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When you are ready to kick off your golden years in the mountains of West Virginia, there’s no better place than these idyllic mountain retreats. These close-knit communities offer the best of both worlds—an idyllic mountain setting where you can breathe in that fresh mountain air, while never straying too far from the essentials. You can launch a boat and fish along the Shenandoah River in Charles Town, or travel deep into the heart of the Allegheny Mountains aboard the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad in Elkins. So get ready for these country roads to take you home to West Virginia.

Lewisburg

In Southern West Virginia near the Virginia border, you’ll find the sleepy village of Lewisburg. Surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains in the Greenbrier Valley, it’s a remote town where you can enjoy the majesty of West Virginia wilderness with all the essentials you need. The Greenbrier Valley Medical Center is less than a 10-minute drive from downtown, and Seasons Place is one of the area's top assisted living facilities with everything you need right at hand.

The lovely walkable downtown area has wonderful diners and restaurants, like the Livery Tavern and the French Goat. Chocolate lovers of Lewisburg anxiously await the annual Lewisburg Chocolate Festival, filling the streets with chocolate vendors and all things chocolate. If you want to explore the beauty of Lewisburg, the Greenbrier State Forest is located a short drive east and has accessible trails that wind through the Allegheny Mountains.

Summersville

In the heart of West Virginia, deep in the Appalachian Mountains, is the town of Summersville. This community has everything seniors need right at hand. The Summersville Regional Medical Center is centrally located downtown, offering quality care without the long drive. It also has a variety of assisted living facilities and recreational spaces for retirees, like the Nicholas County Senior Center. The Summersville Healthcare Center is also a great place for seniors with modern rooms, top-notch care, and recreational facilities.

Located south of downtown is Summersville Lake, a popular spot for outdoors enthusiasts. It’s the perfect spot to launch a fishing boat out onto the water, relax by the shoreline, go for a hike, or swim in the warmer months. The forests surrounding Summersville Lake provide miles of untouched wilderness, and it’s rarely crowded. Another popular spot in Summersville is Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, which is a great spot for history buffs. Not only is the scenery stunning, but they also hold annual Civil War reenactments!

Princeton

On the southern tip of West Virginia, near the Virginia border, you will find the charming town of Princeton. From the untapped wilderness to a bustling downtown area, you’ll want to add Princeton to your list of possible retirement destinations. While it may be secluded in the southern tip of the state, everything you’ll need in your golden years is right at hand. From top care at the WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital to engaging retirement communities like Princeton Health Care Center, you don’t have to travel far for great care in Princeton.

The walkable downtown area of Princeton has plenty of quaint shops and museums to explore. The Princeton Railroad Museum is a popular spot, offering events like free trolley rides to other museums (like the Agricultural Museum and the McNutt House) as well as seasonal live music. And if you want to explore the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, the Bluestone State Park and Camp Creek State Park are a short drive away!

Elkins

In the heart of the Allegheny Mountains is the underrated town of Elkins. You’ll find everything you need in your golden years within the city limits of Elkins, like the Davis Medical Center, and the highly rated Mountain Memories Assisted Living and Retirement Center. It’s also home to the Mountain State Forest Festival, which is one of the oldest and largest festivals in West Virginia. Every fall, when the trees of the mountains light up in fiery shades of yellow and orange, the city comes alive during the festival with live music, carnival rides, and food vendors (who sell West Virginia’s specialty: the pepperoni roll!)

One of the best parts about living in Elkins is you can view the beauty of the mountains via the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The historic steam-driven locomotives take you through remote areas of the West Virginia wilderness where trails and cars cannot reach. Elkins also has stunning nature trails, like the Allegheny Highlands Trail, which is a paved trail that is mostly level. And for even more West Virginia adventures, the nearby Monongahela National Forest has almost a million acres of untouched wildness and hiking trails to explore, about thirty miles from Elkins.

Charles Town

In Charles Town, you can be in the center of it all while still enjoying that fresh West Virginian mountain air. Located just over an hour’s drive from Washington DC, Charles Town is surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s home to the iconic WV Fest that takes place downtown and turns the city into a giant party every June with food vendors, live music, and parades.

Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Shenandoah River, you can access the water via Moulton Park for a day of fishing or relaxing along the water. Plus, the Appalachian Trail runs right through Charles Town, allowing hikers to hike this beautiful stretch of trail that traces the mountains and rivers. .

Point Pleasant

On the other side of West Virginia, near the Ohio border, is the small, close-knit community of Point Pleasant. It may feel like a remote city in the heart of the great West Virginia wilderness, but it has everything retirees need, like Rivers Health Hospital and the Pleasant Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The small town center is quaint and inviting, with cozy shops like Brown's Corner, a local bookstore nestled right on the Ohio River. You can also spend the day walking the paved trails overlooking the Ohio River at Point Pleasant Riverfront Park.

What makes Point Pleasant unique, however, is that it is a bit quirky. Point Pleasant is home to the annual Mothman Festival, which celebrates the legend of the Mothman. Locals claim to have seen sightings of the mysterious creature in the 1960s, and the festival started in 2002. Whether or not you believe these rumors to be true, the festival is a fun time with local vendors, food, live music, and family-friendly fun! And for more local events, Fort Randolph is a historical site notable for its Revolutionary War history. Visitors can tour the site, or stay for one of their many reenactments held throughout the year.

Bluefield

Bluefield is a close-knit community on the Southern tip of West Virginia on the Virginia border. Fun fact: many of the local shops in Bluefield offer free lemonade if the temperatures ever rise above 90 degrees. However, due to its high altitude in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s often referred to as “Nature’s Air-Conditioned City”, so you may not get to cash in your free lemonade too often! While the town of just 10,000 residents is small, you still have access to quality care at the Bluefield Regional Medical Center, or larger hospitals in the neighboring town of Beckley to the north. It also has amazing modern assisted living facilities, like Bluestone Health and Rehabilitation.

What’s great about Bluefield is there is always something exciting happening in the lovely downtown district. The Historic Granada Theater is where you can catch a screening of new movies, but this stunning theater (built in the late 1920s) also hosts live performances and special seasonal events. The Bluefield Fitness and Recreation Center is a great place to exercise or swim when it’s too cold to hike the trails at Lotito City Park.

Moundsville

On the scenic banks of the Ohio River near the Ohio border in Northern West Virginia is the hidden gem of Moundsville. If you want a small-town vibe in the heart of the mountains, this community has everything you want in your retirement years. There are no hospitals in the downtown area, but the Reynolds Memorial Hospital is less than a 10-minute drive away for top-quality care. And if you’re looking for a retirement community, Wesley Park offers modern homes in a picturesque setting.

One of the biggest draws to Moundsville is its wild West Virginia setting. Grand Vue Park is the perfect spot for locals to enjoy the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio River. There are over 15 miles of accessible trails, but for the best view of the area head to the Almost Heaven Swing which offers a view that feels like you are on top of the world! But there’s more to Moundsville than just the view. The downtown area hosts quaint local shops like the Grand Vue General Store and thrift shops like Teagarden’s Treasures.

The Perfect Retirement in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia

If you are considering making West Virginia your forever home as you turn the page into retirement, keep these small towns in mind. Life is just easier in West Virginia. The mountain air is crisp and fresh, the winters are chilly (but never brutal), and the locals capture the essence of Southern hospitality. From the riverside retreat of Point Pleasant to the steep mountaintops in Bluefield, West Virginia proves itself as a place where you can truly find peace. There’s always a friendly community event to attend (like the Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins) or a cozy coffee shop where you can grab a cup to take back and sip on your front porch.

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