Oakvale, WV

Oakvale is a town in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States, along the East River. The 2020 census counted 137 residents. Oakvale was originally known as "Frenchville" after an early settler, Captain Napoleon French. Oakvale was renamed Oakvale after the dense stands of oak trees that grew in the valley. That mix gives Oakvale a clear local shape within West Virginia, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. The town is situated in a narrow valley along the East River, a few miles west of the state line between Virginia and West Virginia. West Virginia Route 112 traverses Oakvale, connecting the town with Bluefield to the southwest.