Presented by the Development Authority of Mercer County
LOCATION
Mercer County lies in the ridge and valley region of the extreme southern section of West Virginia, approximately 100 miles from the State Capitol, City of Charleston. Two major cities in the county are Bluefield and Princeton, the County Seat. Mercer County is within a 500-mile radius of 50% of the U.S. population. Southern West Virginia has four distinct seasons. A legacy of warm summer days and cool nights inspired Bluefield’s nickname, “The Air-Conditioned City.” Cool autumn days with a rainbow of fall colors make way for a cold, dry winter and spectacular rebirth of spring flowers.
POPULATION (2015 Est.)
County………………….61,785
Princeton……………… 6,359
Bluefield……………….10,473
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Mercer County...... $34,160.00
Major Employers
1000-1250 | 200-900 | 100-199 | 25-99 |
Mercer County Board of Education Princeton Community Hospital |
Bluefield Regional Medical Center Bluefield State College Concord University Grants Echostar Kroger (Princeton & Bluewell) Lusk Disposal/Empire Salvage Mercer County Courthouse Norfolk Southern Corporation Res-care Southern Highlands Walmart |
Allegany Wood Products BB&T Carter Machinery Conn-Weld Industries First Century Bank First Community Bank King Tire Services, Inc. Lowes Timken-Smith Services, Inc. |
Acme Wood Preserving BSC/Downard Hydraulics, LLC Bluefield Daily Telegraph Cole Chevrolet Cadillac GMC Frontier Communications IPM Technologies Bluefield Gear Lamb Machine Mercer Nursing & Rehabilitation Ramey Motors Recycle West Virginia Rish Equipment Shrewsbury Machine & Casting T&N Electric Tabor Machine Worldwide Equipment, Inc.
|
CLIMATE
Temperature:
Annual Average – 52℉
Monthly Average – January: 30℉ – July: 70℉
Rainfall (inches) 38.4
Snowfall (inches) 35-45
LODGING I RETAIL OUTLETS
Motels: 16
Total Rooms: 1023
Shopping Centers: 6
Department Stores: 9
AREA RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
Protestant: ……………….140
Catholic: …………………..3
Synagogue: ……………….1
EDUCATION
|
# of Schools |
Grades |
# Enrolled |
Primary |
27 |
K-12 |
9,271 |
Private & Parochial |
2 |
K-12 |
256 |
Technical Education |
1 |
10-Adult |
920 |
Colleges |
5 |
Bluefield State College, Bluefield College, American Nat. Univ., New River Comm. & Tech. College, Valley College |
|
University |
1 |
Concord University |
|
Public Libraries |
4 |
Total Volumes: 301, 536 |
|
Total Number of Teachers |
866 |
|
|
HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL
Hospitals | 3 |
Clinics | 8 |
Doctors | 259 |
Dentists | 30 |
Number of Beds | 462 |
Recreation Facilities
Amateur Theaters | 2 |
Auto Race Tracks | 1 |
Ball Fields | 4 |
Bowling Centers | 2 |
Skating Rink | 1 |
Drive - In | 1 |
Fitness Centers | 3 |
Golf Courses | 4 |
Indoor Movies | 8 |
Pools | 4 |
Tennis Courts |
20 |
Other Recreational Facilities
- Bluefield Elks Lodge
- Bluefield Auditorium
- Brushfork Armory
- Coal City Auditorium
- Princeton Elks Lodge
Labor Analysis
Radius of Labor Drawing Area: 50 Miles
Estimated Available: 250,000 Total
Annual Number of High School Graduates: 850
Work Stoppages in the Last 5 Years: 0
Manufacturing Workers in Union: 5%
Right to Work Law: Yes
Wage and/or Labor Survey Available: Yes
Taxes
Property situated in the state is broken down into four classifications: Class I is all intangible personal property, such as notes, accounts receivable, etc.; Class II is owner-occupied residences; Class III is all other tangible property outside of municipalities; and Class IV is all other property within municipalities. Industry is taxed under Class I, plus Class III or IV, depending upon the municipality or district in which the plant is located. The published property tax rates in the respective classifications are as follows (per $100.00 appraised value):
2015 Levy Rates
Class I |
Class III |
Class IV |
|
Districts |
1.1380 | 2.2760 | 2.7760 |
Athens | 1.3830 | 2.7660 | |
Bluefield | 1.3880 | 2.7760 | |
Bramwell | 1.3858 | 2.7716 | |
Matoaka | 1.3880 | 2.7760 | |
Oakvale | 1.3880 | 2.7760 | |
Princeton | 1.3880 |
2.7760 |
State Taxes
Corporate Net Income......6.5%
Consumer Sales/Use........6%
Individual Income
Maximum Rate...................6.5%
Minimum Rate....................30/0
Communications
Newspapers
Bluefield Daily Telegraph | Daily and Sunday |
USA Today | Daily |
Princeton Times | Weekly |
State Journal | Montly |
Radio
WAEY | FM-96 AM-1490 |
WAMN | AM-1040 |
WGAG | FM-93.1 |
WHIS | AM-104 |
WHAJ | FM-104 |
WKOY | AM-1240 |
WKMY | FM-101 |
Television
- WVVA-TV
- Comcast
- Sudden Link
- WWD
Telephone
Frontier Communications
Transporation
Mercer County, West Virginia lies at the hub of several major transportation routes serving the eastern United States. Not only does this network facilitate excellent intra-regional transportation links, but it also offers outstanding intraregional networking potential. I-77 provides an ideal link with major northern population centers like Cleveland and via I-79, Pittsburgh. I-77 offers excellent access to major centers in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as many major population centers in the southern United States. 1-64 east of Beckley, West Virginia provides access to the Midwest and with U.S. Route 460 in Virginia, the area has excellent service to the East Coast. 1-64, I-77 and U.S. Route 460 provide convenient hookups with 1-81, which extends from Tennessee to New England.
Motor Trucking
- Consolidated Motor Express
- Heavy Hauling
- Overnight
- Yellow
Air Service
Mercer County is served by the Mercer County Airport.
Runway Length: 4,743 Feet
Surface: Asphalt
Automobile Rental
Cole Cadillac Chevrolet GMC
RTE 460 E, Bluefield
304-324-2206
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
463 Old Bluefield Road, Princeton
800-325-8007
Hertz Rent-A-Car
Mercer County Airport
800-654-3131
Bus Service
- Bluefield Area Transit System
- Greyhound
Parcel Service
- Airborne Express
- DHL Worldwide Express
- FedEx
- United Parcel Service
- Wells Fargo
Railroad Service
Norfolk Southern Railway Company
Taxi Service
Taxi One
Limousine Service
Greenbrier Valley Limousines
Government
Mercer County government is responsible for numerous and varied functions.
These functions are administered by local elected officials. The government of Mercer County plays a very large role in delivering public services to the citizens in their county, ie: police protection, health services, recreation, fire protection, flood protection, ambulances, senior citizen programs and transportation.
The County Commission consists of three commissioners, each elected for six-year terms.
The Sheriff is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.
The Assessor is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.
There are six municipalities in Mercer County:
- Athens
- Matoaka
- Bluefield
- Oakvale
- Bramwell
- Princeton - The County Seat