Richwood is a city in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,051 at the 2010 census. A former coal and lumber boom town, the city's population once flirted with 10,000 but the creation of Route 19 through Summersville caused less traffic through the city and closure of many underground coal mines caused many of Richwood's residents to leave the state in order to find work. The area is currently focusing on niche tourism as a means to revitalize the local economy.