Editing Fayetteville, West Virginia (section)

== History ==
[[Image:FayetteCtyCourthouse FayettevilleWV.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fayette County Courthouse (West Virginia)|Fayette County Courthouse]]]]
Fayetteville was founded as Vandalia by Abraham Vandall, a Revolutionary War veteran and local farmer, on farmland that Vandall owned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holliday |first=Robert Kelvin |title=A Portrait of Fayette County |publisher=Fayette Tribune |year=1960 |location=Oak Hill |pages=93–94}}</ref> In 1837, the county seat of government was moved from New Haven in the Mountain Cove District to Vandalia. Later, the town's name was changed to Fayetteville after the Revolutionary War hero, [[Marquis de Lafayette]] who [[Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States (1824–25)|toured the US in 1824–25]].

During the Civil War, the majority of the people in Fayetteville were in sympathy with the Confederacy. With neighboring counties being predominantly Unionist, however, Fayetteville changed hands several times during the war and was partially destroyed during the fighting.
 
In 1897, the [[Fayette County Courthouse (West Virginia)|Fayette County Courthouse]] was completed on part of the original Vandall farm and was a remarkable example of the [[Romanesque Revival]] architectural style. The [[Altamont Hotel]] was built the same year.  Both are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], along with the [[E. B. Hawkins House]].  The [[Fayetteville Historic District (Fayetteville, West Virginia)|Fayetteville Historic District]] was designated in 1990.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
       
Fayetteville grew rapidly in the late 19th century thanks mainly to the coal industry.  The mining industry declined in the late 20th century.  Fayetteville's economy now is almost completely based on the tourism industry. Popular activities include white water rafting, fishing, mountain biking, and rock climbing in the region. Also, the New River Gorge Bridge hosts the annual celebration, "[[Bridge Day]]," which is held on the third Saturday of October.

The [[New River Gorge Bridge]] is the longest arch bridge in the western hemisphere; its creation made traveling on [[U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia|US 19]] much easier, turning a 45-minute sojourn from one side of the gorge to the other into a roughly 45-second jaunt. The [[New River (Kanawha River)|New River]] is one of the five [[List of rivers by age|oldest major rivers in the world]].