West Virginia

West Virginia

(In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: Mountain State
Other U.S. States
Capital	Charleston
Largest City	Charleston
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water  - % water	Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 62,436 km² 376 km² 0.6%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 37th 1,808,344 28.8/km²
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	35th June 20, 1863
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Latitude Longitude	37°10'N to 40°40'N 77°40'W to 82°40'W
Width Length Elevation   -Highest   -Mean   -Lowest	210 km 385 km   1,482 meters 455 meters 73 meters
ISO 3166-2:	US-WV

West Virginia is a state of the United States, known as The Mountain State.

While many consider it part of the South, many in the state's Northern Panhandle are probably emotionally closer to Pittsburgh, while those in the Eastern Panhandle are probably emotionally closer to Washington D.C.. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War. The state is noted for its coal mining heritage, and union organizing mine wars in particular.

The state has a rich, stark beauty reflecting its topography. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge (where on Bridge Day the federal government, which controls the landing site, allows parachuting from the bridge), as well as many national and state parks. It is also home to the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The US Navy has named a series of ships USS West Virginia in honor of this state.

History

West Virginia is the only American state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War. Originally the western part of the state of Virginia, considerable dissatisfaction over the control of the state existed between those in the western part of the state, and plantation owners in the plains and tidewater regions. Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War and the seccession of Virginia from the union, the western counties of the state in turn seceded from Virginia on April 27, 1861. Representatives of these western counties formed a reformed government for Virginia based in Wheeling. This reformed government authorized the creation of the state of West Virginia, which was admitted to the union in 1863, following Abraham Lincoln's signing of an act on December 31, 1862 that authorized this.

Law and Government

The capital is Charleston, in the south west area of the state.

The legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and a Senate. Legislators are not full-time, but part-time. Consequently, the legislators hold a full-time job in their community of residence, which stands in stark contrast to the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio.

Typically, the legislature is in session between January and early April. The remainder of the year sees legislators gathering periodically for interim meetings to discuss issues which will see debate during the next regular session.

The governor is elected every four years, on the same day as the president, sworn in during January.

Geography

See: List of West Virginia counties

It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, by Ohio and Kentucky to the west, and by Virginia to the east. The Ohio River and the Potomac River form parts of the boundaries.

Demographics

The population as of 2000 is 1,808,344.

As of 2000, West Virginia was probably the US state least affected by immigration. Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in that statistic. It was also last in the country in percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%).

Important Cities and Towns

Beckley Bluefield Charleston Clarksburg Cross Lanes Elkins Fairmont Huntington Martinsburg

Morgantown Moundsville Parkersburg St. Albans South Charleston Teays Valley Vienna Weirton Wheeling

Education

Colleges and Universities

Professional Sports Teams

Princeton Devil Rays Charleston Alley Cats

The minor league hockey team is:

• Wheeling Nailers

Miscellaneous Information

• State animal: Black Bear
• State bird: Cardinal
• State butterfly: Monarch Butterfly
• State colors: Blue and Gold
• State flower: Rhododendron
• State fruit: Golden Delicious Apple
• State gem: Fossil coral
• State insect: Honeybee
• State soil: Monongahela silt loam
• State tree: Sugar Maple

External Links

• http://www.wv.gov
• Ohio Valley Roads

Referenced By