Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Mercer County, West Virginia

Matoaka

Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States.

Record

About Matoaka

Matoaka is a census-designated place in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 173 at the 2020 census.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Matoaka, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Matoaka is

USGS topographic map around Matoaka
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

13 historic USGS maps cover Matoaka

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Matoaka

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our West Virginia index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Matoaka": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Matoaka, West Virginia": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q3313327.
  4. USGS GNIS 1542868.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).