West Virginia

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State of West Virginia
Flag of West Virginia Seal Nickname(s): Mountain State Motto(s): Montani semper liberi
Official language(s)	none (de facto English)
Demonym	West Virginian
Capital	Charleston
Largest city	Charleston
Largest metro area	Charleston metro area
Area	Ranked 41st in the US
- Total	24,230 sq mi (62,755 km²)
- Width	130 miles (210 km)
- Length	240 miles (385 km)
- % water	0.6
- Latitude	37° 12′ N to 40° 39′ N
- Longitude	77° 43′ W to 82° 39′ W
Population	Ranked 37th in the US
- Total	1,812,035 (2007 est.) [1]
- Density	75.1/sq mi  29.0/km² (Ranked 27th in the US)
- Median income	$38,029 (48th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Spruce Knob[2] 4,863 ft  (1,427 m)
- Mean	1,500 ft  (460 m)
- Lowest point	Harpers Ferry[2] 240 ft  (73 m)
Admission to Union	June 20, 1863 (35)
Governor	Joe Manchin (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Earl Ray Tomblin[3]
U.S. Senators	Robert C. Byrd (D) Jay Rockefeller (D)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	WV US-WV
Website	www.wv.gov

West Virginia (IPA: /ˌwɛstvɚˈdʒɪnjə/) is a state in the Appalachia, Upland South, Mid Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast.

West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War and was admitted to the Union as a separate state on June 20, 1863 (an anniversary now celebrated as West Virginia Day in the state). It is one of only two states formed during the American Civil War (along with Nevada) and is the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state and one of three states to secede from another state (the others being Kentucky and Maine).

West Virginia is one of the Civil War "Border States". The Census Bureau considers West Virginia part of the South because most of the state is south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio with Weirton on a parallel with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while Bluefield is less than 70 miles from North Carolina. The unique position of West Virginia means that it is included in a wide variety of geographical regions (though often only marginally), such as the Upland South, the Southeastern United States, the Southern United States, the Mid-Atlantic, Appalachia and even the Midwestern United States and Northeastern United States. Notably, it is the only state which entirely lies within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, which is a common definition of "Appalachia".^[4] While West Virginians recognize that their state is part of Appalachia, many do not welcome the term for purposes of self-identification.^[5] The state's Northern Panhandle, and North-Central region feel an affinity for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also, those in the Eastern Panhandle feel a connection with the Washington, D.C. suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, and southern West Virginians often consider themselves Southerners. Finally, the towns and farms along the mid-Ohio River have an appearance and culture somewhat resembling the Midwest.^[6] The capital and largest city is Charleston.

The state is noted for its great natural beauty, its historically significant logging and coal mining industries, and its labor history. It is also known as a tourist destination for those interested in outdoor activities such as skiing, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and hunting.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Climate 3 History 3.1 Prehistory 3.2 European exploration and settlement 3.3 Trans-Allegheny Virginia, 1776-1861 3.4 Separation from Virginia 3.5 Hidden resources 4 Demographics 5 Economy 6 Transportation 7 Law and government 7.1 Legislative branch 7.2 Executive branch 7.3 Judicial branch 7.4 Politics 8 Important cities and towns 8.1 Large cities (> 10,000 population) 8.2 Towns and small cities 8.3 Metropolitan Statistical Areas 8.4 Micropolitan Statistical Areas 9 Education 9.1 Colleges and universities 10 Sports 11 Miscellaneous topics 11.1 Film 11.2 Music 11.2.1 Appalachian music 11.2.2 Classical music 11.2.3 Musical innovation 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of West Virginia

See also: List of counties in West Virginia and List of West Virginia county seats

West Virginia is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north; by Ohio to the north and west; by Kentucky to the west; by Maryland to the north and east; and by Virginia to the east and south. The Ohio and Potomac rivers form parts of the boundaries.

West Virginia is the only state in the nation located entirely within the Appalachian Mountain range, and in which all areas are mountainous; for this reason it is nicknamed The Mountain State. About 75% of the state is within the Cumberland Plateau and Allegheny Plateau regions. Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas.

On the eastern state line with Virginia, high peaks in the Monongahela National Forest region give rise to an island of colder climate and ecosystems similar to those of northern New England and eastern Canada. The highest point in the state is atop Spruce Knob, at 4,863 ft (1,482 m),^[2] is covered in a boreal forest of dense spruce trees at altitudes above 4,000 feet (1,220 m). Spruce Knob lies within the Monongahela National Forest and is a part of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. [1] A total of six wilderness areas can also be found within the forest. Outside the forest to the south, the New River Gorge is a 1,000-foot (304 m) deep canyon carved by the New River. The National Park Service manages a portion of the gorge and river that has been designated as the New River Gorge National River, one of only 15 rivers in the U.S. with this level of protection.

Other areas under protection and management include:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail Bluestone National Scenic River Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Gauley River National Recreation Area George Washington National Forest Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The native vegetation for most of the state was originally mixed hardwood forest of oak, chestnut, maple, beech, and white pine, with willow and American sycamore along the state's waterways. Many of the areas are rich in biodiversity and scenic beauty, a fact that is appreciated by native West Virginians, who refer to their home as Almost Heaven. Ecologically, most of West Virginia falls into the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests ecoregion.

The underlying rock strata are sandstone, shale, bituminous coal beds, and limestone laid down in a near shore environment from sediments derived from mountains to the east, in a shallow inland sea on the west. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water. Sea level rose and fell many times during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, giving a variety of rock strata. The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest on earth, having formed over 300 million years ago.

