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State of West Virginia
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Flag Of West Virginia
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Mountain State
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Montani Semper Liberi
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Charleston
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Robert C Byrd (D)<br /> Jay Rockefeller (D)
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US-WV
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West Virginia is one of the .
The state is noted for its great natural beauty, its historically significant
Logging and
Coal Mining industries, and its
Labor History . It is also well known as a tourist destination for those people interested in outdoor activities such as skiing, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, and hunting.
and
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians .]]
is often covered in clouds.]]
See Also: Geography of West Virginia
See Also: List of counties in West Virginia
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 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:
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 s,
Shale s,
Bituminous Coal beds, and
Limestone s 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.
The climate of West Virginia borders on a
Humid Subtropical Climate (
Koppen Climate Classification ''Cfa'') in the lower elevations of the extreme southwestern part of the state (including
Huntington ) and 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 . 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.
See Also: History of West Virginia
West Virginia's unique geography allowed for exploration from two concurrent directions and a duality of a "Border State".
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 .
, the first manager of the
Ohio Company of Virginia.]]
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 . Many settlers crossed the mountains after 1750, though they were hindered by Native American resistance. Presumably, few Native Americans lived within the present limits of the state, but the region was a common hunting ground, crossed also by many war trails. During the
French And Indian War the scattered 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 General 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 .
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.
See Also: West Virginia in the American Civil War
, a leader during the First
Wheeling Convention ]]
West Virginia is the only state in the Union to secede from another state,
Virginia , in U.S.
history. http://www.wvculture.org/history/statehood/statehood12.html " Chapter Twelve
"Reorganized Government of Virginia
Approves Separation" 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 StatesCharles Ambler "The History of West Virginia", 1933, pg. 309. 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 areaJ. McGregor "The Disruption of Virginia", pg. 193, 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. The
United States Constitution provides that no state may be divided without its consent. 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 OrdinanceRichard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 147.
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 delgates themselves, were never actually elected by public ballot to act on behalf of western Virginia C. Ambler "The History of West Virginia", pg. 318. 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 AssemblyVirgil Lewis "How West Virginia Was Made" pgs. 79-80 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"Charles Ambler "The History of West Virginia", pg. 318 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. Most of the affirmitive votes came from ten counties in the Wheeling areaRichard O. Curry "A House Divided", pgs. 141-152. 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 voteRichard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 149. 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 soldiersJ. McGregor "The Disruption of Virginia", pg. 270. 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 RichmondRichard O. Curry "A House Divided" map, pg. 49. Votes recorded from Secession counties were mostly cast in the northwest by Unionist refugees from those countiesRichard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 86. 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 .
(as it appears today) changed hands a dozen times during the
American Civil War .]]
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. 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.
,
Romney .]]
The question of the constitutionality of the formation of the new state was brought before the 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.
Virginia v. West Virginia, 78 U.S. 39 (1870)
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, 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 amount of soldiers to the Federal and Confederate governments
{Link without Title} , approximately 22-25,000 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 votesCharles Ambler "Disfranchisement in West Virginia", Yale Review, 1905, pg. 41. 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.
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, however. It was one that would fuel much of the .
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
Railroad s 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.
Geologist s 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 as well. 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 as well. The VGN and the N&W) ultimately became parts of the modern
Norfolk Southern system, and the VGN's well-engineered 20th century tracks continue to offer a favorable gradient to Hampton Roads.
As coal mining and related work became a 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 were challenging to the state whose coal continued 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 ..
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The
Center Of Population of West Virginia is located in
Braxton County , in the town of
Gassaway {Link without Title} .
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%) (Most 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.
See Also: Economy of West Virginia
The economy of West Virginia is one of the most fragile of any and
Mississippi . It also ranks last in median household income.
The proportion of West Virginia's adult population with a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the U.S. at 15.3%. [http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank19.html
One of the major resources in West Virginia's economy is
Coal . West Virginia also engaged in oil drilling, but currently only has a few small to medium sized oil and natural gas fields. 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 five 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.
{Link without Title}
West Virginia counties administer and collect . 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.
.]]
.]]
.]]
See Also: 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.
West Virginia Department of Transportation, accessed 9 June 2006 Airports, railroads, and rivers complete the commercial transportation modes for West Virginia. Commercial air travel is facilitated by airports in Charleston, Huntington, Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Morgantown, 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 .
Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, accessed 6 June 2006 )
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, 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 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 decker cars. 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.
See Also: 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.
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.
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.
West Virginia is one of twelve 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.
