City in West Virginia, US

Beckley

$143kMedian Home
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View on MapPopulation17kElevation2,421 ft
Quick Read

Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Beckley metropolitan area of Southern West Virginia, home to 115,079 residents in 2020. Beckley was founded on April 4, 1838, and was long known for its ties to the coal mining industry. It is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, as well as an annex of Concord University and the University of Charleston.

Smokeless Coal Capital
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Where It Is

Location Context
Beckley, West Virginia
Latitude37.78°
Longitude-81.19°
Population17k
Altitude2,421 ft

State Context

West VirginiaU.S. state

West Virginia is a mountainous, landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,769,979 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.Wikipedia

Income tax: 2.36% - 5.12%Avg sales tax: 6.57%Property tax: 0.53%Official school data available

About the Region

Southeast

The Southeast has become the most active real estate market in the United States. Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, and Nashville's broader metro have all absorbed sustained in-migration driven by warmer weather, relatively lower housing costs than comparable Sun Belt metros, and — in Florida and Tennessee — no state income tax. The Research Triangle between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill has emerged as a genuine rival to established tech corridors, anchored by Duke, UNC, and NC State.

The region's rapid growth has created real affordability pressure in cities that were bargains a decade ago. Asheville, Savannah, and coastal Florida markets have seen sharp appreciation, narrowing the cost advantage that drew transplants in the first place. Coastal areas across the Southeast also carry increasing flood and hurricane insurance costs as storm frequency and severity trends upward. Long, hot, and humid summers are a material lifestyle consideration — June through September in much of the region is genuinely intense.

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Nature Access

Nature & Park Feeds

Closest protected landscapes, reserves, and big park systems surfaced from the same nearby feeds used in compare.

Distances in miles
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National Parks

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Local Nature & Reserves

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Sources: National Park Service and OpenStreetMap
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City Profile

Median Age41 yrs
College Educated23%bachelor's or higher
Work From Home2%of workforce
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Cost of Living

Housing
$1k/mo
Median rent
$143k
Median home price
Rent burden31% of income
Household Income
$41k
Median annual
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Livability

Walk Score
50
Internet
Fiber
73%
Cable
79%
address availability
08

Current Conditions

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