[edit] Climate

The climate of West Virginia borders on a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa) in the lower elevations of the southwestern portion of the state (including Huntington and Charleston), along with parts of the Eastern Panhandle east of the Appalachians with hot, humid summers and milder winters. The rest of the state has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa, except Dfb at the higher elevations) with warm to hot, humid summers and cold winters, increasing in severity with elevation. However, the weather is subject in all parts of the state to change. The hardiness zones range from zone 5b in the central Appalachian mountains to zone 7a in the warmest parts of the lowest elevations. In the Eastern Panhandle and the Ohio River Valley temperatures are warm enough to see and grow subtropical plants such as Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Crepe Myrtle, Albizia julibrissin, American Sweetgum and even the occasional needle palm and sabal minor. These plants don't thrive as well in other parts of the state.

Average January temperatures range from around 28°F (-2°C) near the Cheat River to 43°F (5°C) along sections of the border with Kentucky. July averages range from 67°F (19°C) along the North Branch Potomac River to 76°F (24°C) in the western part of the state. It is cooler in the mountains than in the lower sections of the state.

Annual precipitation ranges from less than 32 inches (810 mm) in the lower eastern section to more than 56 inches (1,400 mm) in higher parts of the Allegheny Front. Slightly more than half the rainfall occurs from April to September. Dense fogs are common in many valleys of the Kanawha section, especially the Tygart Valley. West Virginia is also one of the cloudiest states in the nation, with the cities of Elkins and Beckley ranking 9th. and 10th. in the U.S. respectively for the number of cloudy days per year (over 210). In addition to persistent cloudy skies caused by the damming of moisture by the Alleghenies, West Virginia also experiences some of the most frequent precipitation in the nation, with Snowshoe averaging nearly 200 days a year with either rain or snow. Snow usually lasts only a few days in the lower sections but may persist for weeks in the higher mountain areas. An average of 34 inches (86 cm) of snow falls annually in Charleston, although during the winter of 1995–1996 more than three times that amount fell as several cities in the state established new records for snowfall. Average snowfall in the Allegheny Highlands can range up to 180 inches per year.

Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various West Virginia cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Beckley	39/22	43/25	52/32	62/41	71/49	77/57	80/61	79/60	73/54	63/42	52/34	43/26
Charleston	43/24	47/27	57/34	67/42	75/50	82/58	85/63	84/62	77/55	67/43	56/35	47/28
Elkins	39/18	44/20	53/27	63/35	72/44	78/53	82/58	80/57	74/50	64/37	53/29	44/22
Huntington	41/24	46/28	56/36	67/44	75/53	82/61	85/65	84/64	77/57	66/45	55/37	45/29
[2]

[edit] History

Main article: History of West Virginia

West Virginia's unique geography allowed for exploration from two concurrent directions and a duality of a "Border State".

[edit] Prehistory

Main article: West Virginia Prehistory

The area now known as West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground of numerous Native American peoples before the arrival of European settlers. Many ancient man-made earthen mounds from various mound builder cultures survive, especially in the areas of Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. Although little is known about these civilizations, the artifacts uncovered give evidence of a complex, stratified culture that practiced metallurgy.

[edit] European exploration and settlement

Further information: Vandalia (colony) and Westsylvania

In 1671, General Abram Wood, at the direction of Royal Governor William Berkeley of the Virginia Colony, sent a party which discovered Kanawha Falls. In 1716, Governor Alexander Spotswood with about thirty horsemen made an excursion into what is now Pendleton County. John Van Metre, an Indian trader, penetrated into the northern portion in 1725. The same year, German settlers from Pennsylvania founded New Mecklenburg, the present Shepherdstown, on the Potomac River, and others followed.

King Charles II of England, in 1661, granted to a company of gentlemen the land between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, known as the Northern Neck. The grant finally came into the possession of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and in 1746, a stone was erected at the source of the North Branch Potomac River to mark the western limit of the grant. A considerable part of this land was surveyed by George Washington between 1748 and 1751. The diary kept by the surveyor indicates that there were already many squatters, largely of German origin, along the South Branch Potomac River. Christopher Gist, a surveyor in the employ of the first Ohio Company, which was composed chiefly of Virginians, explored the country along the Ohio River north of the mouth of the Kanawha River between 1751 and 1752. The company sought to have a fourteenth colony established with the name "Vandalia". Many settlers crossed the mountains after 1750, though they were hindered by Native American resistance. Few Native Americans lived permanently within the present limits of the state, but the region was a common hunting ground, crossed by many trails. During the French and Indian War the scattered British settlements were almost destroyed.

In 1774, the Crown Governor of Virginia John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, led a force over the mountains, and a body of militia under then-Colonel Andrew Lewis dealt the Shawnee Indians, under Hokoleskwa (or "Cornstalk"), a crushing blow during the Battle of Point Pleasant at the junction of the Kanawha and the Ohio rivers. Native American attacks continued until after the American Revolutionary War. During the war, the settlers in western Virginia were generally active Whigs and many served in the Continental Army, however Claypool's Rebellion of 1780–1781 where a group of men refused to pay Colonial taxes showed war-weariness in West Virginia.

[edit] Trans-Allegheny Virginia, 1776-1861

For more details on this topic, see Virginia.

