Bluefield is truly Virginia's tallest town. The town's elevation is officially 2,389 feet, with East River Mountain reaching 3,700 feet at the town's southern limit. In its long, illustrious history, the community has had four distinctive names. The small, agricultural community began as Pin Hook. Then the town became Harman in honor of a local Civil War hero, E. H. Harman. With the arrival of the railroad, the town was first incorporated under the name of Graham in 1884 in honor of the Philadelphia engineer and promoter Col. Thomas Graham. Finally, the town was redubbed Bluefield in 1924 to coincide with its neighbor across the state line. The name Bluefield comes from the fields of blue chicory that are common to this region of the two Virginias.

The remarkable story of Bluefield represents a unique combination of geology, geography, and opportunity. Once just the confluence of a handful of family farms in southern West Virginia, Bluefield was put on the map, literally, in the 1880s, when the Norfolk & Western Railway came to town. The company's influence on the rural landscape was overwhelming, and soon, Bluefield was transformed into the center of a coal-fired universe and became a major thoroughfare for the then-thriving mining industry. Though the company--not the coal--was king in Bluefield, enterprising men and women could, and did, share in its success. The city evolved into a successful supply center for the enormous network of towns that sprung up almost overnight throughout the region's coalfields. For the next 60 years, Bluefield experienced dramatic growth, enticing a diverse group of newcomers who helped to build the strong cultural heritage that continues to play a prominent role in the community to the present day.