Overview
Williamson is a city in West Virginia, and the county seat of Mingo County The population at the 2010 census was 3,191. If you like to hear the loud banging of rail cars you'll likely be in for a treat here with the large rail yard that serves the coal mining industry. The city has been fleecing inhabitants ever since its heyday in the 1940s, as times change.
Williamson is situated on the Tug Fork River which serves as the border with Kentucky. Some of Williamson's neighborhoods and services are thus located in South Williamson, Kentucky.
The Williamson area is a regional center for the coal industry, big-box shopping, and tourism. Williamson and Logan are the two largest towns along US-119 between Charleston and Pikeville.
10 places to eat · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 86°F; winter lows dip to about 21°F. Wettest: May and Jul. (climate data from nearby Natural Bridge State Park)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- HTS Tri-State Airport / Milton J. Ferguson Field, Huntington — 50 mi away. Directions
- CRW Yeager Airport, Charleston — 61 mi away. Directions
- TYS McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville/Maryville — 160 mi away (major hub). Directions
Williamson is at the junction of US-52 and US-119. The two highways continue as a single highway north before US-119 splits to go northeast towards Logan and eventually Charleston, while US-52 continues north to Huntington. US-119 continues southwest through Kentucky to Pikeville, half an hour away. US-52 continues 1.5 hours southeast to Welch.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
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Food for you
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Photos
Get in
Williamson is at the junction of US-52 and US-119. The two highways continue as a single highway north before US-119 splits to go northeast towards Logan and eventually Charleston, while US-52 continues north to Huntington. US-119 continues southwest through Kentucky to Pikeville, half an hour away. US-52 continues 1.5 hours southeast to Welch.
A private automobile is a necessity to access the Williamson area, there is no commercial transit available to access the area.
Get around
While the center of the town of Williamson is walkable, an automobile is necessary to access the area and travel throughout.
See
- The Coal House, corner of 2nd Ave and Court St, is a structure solely built of bricks made of bituminous coal from the Winifrede Seam nearby, very ostentatious. The Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce occupies it.
- The historic small town of Matewan is just over 20 minutes southeast along the Tug Fork River
- The small town of Delbarton is less than 15 minutes east on US-52
Do
The steep topography of the Williamson area lends itself to several excellent hiking trails to rock formations less than 5 miles from the city center; including the famous overlook at Death Rock (and the adjacent Shoe Rock/North Wall Rock/Eagle Rock), Picnic Rock, Castle Rock, and the natural bridge at Bottle Rock.
The Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trail System offers the Buffalo Mountain section in the Williamson area.
Eat
Around Williamson
Around Matewan
Around Delbarton
Sleep
Go next
- Pikeville, Ky is 30 minutes southwest on US-119
- Logan is just over 30 minutes north on US-119
- Gilbert is just over 45 minutes east on US-52
- Welch is 1.5 hours east on US-52
- Charleston is 1 hour 20 minutes north on US-119
- Huntington is 1.5 hours north on US-52
Nearby
Pikeville
City / town · 5 listings · 19 mi away
Logan
City / town · 11 listings · 20 mi away
Gilbert
City / town · 12 listings · 23 mi away
Prestonsburg
City / town · 8 listings · 26 mi away
Grundy
City / town · 3 listings · 29 mi away
Paintsville
City / town · 7 listings · 30 mi away
Pineville
City / town · 5 listings · 41 mi away
Welch
City / town · 9 listings · 42 mi away
My experience
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