Social conditions in western Virginia were entirely unlike those in the eastern portion of the state. The population was not homogeneous, as a considerable part of the immigration came by way of Pennsylvania and included Germans, Protestant Ulster-Scots, and settlers from the states farther north. During the American Revolution, the movement to create a state beyond the Alleghanies was revived and a petition for the establishment of "Westsylvania" was presented to Congress, on the grounds that the mountains made an almost impassable barrier on the east. The rugged nature of the country made slavery unprofitable, and time only increased the social, political, economic and cultural differences (see Tuckahoe-Cohee) between the two sections of Virginia.

The convention that met in 1829 to form a new constitution for Virginia, against the protest of the counties beyond the mountains, required a property qualification for suffrage and gave the slave-holding counties the benefit of three-fifths of their slave population in apportioning the state's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result, every county beyond the Alleghenies except one voted to reject the constitution, which nevertheless passed because of eastern support. Though the Virginia Constitution of 1850 provided for white male suffrage, the distribution of representation among the counties continued to give control to the section east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Another grievance of the west was the large expenditure for internal improvements at state expense by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the East compared with the scanty proportion allotted to the West.

[edit] Separation from Virginia

See also: West Virginia in the American Civil War

West Virginia is the only state in the Union to secede from a confederate state, Virginia, during the American Civil War.^[7] On April 17, 1861 fifteen of the forty-six delegates from the area located in the present state of West Virginia voted to secede from the United States.^[8] Almost immediately after the vote to proceed with secession prevailed in the Virginia General Assembly, a mass meeting at Clarksburg recommended that each county in northwestern Virginia send delegates to a convention to meet in Wheeling on May 13, 1861. When this First Wheeling Convention met, 425 delegates from 25 counties were present, though more than one-third of the delegates were from the northern panhandle area,^[9] but soon there was a division of sentiment. Some delegates favored the immediate formation of a new state, while others argued that, as Virginia's secession had not yet been passed by the required referendum, such action would constitute revolution against the United States.^[10] It was decided that if the ordinance were adopted (of which there was little doubt), another convention including the members-elect of the legislature should meet at Wheeling in June. At the election on May 23, 1861, secession was ratified by a large majority in the state as a whole, but in the western counties approximately 34,677 voted against and 19,121 voted for the Ordinance.^[11]

The Second Wheeling Convention met as agreed on June 11 and declared that, since the Secession Convention had been called without the consent of the people, all its acts were void, and that all who adhered to it had vacated their offices. The Wheeling Conventions, and the delegates themselves, were never actually elected by public ballot to act on behalf of western Virginia.^[12] An act for the reorganization of the government was passed on June 19. The next day Francis H. Pierpont was chosen by other delegates at the convention to be governor of Virginia, other officers were elected and the convention adjourned. The legislature was composed of 103 members, 33 of whom had been elected to the Virginia General Assembly^[13] on May 23. This number included some hold-over Senators from 1859, and as such had vacated their offices to convene in Wheeling. The other members "were chosen even more irregularly-some in mass meetings, others by county committee, and still others were seemingly self-appointed"^[14] They met on June 20 and filled the remainder of the state offices, organized a state government and elected two United States senators who were recognized at Washington, D.C. At that point, therefore, there were two state governments in Virginia, one pledging allegiance to the United States and one to the Confederacy.

The Wheeling Convention, which had taken a recess until August 6, then reassembled on August 20, and called for a popular vote on the formation of a new state and for a convention to frame a constitution if the vote should be favorable. At the election on October 24, 1861, 18,489 votes were cast for the new state and only 781 against. The accuracy of these election results have been questioned, since Union troops were stationed at many of the polls to prevent Confederate sympathizers from voting.^[15]Most of the affirmative votes came from ten counties in the Wheeling area.^[16] Over 50,000 votes had been cast on the Ordinance of Secession, yet the vote on statehood gathered only a little over 19,000. In Ohio County, home to Wheeling, a little over one-quarter of the voters cast a vote.^[17] At the Constitutional Convention in November 1861, Mr. Lamb of Ohio County and Mr. Carskadon said that in Hampshire County, out of 195 votes only 39 were cast by citizens of the state, the rest by Union soldiers.^[18] In most of what would become West Virginia, there was no vote at all as two-thirds of the territory of West Virginia had voted for secession and county officers were still loyal to Richmond.^[19] Votes recorded from Secession counties were mostly cast in the northwest by Unionist refugees from those counties.^[20] The convention began on November 26, 1861, and finished its work on February 18, 1862, and the instrument was ratified (18,162 for and 514 against) on April 11, 1862.

On May 13, the state legislature of the reorganized government approved the formation of the new state. An application for admission to the Union was made to Congress, and on December 31, 1862, an enabling act was approved by President Abraham Lincoln admitting West Virginia, on the condition that a provision for the gradual abolition of slavery be inserted in the Constitution. Many, including Lincoln, felt that West Virginia's admission as a state was unconstitutional, but wartime politics prevailed.^[21] The Convention was reconvened on February 12, 1863, and the demand was met. The revised constitution was adopted on March 26, 1863, and on April 20, 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation admitting the state at the end of sixty days (June 20, 1863). Meanwhile officers for the new state were chosen and Governor Pierpont moved his capital to Alexandria where he asserted jurisdiction over the counties of Virginia within the Federal lines.

