Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, WV

Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, U.S. The largest employers in the Beckley area are Raleigh County Board of Education, Raleigh General Hospital, Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., Mountain State University, and Appalachian Regional Healthcare. Two strong industries in the area are forestry and coal. Beckley and the surrounding area are at the center of heavy forests, making it a perfect climate for forestry related industry. Georgia Pacific opened a mill and strand board plant just north of Beckley because of the forests and great access to interstates. There are large deposits of low-sulfur coal in the area, making the Beckley area a national leader in coal production.