Introduction to Geography of West Virginia
West Virginia, one of the South Atlantic states of the United States. Unlike other states of the South Atlantic group, West Virginia does not border the Atlantic Ocean. The state is bounded (reading clockwise from the north) by Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. West Virginia is the 41st state in size. Its area is 24,231 square miles (62,759 km2).
West Virginia is shaped like an oval from which extend two panhandles, or arms. The Northern Panhandle runs northwest between Ohio and Pennsylvania; the Eastern Panhandle extends eastward between Maryland and Virginia.
West Virginia's state bird is the cardinal.West Virginia in briefGeneral informationStatehood: June 20, 1863, the 35th state.State abbreviations: W. Va. (traditional); WV (postal).State capital: Charleston, since 1885 and from 1870 to 1875. Wheeling was the state capital from 1863 to 1870 and from 1875 to 1885.State motto: Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers Are Always Free).Popular name: The Mountain State.State song: "The West Virginia Hills." Words by Ellen King; music by H. E. Engle (one of three state songs).Symbols of West VirginiaState bird: Cardinal.State flower: Rhododendron.State tree: Sugar maple.State flag and seal: West Virginia's state flag, adopted in 1929, has the state coat of arms on a white background with a blue border. The state seal, adopted in 1863, incorporates the coat of arms. The design on the front includes a miner and a farmer. The rock between them shows the date of West Virginia's statehood. In the foreground, rifles symbolize the willingness to fight for freedom. The landscape on the back of the seal includes an oil derrick, a log cabin, sheep and cattle, a factory, a railroad, and wooded mountains.Land and climateArea: 24,231 mi2 (62,759 km2), including 145 mi2 (375 km2) of inland water.Elevation: Highest--Spruce Knob, 4,861 ft (1,482 m) above sea level. Lowest--240 ft (73 m) above sea level along the Potomac River in Jefferson County.Record high temperature: 112 °F (44 °C) at Martinsburg on July 10, 1936, and at Moorefield on Aug. 4, 1930.Record low temperature: –37 °F (–38 °C) at Lewisburg on Dec. 30, 1917.Average July temperature: 72 °F (22 C).Average January temperature: 32 °F (0 °C).Average yearly precipitation: 44 in (112 cm).PeoplePopulation: 1,808,344.Rank among the states: 37th.Density: 75 per mi2 (29 per km2), U.S. average 78 per mi2 (30 per km2).Distribution: 54 percent rural, 46 percent urban.Largest cities in West Virginia: Charleston (53,421); Huntington (51,475); Parkersburg (33,099); Wheeling (31,419); Morgantown (26,809); Weirton (20,411).EconomyChief productsAgriculture: beef cattle, broilers, eggs, hay, milk, nursery products, turkeys.Manufacturing: chemicals; fabricated metal products; primary metals; stone, clay, and glass products; transportation equipment; wood products.Mining: coal, natural gas.GovernmentState governmentGovernor: 4-year term.State senators: 34; 4-year terms.State delegates: 100; 2-year terms.Counties: 55.Federal governmentUnited States senators: 2.United States representatives: 3.Electoral votes: 5.Sources of informationFor information about tourism, write to: West Virginia Division of Tourism and Parks, 90 MacCorkle Avenue SW, South Charleston, WV 25303. The Web site at http://www.wvtourism.com also provides information.For information on the economy, write to: West Virginia Development Office, Capitol Complex, Building 6, Room 553, 1900 Washington Street E., Charleston, WV 25305-0311.The state's official Web site at http://www.wv.gov provides much data on West Virginia’s economy and government. The site of the Division of Culture and History, http://www.wvculture.org, shows information on the state's historical sites and resources.Physical Geography
West Virginia is one of the Southern States of the United States.LandWest Virginia lies in the Appalachian Highlands. With an average elevation of 1,500 feet (457 m) above sea level, it is the highest state east of the Mississippi River. West Virginia consists mainly of forested hills and mountains and narrow valleys. It divides into two regions—the Ridge and Valley and the Allegheny Plateau.
The Ridge and Valley region lies east of the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia. It covers about one-fifth of the state and is made up largely of parallel (northeast-southwest) mountain ridges, separated by fertile river valleys. The easternmost tip of West Virginia is cut by the Great Valley, beyond which lie the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and Maryland. In this valley, near Harpers Ferry on the Potomac River, is the lowest point in the state—240 feet (73 m) above sea level.
