Fayetteville, West Virginia
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
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The count seat of Fayette County, Fayetteville, WV, (map (http://www.wvamaps.com/index.php/?place=Fayetteville&state=wv&lat=38.0528&lon=-81.1042&elev=1821&pop=2754)) was established as Vandalia in 1837 and named for Abraham Vandal, fomer owner of the land upon which the town is located. Chartered as Fayetteville in 1883, the town was named in honor of Fayette County and the French patriot Marquis de LaFayette. Through the late 1800s and early 1900s, Fayetteville prospered as the legal center of the valuable New River Coal Fields, at which time many of its stately homes were completed, including the now-famous White Horse Inn (http://historicwhitehorse). In the 1980s, Fayetteville was opened to interstate traffic permitted by the construction of the New River Gorge Bridge. As a result of the establishment of the adjacent New River Gorge National River, the city became a well-known tourist destination. Fayetteville's National Historic District is among the best preserved in the region, and visitors often stroll its streets in the evenings after dining at several of the town's restaurants. Fayetteville has been criticized for creating economic problems by mismanaging its landscape bordering U.S. 19, declining to participate in a greenspace program established by surrounding Fayette County. As a result, community leaders risked the region's economic well-being. Uncontrolled growth along U.S. 19 in the town has resulted in unslightly sprawl and devestated woodlands. Land Resource Company, of Atlanta, GA, has recently purchased thousands of wooded acres just east of Fayetteville and along the New River Gorge. Roaring River (http://www.newriverwv.com/Real_Estate_Resort_Communities.php), as the proposed residential development has been named, is expected to welcome more than 300 new residences to the region by 2020. Proponents of Roaring River and similar developments have voiced their hope that new residents will help protect the region from unregulated growth and swinging votes away from current political mismanagement.
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Development of Fayetteville, WV
Tobacco farming had became an important early industry in Fayette County by the mid-1870's, at which time the Fayetteville Tobacco Factory was producing 2,568 pounds of tobacco annually.
The rapid industrial and economic development of Fayetteville, WV occurred following the completion of the route of Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) through the region in 1873, which facilitated the development of coal mining operations in the virtually untapped New River Coalfield. Soon afterwards, numerous mines opened within a few miles of Fayetteville, including the mines of the New River Company, and the mines at Kaymoor located along New River.
Variant Name(s)for Fayetteville, WV
Vandalia
