Beards ForkWV
A town of 46, settled in 1920.
Is Beards Fork a good place to live?
Beards Fork’s density of trails is 1.4 miles per square mile, above both West Virginia’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Beards Fork has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
46 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Beards Fork. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
13 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
33 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
11 mi MuseumThurmond
12 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a year28 mi MuseumWest Virginia State MuseumPhoto credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Moving to Beards Fork: who provides what
Beards Fork is unincorporated, so Fayette County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Beards Fork.
The FEMA risk score in Beards Fork is higher than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
Of the losses FEMA expects in Beards Fork, 94% come from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2012. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 98% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in Beards Fork brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
The typical July afternoon high for Beards Fork comes to 83°F, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 86°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, more of Beards Fork’s adults have diabetes
For adults in Beards Fork, the share who had a checkup this year is 87%. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have obesity than Beards Fork. Against the West Virginia average, Beards Fork comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 20.
| Beards Fork | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Beards Fork | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 8% | 14.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 88.2% | 79.5% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 7.9% | 4.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Beards Fork
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Beards Fork
About 0 of every 100 Beards Fork residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Questions about Beards Fork
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Beards Fork, WV a good place to live?
Beards Fork has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.