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Driven by Education The Beckley-Raleigh County area has become a center for higher education with access to a variety of colleges and universities . Community members are thrilled that Beckley has become the new home of WVU Tech , the campus of which is located along the same street as City Hall and adjacent to downtown . New River Community and Technical College also has a relatively new campus off I-64 beside the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center where Concord University and Bluefi eld State College classes are offered . The University of Charleston , Valley College and Appalachian Bible College offer specialized training here as well .
Exploring the Community With three hospitals — Raleigh General Hospital , Beckley Appalachian Regional Healthcare and Beckley VA Medical Center — and several clinics , the community is also a health care hub for the area . In addition to education and health care , tourism is important to the Beckley area . The city has its own coal mine , the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine , which is a tourist attraction that brings in around 50,000 visitors each year and is an important stop on the Coal Heritage Trail . Veteran miner tour guides explain mining history as visitors travel 1,500 feet beneath the hillsides of New River Park on authentic mine cars along a track into the mine . Visitors can explore historic coal camp buildings along with the adjacent Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia , Mountain Homestead and New River Park . With additional local attractions such as Tamarack — The Best of West Virginia artisan center , Theatre West Virginia , Beckley Art Center , Beckley Concert Association , Wildwood House Museum and the Appalachian Festival , Smithsonian magazine honored Beckley as one of the Top 20 Small Towns for Cultural Enrichment .
A Season Pass to Fun Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy four seasons of activities in the region with attractions such as Winterplace Ski Resort , Lake Stephens , Little Beaver State Park , the YMCA sports complex , West Virginia Miners minor league baseball , Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park and Grandview . The city has a three-mile paved rail trail known as the Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail , which runs through the heart of the city for hiking and biking , and numerous hiking trails are being developed in the Piney Creek gorge and Beckley mill area .
The New River Gorge National River and Bechtel Summit Reserve scouting center and high adventure park are just minutes from Beckley . The summit hosted the past two National Boy Scout Jamborees and the Spartan Games in August , and the World Scout Jamboree is coming in 2019 .
Numerous community events and festivals are held here each year , and Beckley ’ s events committee plans annual events such as the Rhododendron Festival , Fridays in the Park concerts , Taste of Beckley , Beckley ’ s Kids Classic Festival , Chili Night and several car and bike shows . The Rocket Boys Festival , Appalachian Coal Town Christmas and the new Beckley Honey Festival are special events hosted at the Exhibition Coal Mine .
A Business-Centric Community Beckley welcomes new businesses . The New River Gorge Development Authority , HIVE business incubator and the Beckley- Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce offer business assistance . In addition to easy highway access , the Raleigh County Memorial Airport has one of the longest runways in the state .
“ We want to make Beckley a cool college town with tasteful events and student safety at the forefront ,” says Beckley Mayor Robert Rappold . “ The City of Beckley invites students , tourists , new businesses and residents to visit our friendly community .”
City of Beckley PO Box 2514 Beckley , WV 25802 ( 304 ) 256-1750 www . beckley . org
New River Gorge Development Authority 116 North Heber Street Beckley , WV 25801 ( 304 ) 254-8115
Visit Southern WV ( 800 ) VISIT WV
Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine / Parks & Recreation ( 304 ) 256-1747
VISIT SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA