Clinchco, VA: Conceptual Greenspace Master Plan

The Town of Clinchco, Virginia is a small community of about 350 people located in north-central Dickenson County along the McClure River and near the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines. It is presently accessed by Routes 63 and 83, which pass through the town. Clinchco started as a coal mining town in the late 1800s. The town was built by the Clinchfield Coal Corporation to support their mining efforts and later founded in 1917. As part of the establishment of the town, Clinchfield Coal Corporation constructed well-built homes for the workers. Like many coal communities, the mines attracted workers from all over the world. Other early industries included lumbering for the Yellow Poplar Lumber Company and building the railroad. Clinchco reached peak population and economic success in the 1940s. During this time the streets would be packed on Saturdays when people from Clinchco and nearby communities would come into town. This boom continued until the 1950s when the decline began. Clinchco is striving to move forward, “reconstructing itself” for a better future.

A significant percentage of Clinchco’s buildings are located in the floodplain, and ten property owners agreed to participate in a FEMA project that would remove their homes. CDAC worked with the Town to create a greenspace master plan utilizing these spaces.