Birch River, WV

Birch River is a Nicholas County CDP at the western end of West Virginia Route 82, where the highway meets U.S. 19 and the Birch River valley. The 2020 Census counted 86 residents and 48 housing units. West Virginia protects the Birch River from the Cora Brown Bridge to its confluence with the Elk River under the Natural Streams Preservation Act. The lower river is known for fast water, rocks, and whitewater boating, while earlier timber operations floated logs downstream and built sawmills along the watershed. The community's roads and bridges follow a river that has carried both people and timber. Birch River is a small highway settlement with a protected waterway at its center.