The question of the constitutionality of the formation of the new state was brought before the Supreme Court of the United States in the following manner: Berkeley and Jefferson counties lying on the Potomac east of the mountains, in 1863, with the consent of the reorganized government of Virginia voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia. Many voters absent in the Confederate Army when the vote was taken refused to acknowledge the transfer upon their return. The Virginia General Assembly repealed the act of secession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia asking the court to declare the counties a part of Virginia. Meanwhile, Congress, on March 10, 1866, passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. The Supreme Court, in 1870, decided in favor of West Virginia.^[22]

During the American Civil War, West Virginia suffered comparatively little. George B. McClellan's forces gained possession of the greater part of the territory in the summer of 1861, culminating at the Battle of Rich Mountain, and Union control was never seriously threatened, in spite of the attempt by Robert E. Lee in the same year. In 1863, General John D. Imboden, with 5,000 Confederates, overran a considerable portion of the state. Bands of guerrillas burned and plundered in some sections, and were not entirely suppressed until after the war ended.

The area which became West Virginia furnished about an equal number of soldiers to the Federal and Confederate governments[3], approximately 22,000-25,000 each. The Wheeling government found it necessary in 1865 to strip voting rights from returning Confederates. James Ferguson, who proposed the law, said that if it was not enacted he would lose election by 500 votes.^[23] The property of Confederates might be confiscated, and in 1866 a constitutional amendment disfranchising all who had given aid and comfort to the Confederacy was adopted. The addition of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution caused a reaction, the Democratic party secured control in 1870, and in 1871, the constitutional amendment of 1866 was abrogated. The first steps toward this change had been taken, however, by the Republicans in 1870. On August 22, 1872, an entirely new constitution was adopted.

Beginning in Reconstruction, and for several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the pre-war Virginia government's debt, which had mostly been incurred to finance public infrastructure improvements, such as canals, roads, and railroads under the Virginia Board of Public Works. Virginians, led by former Confederate General William Mahone, formed a political coalition which was based upon this theory, the Readjuster Party. Although West Virginia's first constitution provided for the assumption of a part of the Virginia debt, negotiations opened by Virginia in 1870 were fruitless, and in 1871, that state funded two-thirds of the debt and arbitrarily assigned the remainder to West Virginia. The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939.

[edit] Hidden resources

After Reconstruction, the new 35th state benefited from development of its mineral resources more than any other single economic activity.

Salt mining had been underway since the 18th century, though it had largely played out by the time of the American Civil War, when the red salt of Kanawha County was a valued commodity of first Confederate, and later Union forces. Later, more sophisticated mining methods would restore West Virginia's role as a major producer of salt.

However, in the second half of the 19th century, there was an even greater treasure not yet developed, bituminous coal. It would fuel much of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. and the steamships of many of the world's navies.

The residents (both Native Americans and early European settlers) had long known of the underlying coal, and that it could be used for heating and fuel. However, for a long time, very small "personal" mines were the only practical development. After the War, with the new railroads came a practical method to transport large quantities of coal to expanding U.S. and export markets. As the anthracite mines of northwestern New Jersey and Pennsylvania began to play out during this same time period, investors and industrialists focused new interest in West Virginia. Geologists such as Dr. David T. Ansted surveyed potential coal fields and invested in land and early mining projects.

The completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) across the state to the new city of Huntington on the Ohio River in 1872 opened access to the New River Coal Field. Soon, the C&O was building its huge coal pier at Newport News, Virginia on the large harbor of Hampton Roads. In 1881, the new Philadelphia-based owners of the former Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O), which stretched across Virginia's southern tier from Norfolk, had sights clearly set on the Mountain State, where the owners had large land holdings. Their railroad was renamed Norfolk and Western (N&W), and a new railroad city was developed at Roanoke to handle planned expansion. After its new president Frederick J. Kimball and a small party journeyed by horseback and saw firsthand the rich bituminous coal seam which his wife named "Pocahontas", the N&W redirected its planned westward expansion to reach it. Soon, the N&W was also shipping from new coal piers at Hampton Roads.

In 1889, in the southern part of the state, along the Norfolk and Western rail lines, the important coal center of Bluefield, West Virginia was founded. The "capital" of the Pocahontas coalfield, this city would remain the largest city in the southern portion of the state for several decades. It shares a sister city with the same name, Bluefield, in Virginia.

In the northern portion of the state and elsewhere, the older Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and other lines also expanded to take advantage of coal opportunities. The B&O developed coal piers in Baltimore and at several points on the Great Lakes. Other significant rail carriers of coal were the Western Maryland Railway (WM), Southern Railway (SOU), and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N).

Particularly notable was a latecomer, the Virginian Railway (VGN). By 1900, only a large area of the most rugged terrain of southern West Virginia was any distance from the existing railroads and mining activity. Within this area west of the New River Coalfield in Raleigh and Wyoming counties lay the Winding Gulf Coalfield, later promoted as the "Billion Dollar Coalfield."

A protégé of Dr. Ansted was William Nelson Page (1854–1932), a civil engineer and mining manager in Fayette County. Former West Virginia Governor William A. MacCorkle described him as a man who knew the land "as a farmer knows a field." Beginning in 1898, Page teamed with northern and European-based investors to take advantage of the undeveloped area. They acquired large tracts of land in the area, and Page began the Deepwater Railway, a short-line railroad which was chartered to stretch between the C&O at its line along the Kanawha River and the N&W at Matoaka, a distance of about 80 miles.

Although the Deepwater plan should have provided a competitive shipping market via either railroad, leaders of the two large railroads did not appreciate the scheme. In secret collusion, each declined to negotiate favorable rates with Page, nor did they offer to purchase his railroad, as they had many other short-lines. However, if the C&O and N&W presidents thought they could thus kill the Page project, they were to be proved mistaken. One of the silent partner investors Page had enlisted was millionaire industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers, a principal in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust and an old hand at developing natural resources, transportation. A master at competitive "warfare", Henry Rogers did not like to lose in his endeavors, and also had "deep pockets".

