Affinity, West Virginia
Affinity, West Virginia | |
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 Affinity West Virginia Mine sign | |
  Affinity, West Virginia Location within West Virginia  Affinity, West Virginia Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 37°42′46″N 81°13′33″W / 37.71278°N 81.22583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Raleigh |
| Elevation | 2,336 ft (712 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1553701[1] |
Affinity is an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. Affinity is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east-northeast of Sophia. Affinity is located along Affinity Complex Road and a former line of the Norfolk and Western Railroad in the Soak Creek valley.[1][2] Affinity developed as a coal town in the early 20th century. By the late 1910s, the Pemberton Coal & Coke Company operated the Affinity mine in the community.[3] Affinity is one of the historic coal communities of theWinding Gulf Coalfield, which extends through western Raleigh County and eastern Wyoming County, West Virginia
The modern Affinity Mine is an underground coal mine near the community. The mine operates in thePocahontas coalfield and is accessed and ventilated through three vertical shafts and a slope. [4] The mine was idled in 1985 and remained inactive for approximately 25 years. United Coal Company acquired the complex in 2010 and began redeveloping the operation, with mining resuming in 2011.[5] In February 2013, two miners were killed in separate accidents at the mine, prompting additional scrutiny of its safety record.[4] There was later a pretty complicated fight involving MSHA's Pattern of Violations enforcement process. Mine workers sued federal regulators over how Affinity's safety violations were handled, while United Coal disputed characterizations of the mine's safety record.[6]
West Virginia's official 2021 mine report ranked the mine in Affinity among the ten largest underground coal mines in West Virginia, reporting 2,188,659 tons of production and 223 employees that year. The 2022 state report recorded roughly 1.8 million tons and 242 employees.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Affinity, West Virginia
- ↑ Crab Orchard Quadrangle, West Virginia (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Affinity, WV". coalcampusa.com. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 "Final Report - Fatality #6 - February 19, 2013". Mine Health and Safety Administration. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Coal mine to reopen after 25 years". World Coal. October 22, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Patterson, Brittany (December 4, 2018). "Mine Workers Sue Federal Regulators Over Mine With Poor Safety Record". WKU Public Radio | The Public Radio Service of Western Kentucky University. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ White, Eugene (2021). "WEST VIRGINIA OFFICE OF MINERS' HEALTH, SAFETY AND TRAINING" (PDF). West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
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