The Allegheny Plateau region blankets the western four-fifths of the state and includes the Allegheny Mountains, the eastern limit of the plateau. Near the Allegheny Front, the eastern slope of the mountains, elevations are high. The highest point in the state is Spruce Knob—4,861 feet (1,482 m). The Alleghenies, which include such ranges as the Shaver, Cheat, Rich, Yew, and Laurel Ridge mountains, merge with the rough Allegheny Plateau to the west. The plateau, cut by deep and winding river valleys, decreases in elevation toward the Ohio River.
WaterExcept for the Eastern Panhandle, West Virginia is drained by tributaries of the Ohio River, which forms most of the state's western boundary. From north to south, these rivers include the Monongahela (formed by the Tygart and West Fork rivers), Little Kanawha, Kanawha (formed by the New and Gauley rivers), Greenbrier, Guyandot, Tug Fork, and Big Sandy. The Potomac River and its tributaries drain the Eastern Panhandle. There are no large natural lakes, but sizable reservoirs have been built on the New, Tygart, and Cheat rivers.
ClimateWest Virginia's climate, of the continental type, has seasons of about equal length. Summers are humid and vary from warm to hot; the average summer temperature is 72° F. (22° C.), but there are occasional readings of 100° F. (38° C.) or more. Winters are moderately cold; the average temperature is just above freezing, but cold waves periodically bring temperatures of 0° F. (-18° C.) or less.
Precipitation is ample and well distributed over the year. Most of the state receives 40 to 50 inches (1,020 to 1,270 mm) annually; the mountains more; the Eastern Panhandle less. Snow falls in all parts, the largest amounts in the mountains.
VegetationWest Virginia's state flower is the rhododendron.The virgin forests that once covered West Virginia have been cut, but second-growth forests are widespread. Including woodlands that are also used for grazing, about 75 per cent of the land is forested. Nearly all the timber is high-quality Appalachian hardwood, used mainly for woodworking.
Among the important species of trees are the white and red oak, tulip tree, black walnut, hickory, ash, maple, and beech. Softwoods, such as spruces, firs, and pines, are limited chiefly to the mountains. About nine-tenths of the forest land is privately owned; the rest is owned by federal, state, and local governments.
Interesting facts about West VirginiaWeirton, in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, is the only city in the United States that borders two other states while touching its own state on more than one side. Weirton extends to Ohio on the west and Pennsylvania on the east. West Virginia surrounds it on the north and south.The glass marble manufacturing center of the United States is in West Virginia. Factories in the Clarksburg and Parkersburg areas make most of the nation’s glass marbles.A huge chandelier hangs in the golden dome of the state capitol in Charleston. The chandelier has 10,080 hand-cut Bohemian crystals. It is 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter, weighs 2 short tons (1.8 metric tons), has 96 lights, and hangs from a 54-foot (16.5-meter) gold-plated chain.West Virginia was the first state to levy a sales tax. The tax, enacted in 1921, was based on the gross receipts of the firms doing business in the state.The town of Romney changed hands between Union and Confederate forces 56 times during the Civil War. West Virginia was the site of many battles during the war.Rural Free Delivery originated in West Virginia. Postmaster General William L. Wilson introduced the idea to his home state. On Oct. 1, 1896, rural carriers began working out of post offices in Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla.West Virginia's state tree is the sugar maple.The Economy
The West Virginia quarter features an image of the New River Gorge. The gorge was carved by the New River in the southern part of the state. The coin also shows the New River Gorge Bridge, the longest steel arch bridge in the world.West Virginia is still a leading coal producer, but the state 's economy is being driven more by service industries than mining and manufacturing. Tourism as is also a major activity, with millions of tourists being drawn to the state's many historic sites, recreation areas, and other attractions.
Services IndustriesService industries provide the biggest portion of West Virginia's gross domestic product. Many of the state's workers are employed in service industries such as community, business, and personal services. These include private information technology, health care facilities, law firms, and repair shops; government services; wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels; finance, insurance, and real estate; and transportation and communications..
ManufacturingWest Virginia's manufacturing industry brings in about $9 billion a year. The most important manufactured products are chemicals, including industrial chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs), and adhesives. Other products include primary metals such as tin plate, sheet steel, and aluminum. The state also produces transportation equipment such as major automobile and aerospace parts, wood products such as lumber, and fabricated metal products that include cutlery, stampings, structural metal, and tools.
