West Virginia's Most Diverse City

West Virginia's Most Diverse City. Bluefield, West Virginia , National Coal Heritage Area. , The coalfields needed a steady supply of laborers, and the workers came from all parts of the world. In addition to native-born West virginians, African Americans poured into Bluefield from Virginia and the Deep South, and immigrants arrived from Eastern Europe. Collectively, they changed the culture of Bluefield and southern West Virginia., The Sons and Descendants of Former Slaves , When the Civil War began, few African Americans lived in this part of the state. Less than 400 resided in Mercer County, and 90 percent were slaves. By 1920, more than 2,700 African Americans lived in Bluefield, totaling 15 percent of the city's population., African Americans first arrived in large numbers to help build the Norfolk and Western (N&W) Railway in the 1880s. After the lines were completed, some stayed on to mine coal. During the early part of the 20th century, African Americans generally comprised about one-fourth of southern West Virginia's mining workforce., Even as employment declined in the late 1900s, many African American families decided to remain in the city they had helped build. In the 2000 census, African Americans comprised more than 22 percent of the community's total population, making Bluefield the most racially diverse city in West Virginia., A Melting Pot , In 1900, West Virginia had the highest native-born population in the nation; by 1917, it had one of the highest rates of foreign-born citizens, thanks to the massive influx of immigrants to work in the coal mines and related businesses. Although Bluefield's immigrant population was relatively small, thousands of foreign-born families lived in the surrounding coalfields and had an impact on the city's culture., Italians comprised the largest immigrant group in southern West Virginia. While most worked in mines, many were also skilled stonemasons. Many of Bluefield's spectacular stone walls were laid by hand by Italian immigrants. Italian immigrants are shown at left, building the stone wall beside the N&W tracks about 1900., Bluefield State College , Southern West Virginia's quickly grown African American population prompted the West Virginia Legislature to establish the Bluefield Colored Institute in 1895. It was one of two schools established, along with West Virginia Colored Institute (now West Virginia State Unviersity) in Kanawha County, to train African American educators to teach in the state's segregated black schools. Bluefield was a natural choice since it was located within 100 miles of 70 percent of the state's African American pouplation., The school eventually offered a liberal arts education and successful athletic programs. After several interim name changes, the school became known as Bluefield State College in 1943 and was integrated after 1954. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bluefield State students and faculty played a significant role in the local civil rights movement. Bluefield State continues to be a vital institution of higher learning for residents of southern West Virginia., Jewish Merchants , As a result of the early 1900s immigration wave, Bluefield developed the most thriving Jewish community in southern West Virginia. Most of these immigrants were from Eastern European countries like Russia, Ukraine, or Austria-Hungary. Many became traveling salesmen or opened stores in Bluefield that catered to the coalfield residents.