The state has the nickname Mountain State and the Heraldic motto - Mountaineers are always free. The state capital is the city of Charleston.

Location. Located in the eastern South Atlantic region, West Virginia's size is 41st among the 50 states. The total area of ​​West Virginia is 24,231 sq. miles (62,758 sq. km), including 24,119 sq. miles (62,468 sq. km) of land and 112 sq. km. miles (290 sq. km) of water. West Virginia borders Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky. The total length of West Virginia's borders is 1,180 miles (1,899 km). The state has no access to the ocean.

Topography. 80 percent of the state is mountainous. The state's average elevation is 1,500 feet (458 m), higher than any state east of the Mississippi River. Highest point, Mount Rogers, 4,861 feet (1,483 m) above sea level. It is noteworthy that the state of West Virginia does not have any natural lakes.

West Virginia has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Annual temperatures in West Virginia range from 56°f (13°c) in the southwest to 48°f (9°c) in higher areas. The annual average temperature is 53°f (12°c). Prevailing winds are from the south and west, rarely reaching tornado or hurricane strength. In Charleston, annual precipitation is approximately 42.9 in (108 cm).

West Virginia State Symbols

Coat of Arms: Farmer positioned to the right and miner to the left of a huge ivy-draped rock bearing the date of West Virginia's entry into the United States. In front of the rock are the rifles of two hunters wearing a cap. The state heraldic motto is below and the words "State of West Virginia" above.

Flag: bounded by a white field with a blue stripe, with the coat of arms in the center, around which rhododendron branches curl; across the coat of arms are the words "State of West Virginia."

Official seal: same as coat of arms.

Population. West Virginia had the 37th largest population in the United States with an estimated total of 1,816,856 in 2005. The population is projected to decrease to 1.76 million by 2025. The population density in 2004 was 75.4 people per square meter. m.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows West Virginia's population to be 1,850,326 as of July 1, 2014, showing a 0.14% decrease since the 2010 Census. West Virginia has the 37th largest population in the United States. The population is projected to decrease to 1.76 million by 2025. The population density in 2004 was 75.4 people per square meter. m.

The 2012 Nominal Well-Being Index ranked West Virginia as the unhappiest state in the United States.

Racial composition of the population in the state:

93.2% of the population are White
3.4% Black or African American
0.2% American Indians and Alaska Natives
0.7% Asian American.

Only 1.1% of the state's residents are foreign-born, ranking last among the 50 states for this indicator. West Virginia also has the lowest percentage of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2.7%).

22.3 percent of West Virginia's population is under 18 years of age and 15.3 percent are 65 or older. Women make up approximately 51.4% of the population.

The share of West Virginia adults with a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the United States at 17.3%.

The United Methodist Church has the largest following with 136,000 members in 1,200 congregations. The second largest is the American Baptist Church USA with 88,000 members and 381 congregations. The Southern Baptist Church has 44,000 members and 287 congregations. The Church of Christ has 22,000 members. Presbyterian Church 200 congregations and 20,000 members.

Flora and fauna. With diverse topography and climate, West Virginia provides natural habitat for more than 3,200 species of flora and fauna. Oak, maple, poplar, walnut, hickory, birch, as well as hemlock, pine, and spruce are common forest trees. Rhododendron, laurel, dogwood, willow, and more than 200 flowering trees and bushes. Rare varieties include blueberry and clover.

West Virginia's fauna includes 56 species of mammals and more than 300 species of birds. Deer and black bear (both federally protected); Raccoons, skunks, woodchucks, opossums, gray and red foxes, squirrels, and rabbits remain numerous.

Economy of West Virginia

West Virginia's economy is the 62nd largest globally, according to the World Bank, and the 64th largest, according to the International Monetary Fund. The state of West Virginia has a nominal state GDP of $63.34 billion. The state's real GDP growth is 7% and was the seventh best in the United States in 2009. West Virginia was one of ten US states that showed economic growth in 2009.

While per capita income fell 2.6% nationally in 2009, West Virginia posted a 1.8% increase. During the first half of 2010, exports from West Virginia exceeded $3 billion, an increase of 39.5% over the same period the previous year.