See Also: Politics of West Virginia
West Virginia's politics are largely dominated by the
Democratic Party as Democrats dominate most local and state offices. West Virginia also has a very strong tradition of union membership. While the state continued its Democratic tradition by supporting
Bill Clinton by large margins in 1992 and 1996, a majority of West Virginia voters supported
George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Bush won the state's five electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 13 percentage points with 56.1% of the vote.
The most consistent support for Democrats is found in the
Coal Field s 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.
See Also: Education in West Virginia
See Also: Sports in West Virginia
The state has a rich, lush beauty reflecting its temperate ,
2006 .
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and many
State Park s.
The Greenbrier Hotel and
Resort , originally built in 1778, has long been considered a premier hotel frequented by numerous world leaders and
U.S. President s 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.
See Also: List of television shows and movies in West Virginia
'' and
Hollywood .
''
Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! '' (2004): set in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia.
''
Live Free Or Die Hard '' (2007): One scene is set in Middleton, West Virginia.
''
Walk The Line '' (2005): Actors Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon played Johnny Cash and June Cater in a scene featuring Wheeling, West Virginia in which they talk to locals and perform a concert.
'' video game series of the same name, this film is set in the fictional Toluca County, West Virginia.
''.
'' in
Huntington . Filmed in Huntington and
Atlanta ,
Georgia .
'',
Canada .
'' and
Parkersburg .
'', but filmed in
Pennsylvania .
'' in
McDowell County , but filmed in
Tennessee .
'', filmed in
Thurmond .
''.
'', but is set in Western Pennsylvania.
''.
''
Holy Ghost People '' (1967): documentary on a congregation in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia.
''
The Silence Of The Lambs '' (1991): Partly filmed in Weirton, West Virginia.
See Also: Music of West Virginia
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
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 [http://www.wvculture.org/vandalia/ .
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 and the
Philadelphia Orchestra , according to the orchestra's website.
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The West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston
West Virginia Cultural Center accessed ,
2006 .
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.A list of events can be found on the FOOTMAD website
The Center also hosts the West Virginia Dance Festival, which features classical and modern dance.[http://www.wvculture.org/dance/index.html West Virginia Dance Festival , accessed
January 20 ,
2006 .
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.
{Link without Title}
The Mountaineer Opera House in
Milton hosts a variety of musical acts.
- Charles H. Ambler, ''A History of Education in West Virginia From Early Colonial Times to 1949 '' (1951)
- Charles H. Ambler and Festus P. Summers. ''West Virginia, the Mountain State'' (1958)
- Jane S. Becker, ''Inventing Tradition: Appalachia and the Construction of an American Folk, 1930-1940'' 1998.
- Richard A. Brisbin, et al. ''West Virginia Politics and Government'' (1996)
- James Morton Callahan, ''History of West Virginia'' (1923) 3 vol
- John C. Campbell, ''The Southern Highlander and His Homeland'' (1921)reissued 1969.
- Richard Orr Curry, ''A House Divided: A Study of Statehood Politics and Copperhead Movement in West Virginia'' (1964)
- Donald Edward Davis. ''Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians'' 2000.
- Ronald D, Eller. ''Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers: Industrialization of the Appalachian South, 1880–1930'' 1982.
- Carl E. Feather, ''Mountain People in a Flat Land: A Popular History of Appalachian Migration to Northeast Ohio, 1940–1965''. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1998.
- Thomas R. Ford ed. ''The Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey''. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1967.
- Horace Kephart, ''Our Southern Highlanders''. Rev. ed. New York: Macmillan, 1922. Reprinted as ''Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life among the Mountaineers'' . With an Introduction by George Ellison. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1976.
- Gerald Milnes, ''Play of a Fiddle: Traditional Music, Dance, and Folklore in West Virginia.'' Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1999.
- Otis K. Rice, ''The Allegheny Frontier: West Virginia Beginnings, 1730-1830'' (1970),
- Otis K. Rice and Stephen W. Brown, ''West Virginia: A History'', 2d ed. ( Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1993), standard
- Curtis Seltzer, ''Fire in the Hole: Miners and Managers in the American Coal Industry'' (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1985), conflict in the coal industry to the 1980s.
- Joe William Trotter Jr., ''Coal, Class, and Color: Blacks in Southern West Virginia, 1915-32'' (1990)
- John Alexander Williams, ''West Virginia: A History for Beginners''. 2nd ed. Charleston, W.Va.: Appalachian Editions, 1997.
- John Alexander Williams. ''West Virginia: A Bicentennial History'' (1976)
- John Alexander Williams. ''West Virginia and the Captains of Industry'' 1976.
- John Alexander Williams. ''Appalachia: A History'' (2002)
- Elizabeth Cometti, and Festus P. Summers. ''The Thirty-fifth State: A Documentary History of West Virginia''. Morgantown: West Virginia University Library, 1966.
