Stonega, VA

Stonega is a Census-designated place and coal town located in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The 2020 census counted 93 residents. Stonega is part of the Big Stone Gap, Virginia micropolitan area. The community was founded in 1895 to provide housing and coking facilities for the Virginia Coal and Iron Company before being leased to the Stonega Coke and Coal Company in 1902. Taken together, these details give a newcomer a usable picture of Stonega, where its history, geography, and current gathering places meet.

For Stonega, the memorable detail is the way older history and current gathering places share one local map. The community was owned and operated as a company town until after World War II. Taggart in 1895 as "Pioneer," a name chosen because it was the first commercial mine and coking plant in Wise County. The name was changed in 1896 to reflect the town's proximity to Stone Gap, a pass through the mountains between Virginia and Kentucky.