The city of Morgantown is ranked by Forbes as one of the best cities in the United States for business. The city of Morgantown is also home to West Virginia University, which is ranked in the top 95 public universities according to the 2011 U.S. News & World Report.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Statistics, West Virginia's economy grew twice as fast in 2014, ranking third alongside Wyoming and North Dakota and Texas.

A mountain state nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia attracts with its caves, slopes and mountain rivers. The state is known for its numerous karst caves, which are of great interest to speleologists. The mountainous terrain provides opportunities for skiing, rock climbing, and mountain biking. The abundance of forests and clean mountain rivers attracts hunters and trout fishermen here.

By the way, nature has decreed that these places are today the most karst region in the world.

The mountainous terrain provides opportunities for skiing, rock climbing, and mountain biking. The abundance of forests and clean mountain rivers attracts hunters and trout fishermen here.

The capital of West Virginia and the state's most populous city, Charleston is one of the quietest cities in the United States, where life moves slowly and the townspeople are welcoming and friendly. Other large cities in the state are Huntington, Parkersburg, Morgantown, Wheeling.

How to get there

Flight time Moscow - Charleston - from 20 hours. During your trip, you will have two transfers, and not all routes have the same airport of arrival and departure, so in this case you need to take care of transfers between airports in advance.

Search for flights to Charleston (closest airport to West Virginia)

Upon arrival in the state, you can rent a car. However, it should be taken into account that the roads here, although good, are mostly mountainous, and if you do not have experience driving in the mountains, it will be more pleasant and comfortable for you to use local buses.

Weather in West Virginia

Much of West Virginia has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cool winters. In the southwest of the state (in the Ohio Valley) and in the east (behind the Allegheny Mountains) the climate is hotter, subtropical, and in the mountainous regions, on the contrary, it is colder. The average temperature in January is 0 °C. The average July temperature is +23 °C. This climate increases the attractiveness of the state for travelers, especially since, despite the mountainous terrain, snowfalls in West Virginia are infrequent, fog accumulates only in some places in the valleys, and tornadoes avoid these places.

Entertainment, excursions, attractions

This state is very interesting not only for tourists, but also for the residents of the country themselves. On the road to West Virginia, you can pass through the amazing Willing, a city with a rich history, and then move high into the mountains to the Golden Palace and the Hare Krishna Temple. After a long climb, the golden domes of the palace will suddenly shine in the sky before your eyes. The amazing stained glass windows, the wealth and splendor of the Temple Palace and its amazing history will not leave anyone indifferent.

West Virginia - Almost Heaven

The famous New River Bridge is considered one of the most famous landmarks in West Virginia and a masterpiece of engineering art. The 518 m long arched bridge seems to float above the gorge at an altitude of 267 m. To understand the grandeur and beauty of what was once the largest arched bridge in the world, you need to see it with your own eyes. And the landscape stretching around, the mountain air and the amazing feeling of flight will take anyone’s breath away!

The famous New River Bridge is considered one of the most famous landmarks in West Virginia and a masterpiece of engineering art.

Historical landmarks

There is no doubt that every year West Virginia attracts more and more interest with its places that allow tourists to walk not only along the Appalachian mountain trails, but also through the pages of the country's history. It is worth visiting the historic town of Harpers Ferry with its many festivals and museums dedicated to the history of slavery and the US Civil War (it was here that John Brown's Rebellion began in 1859), visiting Charleston - the base of the US Symphony Orchestra and the cultural center of the state - with its building The state's capitol or oldest city is Lewisburg with its many historic buildings.

Charleston has about fifty attractions included in the US National Register of Historic Places, which is a lot for such a small city. Many buildings are a hundred years old or more. But there are very few high-rise buildings here, about two dozen, and they do not give the impression of skyscrapers: the tallest is the 30-story Capitol - 89 m.

Harpers Ferry National Park has restored many of the city's buildings to the same condition they were in in the 1950s, when the city's entire population was 3,600. The park rangers will provide you with maps of the area, tell you about the most important and interesting things, and invite you on a free one-hour or one-and-a-half-hour excursion. If you are driving, you can park at the visitor center. A bus will take you to the restored old town (and back).

