The market follows the terrain: the New River Gorge corridor around Fayetteville, elevated since national-park designation in 2020, Snowshoe and Canaan Valley on the ski calendar, Harpers Ferry in the eastern panhandle, and Morgantown on the WVU schedule. Cabin stock dominates, much of it remote.
Steep terrain, remote responseThe perils are Appalachian: flash flooding in steep hollows where water rises fast and flood insurance is rare, freeze in winter-vacant cabins, wood-heat fire with long volunteer-department response distances, and slope movement that standard policies exclude as earth movement.
West Virginia claims most often fail on flash flood, no flood policy in a hollow that flooded anyway, on freeze treated as maintenance, and on slope and earth-movement exclusions after heavy rain. Confirm flood coverage against the terrain, not just the FEMA map, plus your freeze terms and your distance from the responding station.
West Virginia has no statewide STR registration; counties and towns decide, and most decide lightly. Fayetteville and the Gorge communities run modest registration and safety rules, Harpers Ferry limits rentals in its historic core, and Morgantown applies general rental registration. Some municipalities require proof of liability coverage with the local permit. State sales tax plus county hotel occupancy taxes apply, largely through the platforms. Confirm the county’s rules and the flood question before you buy.