97 Tomlin Road , Fayetteville, WV 25840(Fayette County)

Fayetteville and the northern New River Gorge region are located in south-central West Virginia in an area traversed by the north-south US-19 expressway, part of an interstate corridor that opened with the completion of the world-renowned New River Gorge Bridge. When completed in 1977, the bridge and corridor opened the region to a revolutionary influx in tourism. The next year, not by coincidence, the National Park Service established the New River Gorge National River, the predecessor of the new national park. An estimated 1.4 million people visited the national river in 2019, though over the last year an estimated 2.24 million may have visited.

As a result of increasing notoriety, tourism is thriving in the regionbolstered in part by a flurry of television and magazine articles. Recent coverage in Vogue, Time, and USA Today have accelerated interest globally. Time named the park one of the "World's 100 Greatest Places" while Fayetteville has won outstanding national acclaim. Outside magazine in November ranked Fayetteville among the up-and-coming "Most Liveable Towns in the U.S." In December, Cond Nast Traveler ranked the whole of West Virginia among "The 22 Best Places to Go in 2022."

HEALTHCARE

Hospitals with emergency units are located nearby at Oak Hill and Beckley, 10 and 30 minutes from Fayetteville respectively. State medical centers with multiple hospitals at Charleston and Morgantown are an hour's drive west and two-and-a-half-hour drive north. A Veterans Administration Medical Center is also located at Beckley, a drive of half an hour south. Several medical and emergency care clinics serve communities across the New River Gorge region, while the area's moderate climate and access to trails, gymnasiums, and athletic centers support healthy living.

TRANSPORTATION

Interstate expressways 77, 64, and 79 join US-19 nearby, providing easy access to Richmond, Charlotte, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Washington, D.C. Yeager Airport, at Charleston, is the largest and busiest flight-service center in the region. The Amtrak passengers station at Prince and Montgomery are 20-minute drives from the property and provide direct access to Charleston, Washington, Chicago, and New York City.

Approximate hourly drive times to regional U.S. cities include Charleston, W.Va., 1; Morgantown, W.Va., 2.5; Columbus, Ohio, 3.5; Pittsburgh, Pa., 3.5; Cincinnati, Ohio, 4.5; Charlottesville, Va., 3.5; Richmond, Va., 4.5; Winston-Salem, N.C., 3.5; Charlotte, N.C., 4; and Washington, D.C., 5.

PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The immediate area is well-served by public and private schools. Public-school students living in Fayetteville may attend elementary and middle schools in Fayetteville and high school in Oak Hill, where the Fayette County Institute of Technology is also located.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Fayetteville is a half-hour's drive north of Beckley, the higher-education center of southern West Virginia and the site of the southern campus of West Virginia University, which reported 1,622 students in 2018. The university's Institute of Technology and New River Community & Technical College both maintain campuses at Beckley, and courses offered by Concord University and Bluefield State College are accommodated at the Irma Byrd Center near Beckley at Beaver. Appalachian Bible College is also located near Beckley at Bradley. New River Community & Technical College also maintains a campus at Summersville, a drive of approximately 40 miles. Bridgeview Community College is a half-hour drive from Fayetteville at Montgomery. An hour's drive farther west, the University of Charleston reported a student population of 2,949 in 2014. Marshall University, at Huntington, a drive of about an hour-and-a-half, is the region's largest university and reported a student population of 12,862 in 2014. West Virginia University, the state's largest school, is a drive of two-and-a-half hours north of Fayetteville. Its student population is 28,776.

RECREATION

Life in the New River Gorge region affords access to a seemingly limitless variety of recreational pursuits. Hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, paddling, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting are favorite local pastimes. Notably, the area is one of the top destinations for rock climbing in the U.S., ranking alongside the likes of Yosemite and Joshua Tree. Many new residents have been drawn by the opportunity to climb on the dozens of miles of cliffs that line the rims of the gorge and adjacent mountain valleys. The region is also a chief destination for whitewater rafting, and a culture of paddlers who regular kayak area streams has grown.

Hiking and biking are also chief recreational pursuits that attract residents and vacationers to the region. Hundreds of miles of hiking trail explore the area, including the spectacular Endless Wall Trail, which was named by USA Today the "Best National Park Hike in the USA." Skiing and snow-tubing are popular winter pursuits. Winterplace ski area is a drive of only 40 minutes from Fayetteville, and ski areas at Wisp, Snowshoe, Timberline, Canaan Valley, and Massanutten are only two-to-three hours farther.

DINING & RETAIL

The Fayetteville area is notably home to more than a dozen independent shops and restaurants that appeal to visitors to the national park as well as residents of the region at large. Two such restaurants have spun off restaurants in cities across the eastern U.S. Chain stores and restaurants are located along US-19 in Fayetteville and Oak Hill and to the south at Beckley. A drive of less than an hour west, the Charleston metropolitan area boasts one of the state's highest concentrations of restaurants and retail centers