know about it. Pineville can sometimes get lost in the clamor of other West Virginia towns.
Small towns have to be resilient in times of adversity, and Pineville is fighting. They are fighting to stay on the radar in comparison to competing towns nearby. They are fighting land-ownership disputes that make it hard for them to have any economic/business growth. They are fighting to stay on the radar of ATV tourists who are looking for a place to stay.
All of these factors make the town what it is today. Pineville continues to be resilient and positive through the hardships they may face. The community is still warm and welcoming, and the community members are so spirited that you would not know any of this is happening.
Yes, there will always be bigger towns — but, there isn’t another Pineville, W.Va.
My name is Graeson Baker, and I am the brand strategist for #BrandPineville. I grew up in a town with one stoplight and it wasn’t even necessary. Follow me through our journey — @graeson_brooke.
