BLUEFIELD

city, Mercer county, extreme southern tip of West Virginia, U.S., lying in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is adjacent to the town of Bluefield in Tazewell county, Virginia. Situated at the foot of East River Mountain, it is one of the highest cities (elevation 2,612 feet [796 metres]) in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Bluefield is known as Nature's Air-Conditioned City due to its unusually cool summer climate. First settled in 1777, Bluefield took its name from the bluish chicory plants in the region. The nearby Pocahontas coalfield brought an influx of miners to the area beginning in 1883, and in 1888 the Norfolk and Western Railway established yards in the town. The railroad and coal are still the economic mainstays, although food production, the manufacture of wood products, and tourism also are important. The Science Center of West Virginia (1994) is located in Bluefield. Bluefield State College (1895), a historically African American college, also has branches in Beckley and Welch. Bluefield College (1922), a private Christian liberal arts school, is in Bluefield, Virginia. Inc. city, 1889. Pop. (1990) 12,756; (1998 est.) 12,047.