Buckhannon just seems like one of those All-American towns. One of the rare West Virginia towns built on a fairly large swath of flat land in Central WV, Buckhannon is home to the famous Strawberry Festival and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Like most small towns, the downtown started to empty and deteriorate years ago. But recently, due to a combination of planned initiatives and organic growth spilling over from the overall growth of North Central WV, Buckhannon is showing exciting signs of becoming one of our notable Creative Communities.
During a tour of the town courtesy of Stephen Davis, Executive Director of the Upshur County Development Authority, it was evident that there was significant momentum building. A cool coffee shop with Wi-Fi here (The Daily Grind), an art glass gallery there…a downtown bookstore, a handful of quaint antique galleries, and a commitment to aesthetic quality for downtown development (the Development Authority asked CVS Drugstore to spruce up the plans for their forthcoming downtown store to match the brick facade consistency of the rest of downtown; CVS gladly agreed).
A number of fresh new restaurants are popping up, many of them started by former residents who moved back or WV Wesleyan students who stuck around. Allburghers is a great “third place” to hang out and meet people, and you can pick up some fresh bread at The Sweet Life Bakery on N. Kanawha Street.
As a college town, Buckhannon has a real advantage. WV Wesleyan’s president, Pamela Balch, has been focused on improving “town-gown” relationships and being a partner in the community. A new cultural center built by WV Wesleyan is near completion, and it was strategically located on the edge of campus to make it more accessible to the community. It will add greatly to the cultural offerings of the county. A new internship program will help place WV Wesleyan students (many of which are from out-of-state) with local businesses to build relationships that will lead to more of the students sticking around after school.
There are many challenges to overcome of course. There is a real need for new housing. Diversity is lacking, although the issue is on the radar and the presence of WV Wesleyan can help in that area. Like most communities, there is a need for tighter partnering and planning between the city and county. Buckhannon is ramping up their Vision 2015 planning process, and we wish them good luck in this process. We have a lot of confidence that you’ll be hearing more about Buckhannon as one of WV’s next great Creative Communities!
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