Wise, VA

Wise is the Wise County seat, a town of 2,970 residents in the 2020 census, set in the mountains of far southwest Virginia. It began as Gladeville after its 1874 incorporation and took the name Wise in 1924. That county-seat role gives the town a different feel from a roadside settlement: court, county, school, and college connections all converge around the same small downtown and Main Street corridor. U.S. 23 is the main north-south route through the area, tying Wise to Norton, Big Stone Gap, and the wider region. The University of Virginia's College at Wise is the town's biggest distinctive presence, with a four-year campus, athletics, and performances that bring a college rhythm to the county seat.

Town recreation is easy to find too: Big Glades, Arrowhead Park, the municipal pool, Bear Creek Reservoir, and the Town of Wise Sports Complex near Lonesome Pine Airport all sit in the local mix. The Lonesome Pine Airport adds another practical marker on the map, while nearby mountain roads lead toward the region's music, theater, and trail destinations. The local scoop is that Wise balances several identities at once—Appalachian county seat, college town, and recreation base—without losing the compact scale that makes those pieces overlap.