The park is open daily from 8.00 to 17.00. 10 USD per car, 5 USD per pedestrian or cyclist.

Harpers Ferry

Lewisburg is the nicest small town in America, according to recent polls. This fairy-tale town is amazing with unique shops and a variety of festivals that are amazingly integrated into the historical setting. Be sure to stroll through the historic city center here, stay in one of the historic hotels, and discover amazing art galleries, restaurants, street cafes, antique shops and fashionable clothing boutiques. And don't forget your camera - it's a shame not to capture one of the best cities in the United States, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

If you find yourself in Lewisburg in April, be sure to taste the delights of the sweetest festival in the states - the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival. Here you will find a variety of attractions and entertainment, games, master classes, live music and, of course, tastings. By the way, a ticket to the festival costs only 1 USD.

Natural attractions

Outdoor recreation in West Virginia inevitably involves sports recreation: mountaineering, caving, rafting, kayaking and hiking, fishing, skiing, snowboarding and other sports. Here you can go rafting down the New River Gorge, visit the Monongahela Forest Preserve in the eastern part of the state, or any of the four other national parks scattered throughout the state.

Golf lovers will undoubtedly appreciate the local courses - some of the best in the States.

Of course, the center of the state's sporting and tourism activity is the Blue Ridge Mountains, the highest part of the Appalachian Mountains. Special routes and roads have been created here with observation platforms, picturesque turns, winding from the tops of mountains into unexpected lowlands, flying over gorges and rapids, bifurcating to allow you to get closer to waterfalls and other mountain delights. You are sure to find yourself at a place where the Potomac River flows through the Blue Ridge Range, presenting perhaps one of the most amazing scenes in nature. You stand on a very high place. The Shenandoah River approaches to your right, running a hundred miles along the base of the mountain in search of an outcome. To the left, also in search of a passage, the Potomac approaches. Having merged, they hit the rocks and, breaking into pieces, are carried away to the sea. Being here on the top of the mountain, you understand that such a spectacle is worth crossing the Atlantic for.

Prices on the page are as of August 2018.

West Virginia, a state in the South Atlantic States, is located in the eastern United States. Area 62.8 thousand km 2. Population 1.8 million people (2004). The administrative center is Charleston. Large cities: Huntington, Wheeling, Morgantown.

It borders on the north with the state of Pennsylvania, on the east with the states of Maryland and Virginia, and on the west with the states of Kentucky and Ohio.

Located in the Appalachian mountain system (the highest point is Spruce Knob), the terrain is predominantly mountainous (called the “mountain state”). Most of the territory is occupied by forests. Main rivers: Kanawha River, Potomac, Monongahela River.

The climate is continental, moderately humid. Floods are frequent.

Significant reserves of coal, natural gas, oil, salt and other minerals. The mining industry is developed, concentrated mainly in the Monongahela River valley and south of the Kanova River valley, the chemical industry (mineral processing, production of plastics, mineral fertilizers), and metallurgy.

Two thirds of all residents are employed in agriculture (livestock farming, poultry farming, growing apples, peaches, corn, tobacco). Tourism. State University in Morgantown (there is an arboretum), University in Huntington. A symphony orchestra, large medical centers, a Jesuit college are in Wheeling.

In the north of the state, ancient mounds have been preserved; these earthen structures were made by representatives of the Aden Indian culture. The first settlement of Bunker Hill was founded in 1726 by a native of Wales, M. Morgan. In 1727, German settlers founded the settlement of New Mecklenburg (now Shepherdstown) on the right bank of the Potomac River. The Germans from Pennsylvania became true pioneers in the development of the region, and a little later they were joined by immigrants from Northern Ireland. At the end of the 18th century, the cities of Wheeling (1769), Point Pleasant (Point Pleasant, 1774), Parkersburg (Parkersburg, 1785), Charleston (1788, founded as Fort Lee) appeared. For a long time, West Virginia was part of the Virginia Colony. Residents petitioned Congress to give them the right to secede from Virginia. By the beginning of the 19th century, the need for such a division became obvious: the east gravitated towards the southern slave states, and the west shared the ideas of the North. In 1862, western Virginians voted to secede, elected a governor, and named their state Kanawha. In 1863, Canova became part of the United States under the name West Virginia. Wheeling had the status of capital in 1862-1870 and in 1875-1885, and Charleston became the capital in 1870.

