Northfork, WV

united states

Northfork is a tiny Appalachian community of 169 people in McDowell County's coal country. Reach it via US Route 52 from Welch (15 miles north) or Bluefield (45 minutes south). Long-distance travelers connect through Interstate 77 at Princeton. The old company store building still stands downtown, a weathered reminder of the town's coal mining past.