The state's other manufactured goods include food products such as baked goods and meat products, glass products such as bottles, crystalware, stained glass, blown glass, plate glass and table glassware. West Virginia is also famous for its pottery such as porcelain, chinaware, tile, firebrick, and paving brick.
Coal, natural gas, oil, and rock salt are among the local resources used by the chemical industry. The Kanawha, and Ohio river valleys and the Northern Panhandle are the largest centers of production.
MiningWest Virginia ranks among the nation's leading producer of bituminous coal, which is still by far the state's most valuable mineral resource. Natural gas and petroleum follow coal in importance. Other minerals produced include crushed stone, sand and gravel, and salt.
Agriculture and ForestryThere are about 21,000 farms in West Virginia, taking up about one fourth of the state's land area. Because of the mountainous and heavily forested land, much of West Virginia is better suited to the grazing and pasturing of livestock than to the raising of crops. Livestock and livestock products make up about 80 per cent of the state's income from farming. The chief farm products include broilers, eggs, turkeys, beef cattle and dairy products. Crops provide about 20 per cent of the farm income in West Virginia. Hay is the most widely grown crop. Corn, wheat, and soybeans are also important. Apples and peaches are the chief fruit crops grown in West Virginia. Farmers also grow vegetables and berries.
TransportationA number of Interstate highways serve West Virginia, including the West Virginia Turnpike. Charleston is the hub of the highway system. Several trunk railways also serve the state, particularly the coal-producing areas. Amtrak provides passenger service to a number of cities in West Virginia. Charleston's Yeager Airport is the state's busiest airport. Of the navigable rivers, the Ohio, Kanawha, and Monongahela carry the largest amounts of traffic.
The People
West Virginia's population density was 75.1 persons per square mile (29.0 per km2), slightly less than that of the United States as a whole. Whites made up 95 per cent of the population and blacks, 3.2 per cent.
Annual events in West VirginiaJanuary-MayFeast of the Ramson in Richwood (April); House and Garden Tour in Martinsburg (April); Dogwood Festival in Huntington (April); Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon (May); Webster County Woodchopping Festival (May); Vandalia Gathering in Charleston (May).June-AugustFolk Festival in Glenville (June); Mountain State Art and Craft Fair in Ripley (July); outdoor plays at Grandview Park (June-September); Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Camp Washington-Carver (August); Arts on the River in Morgantown (August); Augusta Festival in Elkins (August); Cherry River Festival in Richwood (August); State Fair in Lewisburg (August); Charleston Sternwheel Regatta (August-September); Italian Heritage Festival in Clarksburg (August-September).September-DecemberHardy County Heritage Weekend (September); King Coal Festival in Williamson (September); Preston County Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood (September); West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival in Sistersville (September); Wine and Jazz Festival in Morgantown (September); Leaf Peepers Festival in Tucker County (September); Black Walnut Festival in Spencer (October); Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins (October); Winter Festival of Lights in Wheeling (November-January).Education
One of the first schoolhouses in what is now West Virginia was built at Old Fields (in Hardy County) in 1748. Other schools built and maintained by subscription, as this one was, came to be called "old field" schools.
The original state constitution provided for a system of state-supported free schools, a superintendent, and a state board of education. Under the present constitution, there is a nine-member board, appointed by the governor. The state department of education is supervised by a superintendent of schools, who is appointed by the board. School attendance is compulsory for children from age 6 to 16.
West Virginia University was established at Morgantown as the Agricultural College of West Virginia in 1867. Its present name was adopted three years later. There is a branch campus at Parkersburg.
Government
Charleston has been home to the State Capitol of West Virginia since 1885 and from 1870 to 1875.The present state constitution was adopted in 1872. The first Constitution was adopted in 1863, when West Virginia became the 35th state. The governor is the head of state and serves a four-year term. Other executive officers include the secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and commissioner of agriculture. All are elected for four years.
The West Virginia Legislature consists of two houses and meets every year. The Senate has 34 members, elected for four-year terms. The House of Delegates has 100 members, elected for two years.
The state Supreme Court is the highest court in Virginia. It consists has five justices elected for 12 years. There are also circuit, magistrate, and family courts.
West Virginia has 55 counties. The state is represented in the United States Congress by two senators and three representatives.