War, West Virginia proudly holds the title of West Virginia's most southern city. It is part of McDowell county and has about 1000 residents. The town was named after War Creek which was named by Native Americans in the area after a battle took place at the creek. The coal mining industry greatly boosted the area's economy, and at one point War was a thriving town. However, in the 1960s, when the demand for bituminous coal started declining, many of the mines closed, and took with it most of War's prosperity. Most of the buildings in town today are still vacant.