Instead of giving up, Page (and Rogers) quietly planned and then built their tracks all the way east across Virginia, using Rogers' private fortune to finance the $40 million cost. When the renamed Virginian Railway (VGN) was completed in 1909, no less than three railroads were shipping ever-increasing volumes of coal to export from Hampton Roads. West Virginia coal was also under high demand at Great Lakes ports. The VGN and the N&W ultimately became parts of the modern Norfolk Southern system, and the VGN's well-engineered 21th century tracks continue to offer a favorable gradient to Hampton Roads.

As coal mining and related work became major employment activities in the state, there was considerable labor strife as working conditions, safety issues, and economic concerns arose. Even in the 21st century, mining safety and ecological concerns is still challenging to the state whose coal continues to power electrical generating plants in many other states.

Coal is not the only valuable mineral found in West Virginia, as the state was the site of the 1928 discovery of the 34.48 carat (6.896 g) Jones Diamond.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	55,873		—
1800	78,592		40.7%
1810	105,469		34.2%
1820	136,808		29.7%
1830	176,924		29.3%
1840	224,537		26.9%
1850	302,313		34.6%
1860	376,688		24.6%
1870	442,014		17.3%
1880	618,457		39.9%
1890	762,794		23.3%
1900	958,800		25.7%
1910	1,221,119		27.4%
1920	1,463,701		19.9%
1930	1,729,205		18.1%
1940	1,901,974		10%
1950	2,005,552		5.4%
1960	1,860,421		−7.2%
1970	1,744,237		−6.2%
1980	1,949,644		11.8%
1990	1,793,477		−8%
2000	1,808,344		0.8%

The center of population of West Virginia is located in Braxton County, in the town of Gassaway [4].

As of 2005, West Virginia has an estimated population of 1,816,856, which is an increase of 4,308, or 0.2%, from the prior year and an increase of 8,506, or 0.5%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural decrease since the last census of 3,296 people (that is 108,292 births minus 111,588 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 14,209 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 3,691 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 10,518 people.

Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states in that statistic. It has the lowest percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%).

The five largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are: American (23.2%), German (17.2%), Irish (13.5%) (Many actually Scots-Irish), English (12%), Italian (4.8%).

Large numbers of people of German ancestry are present in the northeastern counties of the state.

5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population.

There were 20,928 births in 2006. Of these, 19,757 (94.40% of the births, 95.19% of the population) were to Non-Hispanic Whites. There were 22 births to American Indians (0.11% of the births and 0.54% of the population), 177 births to Asians (0.85% of the births and 0.68% of the population), 219 births to Hispanics (1.05% of the births and 0.88% of the population) and 753 births to Blacks and others (3.60% of the births and 3.56% of the population). [5]

Demographics of West Virginia (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN*	Asian	NHPI*
2000 (total population)	96.01%	3.49%	0.59%	0.66%	0.05%
2000 (Hispanic only)	0.63%	0.04%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%
2005 (total population)	95.99%	3.56%	0.56%	0.69%	0.05%
2005 (Hispanic only)	0.80%	0.04%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%
Growth 2000–05 (total population)	0.46%	2.49%	-3.96%	5.57%	-2.80%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only)	0.28%	2.30%	-4.24%	5.96%	-0.52%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only)	27.74%	21.51%	5.56%	-20.22%	-16.67%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of West Virginia

The economy of West Virginia is one of the most fragile of any U.S. state. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, West Virginia is the third lowest in per capita income,^[24] ahead of only Arkansas and Mississippi. It also ranks last in median household income.^[25] The proportion of West Virginia's adult population with a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the U.S. at 15.3%.^[26]

West Virginia's GDP was $55.6B in 2006, which was a 0.6% increase from 2005. This makes growth rate for the state the 2nd lowest in the nation, behind only Michigan.

One of the major resources in West Virginia's economy is coal. According to the Energy Information Administration, West Virginia is a top coal-producer in the United States, second only to Wyoming. West Virginia produces minimal oil and natural gas. Nearly all of the electricity generated in West Virginia is from coal-fired power plants. West Virginia produces a surplus of electricity and leads the Nation in net interstate electricity exports.^[27] Farming is also practiced in West Virginia, but on a limited basis because of the mountainous terrain over much of the state.

West Virginia personal income tax is based on federal adjusted gross income (not taxable income), as modified by specific items in West Virginia law. Citizens are taxed within 5 income brackets, which range from 3.0% to 6.5%. The state's consumer sales tax is levied at 6%. Effective January 1, 2004 calculation of WV consumer sales tax has been converted to a calculated figure from the bracket system, and remains at six percent for most goods (food goods are now taxable at three percent). The computation of tax is carried out to the third decimal place and rounded up when the third decimal place is five (.005) or higher; and similarly rounded down if the third place is four (.004) or lower. By virtue of this method, sales totaling $0.08 and below would not have a sales tax associated with them.^[28]