West Virginia's intense industrial development stems from mineral exploration and railroad construction that began in the 1890s. Since the early 20th century, mining has become a leading industry (in the Monongahela River Valley and south of the Canova River Valley). The 1940-1960s were the most intensive period of development of the coal industry (first place in the United States in coal production). The mid-1980s saw an economic downturn that led to the nation's highest unemployment rate (16%). In the 1990s, the state's economy experienced an upturn due to the increasing role of coal as an energy source.

A native of the state is J.D. Rockefeller IV, elected to the Senate in 1984.

Attractions include: West Virginia Independence Hall, Racetrack (Wheeling), Suspension Bridge (Wheeling, 1849).

West Virginia State Map:

West Virginia is a state in the southeastern United States, one of the so-called South Atlantic states (the only state in this group that does not have access to the Atlantic Ocean). The population in 2003 was 1.810 million (in 2000 it was 1.808 million - 37th in the United States). The capital and largest city is Charleston. Other major cities are Huntington, Wheeling and Morgantown.

The official nickname is "Mountain State". Montani's motto is Semper liberi (“Mountains are always free”).

Year of formation: 1863 (35th in order)
State slogan: Mountains are always free
Formal name: State of West Virginia
State's largest city: Charleston
State capital: Charleston
Population: more than 1.8 million people (37th place in the country).
Area: 62 thousand sq. km. (41st place in the country).
More large cities in the state: Other major cities: Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Morgantown

Geography and climate

The area of ​​the state is 62.8 thousand km² (41st place among states). West Virginia is bordered in the north by Pennsylvania, in the east by Maryland and Virginia, and in the west by Kentucky and Ohio. The territory of West Virginia is located in the Appalachian system (the highest point is Spruce Knob). The Appalachian Plateau covers about 60% of the state's area and is generally mountainous.

The largest rivers are Kanova, Potomac and Monongahela. About 80% of the state is covered by forests.

The climate is continental, moderately humid, and floods are common.

Story

In ancient times, the Adena Indian culture was developed in West Virginia, from which ritual mounds remain in the north of the state. By the beginning of the 17th century. The Cherokee, Delaware, Shawnee and Susquehanna tribes lived here.

The first European settlers in the territory of the future state of West Virginia are considered to be British Colonel Morgan Morgan, a Welshman by birth who founded a colony on the Mill Creek River in 1726, fur trader John Van Meter and a group of German settlers who created the settlement of New Mecklenburg on the right bank of the Potomac ( (now the city of Shepherdstown). Among the Europeans who settled here in the middle of the 18th century, immigrants from Scotland, Ireland and various German principalities predominated.

Thomas Lee, first manager of the Ohio Company.

Between 1748 and 1751 This area was explored by George Washington, then a junior Virginia militia officer, who noted in his notes that there were already many immigrant farms of predominantly German origin in the upper Potomac River. At the same time, emissaries of the Ohio Company, created in Virginia to organize new colonies in the Ohio River basin, appeared here. Although local Indians resisted the invasion of white settlers from the east, the flow of immigrants increased. Almost all of them were destroyed or expelled during the French and Indian War that soon broke out.

After the war, the settlement of the territory of the future state by the British resumed. In 1769, the city of Wheeling appeared on the territory of the province, in 1774 - Point Pleasant, in 1785 - Parkersburg, in 1788 - Charleston.

Initially, West Virginia was closely associated with neighboring Virginia, of which it was part for some time. But already in 1776, the settlers of western Virginia petitioned Congress to allow them to create their own government bodies. If the residents of eastern Virginia gravitated more towards the American South, then the West Virginians felt their community with the northern states.

