The community was once called Castlerock, and the post office there was once named Rock Castle.

[7] It was named because it was built on the site of a black or pitch pine forest.

[8] Pineville became the county seat in 1907, replacing Oceana after a series of disputed elections.

Castle Rock, the towering sandstone formation for which Rockcastle Creek is named, is located at Pineville and is the major local landmark.

[7] On April 29, 1960, then Senator John F. Kennedy stopped into Pineville, drawing a crowd of 800.

Kennedy spoke briefly over the local radio station WWYO during his time in the town.

He then marched with the Pineville High School (West Virginia) band from the radio station to the Wyoming County Courthouse where he spoke to the crowd.

It closed for a brief period in early 2017, but reopened later that year under new ownership in honor of Clay, and her legacy of service to her community.

[13] Many subdivisions or outer areas are considered part of Pineville, including Key Rock, New Richmond, Skin Fork, Mullensville, Glover, Wolf Pen, Rock View, and others, but the town limits are much smaller than the area considered part of Pineville.

The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races.