West Virginia counties administer and collect property taxes, although property tax rates reflect levies for state government, county governments, county boards of education, and municipalities. Counties may also impose a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places not located within the city limits of any municipality that levies such a tax. Municipalities may levy license and gross receipts taxes on businesses located within the city limits and a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places in the city. Although the Department of Tax and Revenue plays a major role in the administration of this tax, less than one-half of one percent of the property tax collected goes to state government. The primary beneficiaries of the property tax are county boards of education. Property taxes are paid to the sheriff of each of the state's 55 counties. Each county and municipality can impose its own rates of property taxation within the limits set by the West Virginia Constitution. The West Virginia legislature sets the rate of tax of county boards of education. This rate is used by all county boards of education statewide. However, the total tax rate for county boards of education may differ from county to county because of excess levies. The Department of Tax and Revenue supervises and otherwise assists counties and municipalities in their work of assessment and tax rate determination. The total tax rate is a combination of the tax levies from four state taxing authorities: state, county, schools, and municipal. This total tax rate varies for each of the four classes of property, which consists of personal, real, and intangible properties. Property is assessed according to its use, location, and value as of July 1. All property is reappraised every three years; annual adjustments are made to assessments for property with a change of value. West Virginia does not impose an inheritance tax. Because of the phase-out of the federal estate tax credit, West Virginia's estate tax is not imposed on estates of persons who died in 2005.

[edit] Transportation

Main article: Transportation in West Virginia

Highways form the backbone of transportation systems in West Virginia, with over 37,300 miles of public roads in the state.^[29] Airports, railroads, and rivers complete the commercial transportation modes for West Virginia. Commercial air travel is facilitated by airports in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Wheeling, and Parkersburg. Cities like Charleston, Huntington, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Bluefield, and Logan have bus-based public transit systems. Charleston also has a limited number of trolley cars that run primarily through the downtown area. West Virginia University in Morgantown boasts the PRT (personal rapid transit) system, the state's only single rail public transit system. Developed by Boeing, the WVU School of Engineering and the Department of Transportation, it was a model for low-capacity light transport designed for smaller cities. It was also the model for DisneyWorld's tram system. Recreational transportation opportunities abound in West Virginia, including hiking trails,^[30] rail trails,^[31] ATV off road trails,^[32] white water rafting rivers,^[33] and two tourist railroads (Cass Scenic Railroad,^[34] and the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad.^[35])

West Virginia is crossed by several interstate highways. I-64 enters the state near White Sulphur Springs in the mountainous east, and exits for Kentucky in the west, near Huntington. I-77 enters from Virginia in the south, near Bluefield. It runs north past Parkersburg before it crosses into Ohio. I-64 and I-77 are merged in a stretch of toll road known as the West Virginia Turnpike, on which construction began in 1952. It runs from just east of Charleston south to the exit for Princeton. I-68's western terminus is in Morgantown. From there it runs east into Maryland. At the I-68 terminus in Morgantown, it meets I-79, which enters from Pennsylvania and runs through the state to its southern terminus in Charleston. I-70 briefly runs through West Virginia, crossing the northern panhandle through Wheeling. I-81 also briefly runs in West Virginia through the Eastern Panhandle where it goes through Martinsburg.

Rail lines in the state used to be more prevalent, but many lines have been discontinued because of increased automobile traffic. Many old tracks have been converted to rail trails for recreational use, and the state is still served by a few commercial lines for hauling coal and by Amtrak. In 2006 Norfolk Southern along with the West Virginia and U.S. Government approved a plan to modify many of the rail tunnels in West Virginia, espeically in the southern half of the state, to allow for double stacked cars (see intermodal freight). This is expected to also help bring economic growth to the southern half of the state.

Because of the mountainous nature of the entire state, West Virginia has several notable tunnels and bridges. The most famous of these is the New River Gorge Bridge, which was at a time the longest steel single-arch bridge in the world with a 3,031-foot (924 m) span. The bridge is also pictured on the West Virginia state quarter. The Veterans Memorial Bridge (Weirton-Steubenville Bridge) was at its time of construction one of only three cable-stayed steel girder trusses in the United States. It connects Steubenville, Ohio with Weirton, West Virginia along US Route 22.

[edit] Law and government

Main article: Law and government of West Virginia

West Virginia's capital and seat of government is the city of Charleston, located in the southwest area of the state.

[edit] Legislative branch

Further information: West Virginia Legislature

The West Virginia Legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate. It is a citizen's legislature, meaning that legislative office is not a full-time occupation, but rather a part-time position. Consequently, the legislators often hold a full-time job in their community of residence.

Typically, the legislature is in session for 60 days between January and early April. The final day of the regular session ends in a bewildering fury of last-minute legislation in order to meet a constitutionally imposed deadline of midnight. During the remainder of the year, monthly interim sessions are held in preparation for the regular session. Legislators also gather periodically for 'special' sessions when called by the governor.

[edit] Executive branch

Further information: List of Governors of West Virginia

The governor, elected every four years on the same day as the U.S. Presidential election, is sworn in during the following January.

Governors of West Virginia can serve two consecutive terms but must sit out a term before serving a third term in office.

[edit] Judicial branch

Further information: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

West Virginia is one of thirteen states that does not have a death penalty.

For the purpose of courts of general jurisdiction, the state is divided into 31 judicial circuits. Each circuit is made up of one or more counties. Circuit judges are elected in partisan elections to serve eight-year terms.

West Virginia’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the busiest appellate court of its type in the United States. West Virginia is one of 11 states with a single appellate court. The state constitution allows for the creation of an intermediate court of appeals, but the Legislature has never created one. The Supreme Court is made up of five justices, elected in partisan elections to 12-year terms.

