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Thanks to its cool mountain climate and great natural beauty, southern West Virginia and the New River Gorge region have been havens for resort communities since the American Revolution. The Greenbrier, at White Sulphur Springs, first established as a resort in 1778, may be its oldest and best-known, but others were soon established. At White Sulphur, Red Sulphur, Salt Sulphur, and Sweet Sulphur, vacation cottages quickly sprang up around mineral springs (then widely believed to embody healing virtues.)

The arrival of railroads in the 1870s and modern highway systems in the mid-1900s only served to further the establishment of area resort communities. The Greenbrier and Glade Springs, near Beckley, continue to welcome guests and permanent residents to enjoy traditional venues, while the development of national park lands and new recreation opportunities, such as skiing and whitewater rafting, have led to the creation of "wilderness" and "adventure" resorts.

Sunlight streams through the Civil War era pavillion at Blue Sulphur Springs, remnant of one of the region's oldest resort communities.