After the outbreak of the Civil War, a majority of state convention delegates voted in Richmond to secede from the Union. However, delegates from the northwestern regions at a separate conference in June 1861 elected their own governor. In October 1862, West Virginians voted in a referendum to create their own state called Canova, with its capital in Wheeling. In April 1862, the state constitution was adopted, and on June 20, 1863, it officially became part of the United States under its current name, becoming the 35th state. The state constitution was adopted in 1872.

In the periods from 1862 to 1870 and from 1875 to 1885, the state capital was Wheeling, in 1870 this status passed to Charleston. The state's rapid industrial development occurred in the last decades of the 20th century, which was associated with the development of mineral deposits and the construction of railways. The leading sector of the economy has been and continues to be the mining industry. The most intensive periods of development of the coal industry occurred between 1910 and 1970 (West Virginia ranked first in the country in coal production).

Official name: State of West Virginia (WV)
Capital: Charleston
Largest city: Charleston

Other major cities: Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Morgantown

State nicknames: Mountain State

State motto: The mountains are always free

State formation date: 1863 (35th in order)

The name of the state of West Virginia, as well as the state of Virginia, of which West Virginia was previously a part, was given in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland. It was during the reign of Elizabeth I, who never married and was therefore called the "Virgin Queen" ( The Virgin Queen), the first English settlement in America was founded, from which the province of Virginia, the states of Virginia and West Virginia later grew.
“The mountains are always free,” says the motto of this American state. It simultaneously emphasizes both the features of the relief and the love of freedom of the inhabitants - they once achieved independence from neighboring Virginia. The state's nickname matches its motto, The Mountain State. West Virginia is called "the southernmost state in the North, the northernmost state in the South, the easternmost state in the West, and the westernmost state in the East."
West Virginia is a state in the southeastern United States, one of the so-called South Atlantic states (the only state in this group that does not have access to the Atlantic Ocean). More than 60 percent of the state is occupied by the Apalachee Mountains. In the north, West Virginia has a border with Pennsylvania, in the east the state borders with Maryland and Virginia, in the west it borders with the states of Kentucky and Ohio. The climate in the state is continental, moderately humid, and floods are common.
The main sector of the state's economy remains the mining industry. Coal is not the only mineral that can be mined in West Virginia. So, in 1928, a diamond weighing 34.48 carats was discovered here, which received its own name “The Jones Diamond”. It was the largest diamond discovered in sand deposits in the United States. But this was an isolated incident, and the “diamond rush” never began in the state.

State Population

The state's population in 2003 was 1.810 million people (in 2011 it was 1,855,364 - 37th in the USA). The average population density in the state is about 30 people per km 2 (twenty-ninth in the USA). West Virginia's largest city is its capital, Charleston, which is home to more than 50,000 people.
Among West Virginians, only about 1.1% are not native to the United States, the lowest percentage of any U.S. state. The state also has the fewest people whose first language is not English, at just 2.7%.

Racial composition of the state of West Virginia

• White - 93.9%
• Black - 3.4%
• Asians - 0.7%
• Native Americans (Indians or Alaskan Eskimos) - 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian or Oceanian - less than 0.1%
• Other races - 0.3%
• Two or more races - 1.5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) - 1.2%

Largest Ethnic (National) Groups Among the Population of West Virginia

• English - 35.2%
• Germans - 17.2%
• Irish - 8%
• Scots - Irish (Ulster Scots) - 5%
• Italians - 4.8%

History of the State of West Virginia

The territory of the modern state was inhabited by Indians belonging to the Mound Builder culture. Their main occupation was agriculture, they grew corn, sunflowers, beans, pumpkins and raised turkeys. By the time the first Europeans appeared on the lands of West Virginia, Indians of the Kanova, Shawnee, Susquehannock and others peoples lived here.