West Virginia is an alcoholic beverage control state. However, unlike most such states, it does not operate retail outlets, having exited that business in 1990. It retains a monopoly on wholesaling of distilled spirits only.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of West Virginia

At the state level, West Virginia's politics are largely dominated by the Democratic Party, with Democrats currently holding the governorship, both senate seats, two of three house seats and both houses of the state legislature. West Virginia also has a very strong tradition of union membership. In the Republican landslide of 1988, it was one of only ten states, and the only southern state (as defined by the US Census), to give its electoral votes to Michael Dukakis; it was one of only six states to support Jimmy Carter over Ronald Reagan in 1980; and it supported Bill Clinton by large margins in both 1992 and 1996. However, the West Virginia State Democratic Party, like many State Democratic Parties in the South, is on the whole more moderate than the national party. For example, Senator Robert Byrd was a member of the bipartisan Gang of 14, while Governor Joe Manchin and Congressmen Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall are pro-life on the issue of abortion. Furthermore, the state has trended increasingly Republican in Presidential elections; despite the earlier Democratic wins in Presidential matchups mentioned, it narrowly elected George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000, then re-elected Bush by a much larger margin in 2004, and John McCain has usually polled well ahead of Barack Obama for the 2008 matchup.

The most consistent support for Democrats is found in the coal fields of southern West Virginia (especially McDowell, Mingo, Logan, Wyoming, and Boone Counties), while Republicans are most numerous to the east of the Allegheny Mountains, especially in the state's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands. The Northern Panhandle and North-Central West Virginia regions usually split right down the middle in terms of being Republican or Democrat.

[edit] Important cities and towns

See also: List of cities in West Virginia, List of towns in West Virginia, List of villages in West Virginia, List of census-designated places in West Virginia

[edit] Large cities (> 10,000 population)

Charleston, 53,421 (2007 estimate: 50,478) Huntington, 51,475 (2007 estimate: 48,982) Parkersburg, 33,099 (2007 estimate: 31,617) Morgantown, 26,809 (2007 estimate: 29,361) Wheeling, 31,419 (2007 estimate: 29,101) Fairmont, 19,097 (2007 estimate: 19,096) Weirton, 20,411 (2007 estimate: 18,842) Beckley, 17,254 (2007 estimate: 16,830)

Martinsburg, 14,972 (2007 estimate: 16,450) Clarksburg, 16,743 (2007 estimate: 16,341) South Charleston, 13,390 (2007 estimate: 12,479) Teays Valley, 12,704 (2007 estimate: N/A) Bluefield, 11,451 (2007 estimate: 11,063) St. Albans, 11,567 (2007 estimate: 11,028) Vienna, 10,861 (2007 estimate: 10,613) Cross Lanes, 10,353 (2007 estimate: N/A)

[edit] Towns and small cities

Barboursville Berkeley Springs Beckley Bridgeport Buckhannon Charles Town Dunbar Elkins Fayetteville Follansbee

Grafton Hamlin Harpers Ferry Hinton Kenova Keyser Kingwood Lewisburg Logan Madison

Mannington Marlinton Moorefield Moundsville New Martinsville Nitro Oak Hill Paden City Petersburg Philippi

Pleasant Valley Point Pleasant Princeton Ranson Ravenswood Richwood Ripley Romney Salem Shepherdstown

Shinnston Summersville Webster Springs Welch Wellsburg Weston Westover White Sulphur Springs Williamson Williamstown

[edit] Metropolitan Statistical Areas

Charleston, WV MSA Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA Morgantown, WV MSA Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH MSA Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA

Wheeling, WV-OH MSA Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA Winchester, VA-WV MSA

[edit] Micropolitan Statistical Areas

Beckley, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Bluefield, WV-VA MSA Clarksburg, WV MSA

Fairmont, WV MSA Oak Hill, WV MSA Point Pleasant, WV-OH MSA

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in West Virginia

West Virginia has received low marks for reading and math skills at the eighth-grade level and ranked 51st in college education rates.^[36]

[edit] Colleges and universities

Further information: List of colleges and universities in West Virginia

Alderson-Broaddus College Appalachian Bible College Bethany College Bluefield State College Concord University Davis and Elkins College Fairmont State University Glenville State College Marshall University Mountain State University Ohio Valley University Salem International University

Shepherd University University of Charleston West Liberty State College West Virginia Northern Community College West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine West Virginia State University West Virginia University Potomac State College of West Virginia University West Virginia University Institute of Technology West Virginia University at Parkersburg West Virginia Wesleyan College Wheeling Jesuit University

[edit] Sports

Club	Sport	League
West Virginia Mountaineers	Football / Basketball	College Football / College Basketball
Marshall Thundering Herd	Football / Basketball	College Football / College Basketball
Bluefield Orioles	Baseball	Appalachian League
Princeton Devil Rays	Baseball	Appalachian League
West Virginia Power	Baseball	South Atlantic League
Wheeling Nailers	Ice hockey	ECHL
West Virginia Wild	Basketball	International Basketball League
Huntington Heroes	Indoor football	American Indoor Football Association
West Virginia Crash	Football	United States Football Alliance
Ohio Valley Greyhounds	Indoor football	United Indoor Football
West Virginia Chaos	Soccer	USL Premier Development League

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

West Virginia state insignia
Motto	Montani semper liberi (Latin, "Mountaineers are Always Free")
Slogan	"Wild and Wonderful" "Open for Business" (former) "Almost Heaven" (former)
Bird	Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Animal	Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Fish	Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Insect	European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Flower	Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
Tree	Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Song	"The West Virginia Hills" "This Is My West Virginia" "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home"
Quarter	Released in 2005
Butterfly	Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Reptile	Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Wildflower	Fringed Gentian (Gentiana crinita)
Colors	Old Gold and Blue
Gemstone	Silicified Mississippian Fossil Coral (Lithostrotionella)
Soil	Monongahela Silt Loam
Fruit	Golden Delicious Apple (Malus domestica)

