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About West
Virginia (WV) State
HISTORY
In 1671, the Royal Governor William Berkeley of the Virginia Colony sent General
Abram Wood out with an exploring party. Along their journey, General Wood and
his party discovered Kanawha Falls, which became the first settlement of what
would later become the State of West Virginia. From that time, until the
American Civil War, West Virginia would share much of its history with Virginia.
As a result of its disassociation from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1861,
West Virginia became a separate state of the Union on June 20, 1863. Disputes
concerning debts and borders continued to plague both states for several years
to come. In fact, discrepancies about the exact boundaries between Loudoun
County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia were still in question well
into the 20th Century.
During the 1870’s, the new state experienced a massive industrial expansion,
which lured thousands of African Americans and European immigrants to the area.
The region’s natural mineral resources, such as coal, natural gas, oil and salt,
provided lucrative outlets to fuel the economy. With the arrival and subsequent
expansion of railroads throughout WV, substantial quantities of coal became
available for export to various U.S. markets, subsequently providing a major
source of employment. Today, West Virginia produces 15% of the nation’s total
coal production, ranking it second in the United States.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to data from Census 2000, West Virginia reported a population of
1,815,354 individuals. The Capital City of Charleston accounts for 53,421 of
this total. In 2005, estimates show the WV population as 1,816,856, which is an
increase of 4,308 residents or 0.2% from the 2004 and an increase of 8,506 since
the 2000 Census. This includes a natural decline of 3,296 people since the last
census (108,292 births minus 111,588 deaths) and a growth of 14,209 individuals
from net migration into WV. Foreign immigration accounts for a net increase of
3,691, while migration from within the United States produced a net growth of
10,518 residents.
At 1.1%, West Virginia ranks last among the 50 states for its percentage of
residents born in a foreign country. WV also hosts the lowest percentage of
residents who speak any language other than English in their homes (2.7%).
West Virginia’s five largest groups of ancestry include American (23.2%), German
(17.2%), Irish (13.5%), English (12%) and Italian (4.8%). The largest reported
ancestry in West Virginia is American. It is also the largest reported ancestry
throughout the majority of WV’s counties. West Virginia has the highest
percentage of citizens with “American ancestry” in the United States and this
category often includes the Scots-Irish heritage. The northeastern counties in
WV host significant concentrations of residents with German ancestry.
GEOGRAPHY
West Virginia consists of more than 24,000 square miles, with major urban
areas that include Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Clarksburg, Fairmont,
Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg and Wheeling. WV shares its borders with
Pennsylvania in the north, Ohio in the north and west, Kentucky in the west,
Maryland in the north and east and Virginia in the east and south. Both the Ohio
and Potomac rivers define portions of WV’s boundaries.
Nicknamed the “Mountain State”, West Virginia is the only state in which all
areas are mountainous and whose borders lie entirely within the Appalachian
Mountain Range. Formed more than 300 million years ago, the majestic Appalachian
Mountains are among the oldest mountains on earth. The Allegheny Plateau and
Cumberland Plateau encompass nearly 75% of the state. Most areas in the plateau
regions are exceptionally coarse and hilly. At 4,861 feet, Spruce Knob is WV’s
highest point, while the Potomac River, at 240 feet is the state’s lowest point.
West Virginia’s native vegetation includes the American sycamore, beech,
chestnut, maple, oak, white pine and willow, with most of the state considered a
mixed mesophytic forest ecoregion. Bituminous coal beds, limestone, sandstone
and shales make up the underlying rock strata. The diverse rock strata results
from the repetitive rise and fall of the sea level during the Mississipian and
Pennsylvanian eras.ECONOMY
West Virginia holds one of the nation’s most fragile economic situations.
U.S. Census Bureau information ranks WV as the nation’s 3rd lowest in per capita
income, with only
Arkansas and Mississippi ranking lower. West Virginia also occupies the
nation’s lowest position for annual median household income. Industrial profits
include the outputs from chemical products, clay, glass, mining, primary metals
and stone. WV’s considerable natural resources provide the basis for the
chemical, glass and high-tech industries prevalent within the state. WV also
plays a primary role in country’s production of aluminum, chemical manufactures,
glass and steel.
The mountainous beauty of West Virginia helps to boost the economy through
tourism. WV boasts more than one million acres dedicated to the preservation of
its thirty-seven state parks and recreation areas, nine state forests and two
national forests. Popular tourist destinations include Berkeley Springs, Cass
Scenic Railroad State Park, the Green Bank Telescope, Greenbrier Resort, Harpers
Ferry, New River Gorge and a variety of local wineries. The stunning historic
homes found in the Eastern Panhandle region of WV also attract numerous visitors
to the state each year.
AGRICULTURE
Despite the predominately rural atmosphere of West Virginia, the rugged,
mountainous terrain discourages farming except on a limited basis. Fertile
farming land exists on some small plateaus, river-bottom land and in the
northern portion of the Valley of Virginia. The leading agricultural commodities
grown within the state include apples, peaches, hay, corn and tobacco.
Additional products are broiler chickens, cattle and dairy products.
EDUCATION
West Virginia hosts an excellent State College System with numerous campuses
spread throughout the state. Residents have a myriad of public and private
colleges and universities from which to choose. The State of West Virginia
Promise Scholarship (Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-state
Student Excellence) is a merit-based scholarship program making college
affordable through merit- based scholarships. WV’s fine opportunities for higher
learning include facilities such as Concord University, Fairmont State
University, Ohio Valley College, the University of Charleston and West Virginia
State University. Just over 15% of WV’s adult population holds a bachelor’s
degree or higher.
< Main West Viginia
Profile Page
City Information (West Virginia State)
Beckley | Berkeley Springs |
Buckhannon | Clarksburg |
Charleston | Charles Town
Elizabeth | Fairmont | Fayetteville |
Franklin | Glenville |
Grantsville |
Harpers Ferry | Harrisville
| Huntington | Kingwood |
Lewisburg | Madison |
Marlinton | Martinsburg | Morgantown |
New Cumberland | New Martinsville |
Parkersburg | Parsons | Petersburg Pineville |
Princeton | Shepherdstown |
St. Marys | Summersville | Union |
Wayne | Webster Springs |
Wellsburg | West
Union | Wheeling
Counties in West Virginia State
Barbour | Berkeley |
Boone |
Braxton | Brooke | Cabell |
Calhoun | Clay |
Doddridge | Fayette |
Gilmer |
Grant | Greenbrier | Hampshire |
Hancock | Hardy |
Harrison | Jackson
Jefferson | Kanawha | Lewis |
Lincoln | Logan |
Marion | Marshall |
Mason |
McDowell | Mercer | Mineral |
Mingo | Monongalia |
Monroe | Morgan |
Nicholas |
Ohio | Pendleton | Pleasants |
Pocahontas | Preston |
Putnam | Raleigh |
Randolph | Ritchie | Roane |
Summers | Taylor |
Tucker | Tyler |
Upshur | Wayne
| Webster | Wetzel |
Wirt | Wood |
Wyoming
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tractor trailer accident - please do not delay in contacting us.
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