The first European settler in the state was in 1726 British Colonel Morgan Morgan, a Welshman by birth, who founded a colony on the Mill Creek River. A year later, a group of German settlers created the settlement of New Mecklenburg (now the city of Shepherdstown) on the right bank of the Potomac. Among the Europeans who settled here in the middle of the 18th century, immigrants from Scotland, Ireland and various German principalities predominated.
Between 1748 and 1751 This area was explored by George Washington, then a junior Virginia militia officer, who noted in his notes that there were already many immigrant farms of predominantly German origin in the upper Potomac River. That is why on the map of modern West Virginia there are many names of German origin: Parkersburg, Petersburg, Clarksburg Although local Indians resisted the invasion of white settlers from the east, the flow of immigrants grew.
The indigenous inhabitants of these places, the Indians, resisted the invaders. The Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, when the Virginia governor's troops crossed the mountains and, with the support of local white settlers, defeated an army of Shawnee warriors, occupies an important place in the history of the state. The Indians failed to unite into an alliance, were quickly defeated and later expelled to reservations or assimilated. Now their number in the state is insignificant.
Initially, West Virginia was closely associated with neighboring Virginia, of which it was part for some time. But already in 1776, the settlers of western Virginia petitioned Congress to allow them to create their own government bodies. If the residents of eastern Virginia gravitated more towards the American South, then the West Virginians felt their community with the northern states.
With the outbreak of the American Civil War between North and South of 1861-65, disagreements between the two parts of Virginia escalated to the point that West Virginians held a referendum, adopted their own constitution, and on June 20, 1863, West Virginia officially became part of the United States under its current name, becoming 35th state.

West Virginia Landmarks

The eastern counties of West Virginia, known as the Potomac Highlands, are one of the most scenic regions of the Central Appalachians. The highlands got their name from the Potomac River, the headwaters of which are located here.

Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (high rock that attracts climbers),

Those wishing to have a good and carefree holiday with children are invited to the Timberline resort,

WEST VIRGINIA (Canova River)

Blackwater Falls in West Virginia

Watermill at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

In the mountains of West Virginia is the Golden Palace, built for the Hare Krishna teacher Prabhupada.

Huntington Township, West Virginia. Population 50,000.


State capital city of Charleston


View of the Capitol from the river in the state capital.

• Charleston is one of the quietest cities in the United States, where life moves at a leisurely pace and the citizens are welcoming and friendly. Nevertheless, the Americans themselves consider the residents of Charleston to be the unluckiest in the United States (they consider the residents of the crime-ridden city of San Diego to be the happiest).
• In West Virginia, students cannot attend school if they smell like onions. There is a certain type of wild onion that grows in the state and has an extremely strong odor that can be detected even days after eating it.
• West Virginia is the only state to gain official statehood during the Civil War of 1861-1865.
• Despite the mountainous terrain, snowfalls are infrequent in West Virginia, fog accumulates only in some places in the valleys, and tornadoes bypass these places to hit neighboring states with all their might.
• Founded in 1750, the resort town of White Sulfur Springs was home to the first golf club in the United States.
• The Green6Ryer Hotel bunker, or "Capitol Reserve", is located in the hotel's basement, which was built in the 1950s. This is where the US Senate would sit in the event of a nuclear war. For 30 years, the bunker was kept in constant combat readiness, designed for one thousand one hundred people, has a 25-ton gate, one and a half meter concrete walls, and more than 150 rooms. Despite this, it would not have withstood a direct bomb hit.
• New River Gorge Bridge is the third largest single-arch bridge in the world, 924 m long and 267 m high.

Funny and Ridiculous West Virginia Laws

• A child cannot attend school if his breath smells like onions.
• If a railroad passes within one mile of a community of 100 or more inhabitants, a station must be built in that community and the train must stop there to pick up passengers.
• A man is not prohibited from having sex with an animal as long as the animal weighs less than 40 pounds.
• It is prohibited to sleep on the train.
• Doctors and dentists can only give a woman general anesthesia in the presence of a third person.
• According to the State Constitution, anyone is prohibited from displaying a red or black flag.
• It is prohibited to wear a hat in the theater. For violation there is a fine.
• An animal hit on the road can be eaten for dinner.
• It is prohibited to whistle underwater.
• You cannot walk a lion, tiger or leopard, even on a leash.
• Priests are prohibited from telling jokes or funny stories during services.
• Firefighters are prohibited from whistling or harassing women passing by the fire station.
• It is legal to beat your wife on Sunday on the steps of the courthouse.