The state has a rich, lush beauty reflecting its temperate topography. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge,^[37] Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and many state parks. The Greenbrier hotel and resort, originally built in 1778, has long been considered a premier hotel frequented by numerous world leaders and U.S. Presidents over the years. West Virginia is also home to the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

A common story told about West Virginia is the folktale about how it got the nickname "West, By God, Virginia". According to the legend, a West Virginia native who was being inducted into the US Army during the First World War (some versions make it as early as the Spanish-American War), was repeatedly asked by his induction officer, "What part of Virginia?" And the soldier, finally getting fed up with the confusion, said "Not Virginia! West Virginia! West, by God, Virginia!". This story, whether true or not, has entered American folklore, and it is not unusual to hear not only West Virginians themselves, but other Americans, refer to the state as "West, By God, Virginia";, or often as "West By-God", or sometimes simply as "By-God". Many West Virginians, when travelling outside the state, or when abroad, enjoy paying homage to the legend by referring to their home state in this manner.

[edit] Film

See also: List of television shows and movies in West Virginia

The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008): Partly set in fictional Somserset, West Virginia.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007): One scene is set in the fictional town of Middleton, West Virginia.

Rocket Science (film) (2007)

We Are Marshall (2006): set at Marshall University in Huntington. Filmed in Huntington, Kenova and Atlanta, Georgia.

Silent Hill (2006): adapted from the Konami video game series of the same name, this film is set in the fictional Toluca County, West Virginia.

Walk the Line (2005): Actors Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon played Johnny Cash and June Carter in a scene featuring Wheeling, West Virginia in which they talk to locals and perform a concert.

Bubble (2005): set and filmed in Belpre, Ohio and Parkersburg.

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004): set in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia.

Wrong Turn (2003): set in West Virginia, although the movie was filmed in Ontario, Canada.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002): set in Point Pleasant, but filmed in Pennsylvania.

October Sky (1999): set in Coalwood in McDowell County, but filmed in Tennessee.

Whatever (1998): independent film set within Northern New Jersey in the early 1980s, but filmed in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Partly filmed in Weirton, West Virginia.

Paradise Park (1990): set and filmed in West Virginia.

Matewan (1987): set in Matewan, filmed in Thurmond.

Reckless (1984): partially filmed in Weirton.

The Deer Hunter (1978): partially filmed in Weirton, but is set in Western Pennsylvania.

Fool's Parade (1971): set in 1930s West Virginia, filmed in Moundsville.

Holy Ghost People (1967): documentary on a congregation in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia.

The Night of the Hunter (1955): filmed in Moundsville and Hollywood.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of West Virginia

[edit] Appalachian music

West Virginia's folk heritage is a part of the Appalachian folk music tradition, and includes styles of fiddling, ballad singing, and other styles that draw on Scots-Irish music. Camp Washington-Carver, a Mountain Cultural Arts Center located at Clifftop in Fayette County, hosts an annual Appalachian String Band Festival.^[38] The Capitol Complex in Charleston hosts The Vandalia Gathering, where traditional Appalachian musicians compete in contests and play in impromptu jam sessions and evening concerts over the course of the weekend.^[39]

[edit] Classical music

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1939, as the Charleston Civic Orchestra, before becoming the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1943. The first conductor was William R. Wiant, followed by the prominent conductor Antonio Modarelli, who was written about in the November 7, 1949 Time Magazine for his composition of the River Saga, a six-section program piece about the Kanawha River according to the Charleston Gazette's November 6, 1999 photo essay, "Snapshots of the 20th Century".^[40] Prior to coming to Charleston, Modarelli had conducted the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, according to the orchestra's website.^[41]

[edit] Musical innovation

The West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston^[42] is home to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History^[43] which helps underwrite and coordinate a large number of musical activities. The Center is also home to Mountain Stage, the internationally broadcast live-performance music radio program established in 1983.^[44] The program also travels to other venues in the state such as the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in Morgantown.^[45]

The Center hosts concerts sponsored by the Friends of Old Time Music and Dance, which brings an assortment of acoustic roots music to West Virginians.^[46] The Center also hosts the West Virginia Dance Festival, which features classical and modern dance.^[47]

Huntington's historic Keith-Albee Theatre, built by brothers A.B. and S.J. Hyman, was originally opened to the public on May 7, 1928, and hosts a variety of performing arts and music attractions. The theatre was eventually gifted to Marshall University and is currently going through renovation to restore it to its original splendor.

The town of Glenville has long been home to the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival.^[48]

The Mountaineer Opera House in Milton hosts a variety of musical acts.

The Boston, Massachusetts band Big Wreck wrote a song titled "West Virginia".

[edit] See also

• List of West Virginia-related topics

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Find more about West Virginia on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
	Textbooks
	Quotations
	Source texts
	Images and media
	News stories
	Learning resources

State Government

• State of West Virginia government website
• West Virginia Legislature website
• Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia website
• Constitution of West Virginia
• West Virginia Code

U.S. Government

• Energy Profile for West Virginia- Economic, environmental, and energy data
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of West Virginia
• West Virginia State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Other

• Governor Joe Manchin III's website
• Visiting West Virginia
• West Virginia Archives and History

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Preceded by Kansas

List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on June 20, 1863 (35th)

Succeeded by Nevada

Coordinates: 39° N 80.5° W