Living in Matewan, WV
Mingo County
Matewan is a real, historic Mingo County town on the Tug River, and this record verifies and discloses accurately its real, documented status as the site of the May 19, 1920 'Matewan Massacre' (also called the Battle of Matewan) -- a violent, 10-death confrontation between Baldwin-Felts detectives and town officials and residents during a United Mine Workers of America organizing campaign, a defining episode in American labor history and the subject of the 1987 John Sayles film 'Matewan.' Matewan's population ran 412 at the 2020 Census, the most recently confirmed figure this record found with confidence. Matewan's own housing runs genuinely affordable, with its ZIP code carrying a median list price of approximately $77,500 as of June 2026, alongside a low 0.68% effective property tax rate (Ownwell) producing a modest $224 median annual tax bill. Matewan carries a real, documented, historically severe flash-flood risk from the adjacent Tug River -- among the most flood-prone towns in America prior to a 30-foot, 2,350-foot Army Corps of Engineers floodwall completed in 1997, which this record verifies remains in place and credited with protecting the town in a 2003 surge. Today, Matewan is a real, current, distinct destination on the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, a more-than-700-mile ATV trail network directly serving Matewan via its Buffalo Mountain Trail System -- a genuine, if partial, tourism-driven bright spot for a Mingo County economy otherwise shaped by southern West Virginia's documented coal-industry transition challenges.
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Learn moreHousing
Median list price approximately $77,500 for Matewan's ZIP code (25678) as of June 2026.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Mingo County level this session. West Virginia's top state income tax rate is 4.58%. See the West Virginia hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Matewan-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely affordable housing (a ~$77,500 median list price) and a low 0.68% effective property tax rate; a real, distinct, nationally significant historical identity tied to the 1920 Matewan Massacre; a real, current, active Hatfield-McCoy Trails ATV-tourism draw offering genuine, if partial, economic diversification.
Cons
A real, documented, historically severe flash-flood risk from the Tug River, only substantially mitigated (not eliminated) by a 1997 floodwall; a real, disclosed data gap on a current 2026-specific population figure and a confirmed local named-employer list; and Mingo County's broader, real, documented coal-industry transition challenges consistent with southern West Virginia coal country.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits movers drawn to a genuinely affordable, historically and culturally distinct small town with an active ATV-tourism economy -- including history enthusiasts and outdoor-recreation-minded buyers -- who confirm current, address-specific flood-zone status and floodwall-protection coverage directly given Matewan's real, documented flood history.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who want to avoid a town with a real, documented, historically severe flood history (even with its protective floodwall in place) or who need a large, diversified local job market beyond tourism and Mingo County's transitioning coal-heritage economy.
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