Williamson (West Virginia)
Williamson is a city in West Virginia, and the county seat of Mingo County The population at the 2010 census was 3,191. If you like to hear the loud banging of rail cars you'll likely be in for a treat here with the large rail yard that serves the coal mining industry. The city has been fleecing inhabitants ever since its heyday in the 1940s, as times change.
Williamson is situated on the Tug Fork River which serves as the border with Kentucky. Some of Williamson's neighborhoods and services are thus located in South Williamson, Kentucky.
The Williamson area is a regional center for the coal industry, big-box shopping, and tourism. Williamson and Logan are the two largest towns along US-119 between Charleston and Pikeville.
Get in
Williamson is at the junction of US-52 and US-119. The two highways continue as a single highway north before US-119 splits to go northeast towards Logan and eventually Charleston, while US-52 continues north to Huntington. US-119 continues southwest through Kentucky to Pikeville, half an hour away. US-52 continues 1.5 hours southeast to Welch.
Get around
See
- The Coal House, corner of 2nd Ave and Court St, is a structure solely built of bricks made of bituminous coal from the Winifrede Seam nearby, very ostentatious. The Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce occupies it.
- The historic small town of Matewan is just over 20 minutes southeast along the Tug Fork River
- The small town of Delbarton is less than 15 minutes east on US-52
Do
The steep topography of the Williamson area lends itself to several excellent hiking trails to rock formations less than 5 miles from the city center; including the famous overlook at Death Rock (and the adjacent Shoe Rock/North Wall Rock/Eagle Rock), Picnic Rock, Castle Rock, and the natural bridge at Bottle Rock.
The Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trail System offers the Buffalo Mountain section in the Williamson area.
Sleep
- The Mountaineer Hotel, 31 E 2nd Ave, ☏ +1 304-235-2222. A distinctive hotel building. Plan to spend a few hours finding all the historical spots while you enjoy some of the most scenic areas in West Virginia.
Go next
- Pikeville, Ky is 30 minutes southwest on US-119
- Logan is just over 30 minutes north on US-119
- Gilbert is just over 45 minutes east on US-52
- Welch is 1.5 hours east on US-52
- Charleston is 1 hour 20 minutes north on US-119
- Huntington is 1.5 hours north on US-52
| Routes through Williamson |
| Cincinnati ← Huntington ← | N S | → Welch → Bluefield |