West Virginia (WV).

• Region: East
• Population: 1,775,156 (ranked 39th; 2022 estimate)
• Capital: Charleston (pop. 47,129) (2022 estimate)
• Largest city: Charleston (pop. 47,129) (2022 estimate)
• Number of counties: 55
• State nickname: Mountain State
• State motto: Montani semper liberi (Mountaineers are always free)
• State flag: White field bordered in dark blue with the state coat of arms

West Virginia, the "Mountain State," came into being as a result of the Civil War. Originally comprised of the western counties of Virginia, the region refused to secede from the Union when Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861, and instead formed its own government at Wheeling. The new state joined the Union on June 20, 1863, as the thirty-fifth state. West Virginia is bordered on the southeast by Virginia, on the east by Maryland and Pennsylvania, and on the west by Ohio and Kentucky. The state is known for the strength of its unique Appalachian folk culture, intertwined with the region's mountainous landscape. West Virginia has long struggled economically, in part because of the coal industry's decline, but this is balanced by a thriving tourist industry: thousands of visitors each year come to enjoy the rugged natural landscape.

State Name: Like Virginia, its parent state, West Virginia is named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England, "the Virgin Queen." The name "Virginia" was possibly coined by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 to honor his sovereign. When the western counties of Virginia refused to secede from the Union in 1861, they took the name "West Virginia." The state is often called "the Mountain State" because it lies in the midst of the Appalachian range.

Capital:Charleston, located in west-central West Virginia, has served as the permanent state capital since 1885. When the western counties of Virginia refused to secede from the Union in 1861, they established their "Restored" Government of Western Virginia in the city of Wheeling.

Flag: The West Virginia flag, adopted in current form in 1929, features a white field with a dark blue border. In the middle of the field is the state's crest, or coat of arms. Above the crest is a red ribbon bearing the words "West Virginia." The crest itself includes a rock bearing the date June 20, 1863, the day the state entered the Union. A man stands on either side of the rock, one holding an axe and the other a pick, representing farming and mining. Underneath the men are two crossed rifles with a red "Liberty Cap" resting on top of them. A banner ribbon bearing the state motto rests beneath the rifles, reading: "Mountaineers Are Always Free." A wreath of rhododendron, the state flower, runs around the coat of arms.

Official Symbols

• Flower: Rhododendron
• Bird: Cardinal
• Tree: Sugar maple
• Animal: Black bear
• Fish: Brook trout
• Song: "The West Virginia Hills" by Ellen King and Henry Everett Engle; "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home" by Julian G. Hearne, Jr.; "This Is My West Virginia" by Iris Bell; "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver

State and National Historic Sites

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Potomac River)
• Coal National Heritage Area
• Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park
• Fayetteville Historic District
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (Harpers Ferry)
• Jackson's Mill Historic Area
• Organ Cave National Historic Landmark (Greenbrier County)
• Wellsburg Historic District
• Wheeling National Heritage Area (Wheeling)

DEMOGRAPHICS

• Population: 1,775,156 (ranked 39th; 2022 estimate)
• Population density: 74.6/sq mi (2020)
• Urban population: 44.6% (2020 estimate)
• Rural population: 55.4% (2020 estimate)
• Population under 18: 19.8% (2022 estimate)
• Population over 65: 21.2% (2022 estimate)
• White alone: 92.8% (2022)
• Black or African American alone: 3.7% (2022)
• Hispanic or Latino: 2.1% (2022)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3% (2022)
• Asian alone: 0.9% (2022)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0% (2022)
• Two or More Races: 2.2% (2022)
• Per capita income: $28,761 (ranked 49th; 2021 estimate)
• Unemployment: 3.9% (2022)

American Indians: West Virginia was once inhabited by tribes including the Cherokee, the Delaware, the Mingo, the Shawnee, and the Susquehannock. About three thousand years ago, there arose an American Indian culture known as the Mound Builders because of the large earthen mounds they built, possibly as burial sites. Grave Creek Mound, located in the northern panhandle near present-day Moundsville, is the continent's largest cone-shaped burial mound. This culture had vanished by the time of the first European exploration in the mid-seventeenth century. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the local tribes fought a long and losing battle against White settlers. A significant event was the French and Indian War (1755–1763), in which American Indian tribes allied with the French to drive out the British colonists. Britain's victory forced the American Indians further west, into the Ohio Country and beyond.

ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY

• Total area: 24,230 sq mi (ranked 41st)
• Land area: 24,038 sq mi (99.2% of total area)
• Water area: 192 sq mi (0.8% of total area)
• National parks: 6
• Highest point: Spruce Knob (4,863 feet)
• Lowest point: Potomac River (240 feet)
• Highest temperature: 112° F (Moorefield; Martinsburg, August 4, 1930; July 10, 1936)
• Lowest temperature: -37° F (Lewisburg, December 30, 1917)

Topography: West Virginia is largely mountainous—in fact, the entire state rests in the middle of the Appalachian Mountain chain. The Allegheny Mountains, the tallest in West Virginia, lie along the eastern border with Virginia and blend into that neighboring state's Blue Ridge Mountains. The mountains and highlands are largely forested; much of the woodland is protected as natural forests.

Major Lakes

• Burnsville Lake Reservoir
• Stonecoal Lake
• Stonewall Jackson Lake
• Summersville Lake Reservoir
• Sutton Lake Reservoir

Major Rivers

• Big Sandy River
• Coal River
• Elk River
• Gauley River
• Kanawha River
• Monongahela River
• New River
• Ohio River
• Shenandoah River
• State and National Parks: West Virginia has approximately forty-six state parks and forests as well as six national parks. The state parks include woodlands such as Kanawha and Kumbrabow State Forests, Cass Scenic Railroad, as well as historic sites such as Prickett's Fort. The national parks include sites of natural beauty such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, as well as historic sites such as the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which commemorates events including John Brown's 1859 raid on the US arsenal.

Natural Resources: West Virginia has numerous mineral and energy resources, particularly coal, natural gas, and oil. The state also produces a great deal of sand, gravel, and clay. Most of the state is too rugged and the soil too poor for successful farming. The Shenandoah region, however, does support many apple and pear trees.

Plants and Animals: West Virginia's plant and animal populations reflect the state's mountainous and wooded terrain, as well as the extensive amount of land (more than 200,000 acres) set aside in state parks, forests, and wildlife areas. One can find black bears, foxes, opossums, and minks, as well as deer and raccoons. The state's rivers are full of fish such as bass and trout. Birds include smaller species such as the wren and cardinal (the state bird), as well as larger species such as eagles.

Climate: West Virginia's climate is typical of mountain regions, with warm and humid summers and cool winters. The average July temperature is about 73 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average January temperature is approximately 33 degrees Fahrenheit. The state receives from around 35 to 60 inches of precipitation each year; this includes regular flooding of river valleys, as well as heavy snow in the higher mountains. The central and northeastern mountains can receive up to 100 inches of snow a year.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Major Colleges and Universities

• Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi)
• Bethany College (Bethany)
• Bluefield State College (Bluefield)
• Concord University (Athens)
• Davis and Elkins College (Elkins)
• Fairmont State University (Fairmont)
• Glenville State College (Glenville)
• Marshall University (Huntington)
• Ohio Valley University (Vienna)
• Salem University (Salem)
• University of Charleston (Charleston)
• West Liberty University (West Liberty)
• West Virginia State University (Institute)
• West Virginia University (Morgantown, Parkersburg)
• Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling)

Major Museums

• Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences (Charleston)
• Geology Museum, Marshall University (Huntington)
• Huntington Museum of Art (Huntington)
• Jackson's Mill Museum (Jackson's Mill)
• Museums of Oglebay Institute (Wheeling)
• Parkersburg Art Center (Parkersburg)
• Pocahontas County Historical Museum (Marlinton)
• West Virginia State Museum at the Culture Center (Charleston)

Major Libraries

• Ohio County Public Library (Wheeling)
• Rosanna Blake Library of Confederate History, Marshall University (Huntington)
• West Virginia University Library (Morgantown)

Media

West Virginia, despite its relatively small size, has large media markets in Charleston (the capital) and Wheeling. Charleston has one daily paper, the Gazette-Mail, as well as the weekly business publication the State Journal. Wheeling has the Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register. The state is well represented by TV and radio stations, many of which are based in Charleston, Huntington, and Wheeling. There are also online news sources such as MetroNews: The Voice of West Virginia.

ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Gross domestic product (in millions $USD): 95,588.4 (ranked 41st; 2022)
• GDP percent change: 0.4%

Major Industries: West Virginia's economy has long relied on mining, particularly for coal. However, the state also has a strong manufacturing base, particularly in metal and related products (including steel and aluminum), chemicals, heavy machinery, transportation equipment, biotech/pharmaceuticals, and wood products. The lumber industry is also important, because much of West Virginia is still covered with thick forests. As noted below, tourism is a thriving industry which brings thousands of visitors each year. Partly because of the political influence of the late West Virginia senator Robert C. Byrd, the state gained increasing amounts of federal aid, including federal jobs.

Tourism: The state enjoys a thriving tourism industry, largely because of West Virginia's scenic beauty. Popular activities include sightseeing, visiting parks, visiting historic sites, hiking, biking, hunting, and fishing. According to a study sponsored by the state, despite initially suffering under COVID-19 pandemic restrictions beginning in 2020, tourists spent $4.9 billion in West Virginia in 2022. Many visitors come to try whitewater rafting on West Virginia's rivers, and the state has even hosted the United States Whitewater Rafting Championships. West Virginia also offers numerous cultural events, from country music festivals to contemporary American theater.

Energy Production: West Virginia relies primarily on conventional sources, such as fossil fuels, for its energy. There are no nuclear power plants. Not surprisingly, given the state's extensive mines, there is a heavy reliance on coal. However, coal production has been declining due to competition with natural gas, which is another important energy source. West Virginia has moderate petroleum production.

Agriculture: Despite West Virginia's largely rural population, the state's rocky soil and hilly terrain do not support agriculture. Farming is confined mostly to the bottoms of river valleys. The main crops are hay, corn, and apples, along with soybeans and peaches. Dairy farming is also important, as is raising poultry and livestock.

Airports: West Virginia maintains nearly forty public airports, but a majority of these are smaller facilities used for general aviation. The state Department of Transportation is trying, however, to enhance the state's aviation infrastructure. One proposal was to build a West Virginia Regional Airport, which would include a commercial/industrial park.

Seaports: West Virginia has hundreds of river ports, which move millions of dollars in bulk commodities such as coal, petroleum, and related products, and stone and gravel. These port facilities range from small, private operations to large public ones. The West Virginia Public Port Authority operates public ports at Huntington, Parkersburg, Weirton, and Morgantown.

GOVERNMENT

• Governor: Jim Justice (Republican)
• Present constitution date: 1872
• Electoral votes: 4
• Number of counties: 55
• Violent crime rate: 355.9 (per 100,000 residents)
• Death penalty: No (abolished in 1965)

Constitution: The present West Virginia constitution was adopted in 1872. The original constitution dates back to 1863, when the state entered the Union.

Branches of Government

Executive: The governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve up to two consecutive terms. Duties include proposal and veto of legislation, enactment of measures passed by the legislature, making political appointments, and serving as commander in chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has the power to grant pardons. Other executive-branch officials include the state treasurer, the state auditor, the attorney general, the commissioner of agriculture, and the secretary of state.

Legislative: The West Virginia Legislature, the state's lawmaking body, has two houses: a thirty-four-member Senate and a hundred-member House of Delegates. Under the state constitution, the legislature meets each year for sixty consecutive days, beginning on the second Wednesday in January.

Judicial: The state's highest court is the five-member Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Unlike many other states, West Virginia does not have any other appellate bodies. Justices are elected by voters to twelve-year terms. The chief justice is a rotating position, chosen by seniority for a one-year term. The governor fills vacancies by appointments, but appointees must run for office in the next election. Other courts include circuit courts, magistrate courts, juvenile courts, and family courts.

HISTORY

1584 The name "Virginia" is first suggested, possibly by explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, for English territories in the New World. The name is in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England ("The Virgin Queen").

1606 The English crown grants a colonial charter to the Virginia Company of London. Its grant extends from the present-day border between Maine and Canada, down to Cape Fear, North Carolina.

1607 Sent by the London Company, the first English colonists land in Virginia on May 13. More than one hundred colonists (all men) arrive aboard the ships Sarah Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery and establish a settlement called Jamestown. Named in honor of King James I, this is the first permanent English colony in the New World. The town serves as the colonial capital in 1699, when it is replaced by nearby Williamsburg.

1669-70 Virginia Governor William Berkley sends out three expeditions to explore the mountainous regions of western Virginia. John Lederer, a German physician, is in charge of the enterprises.

1671 Explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam cross over the Appalachian Mountains into western Virginia. They reach the New River.

1716 Virginia Governor Spotswood leads a fifty-man expedition, whose members call themselves the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, through the James River Gap into the Shenandoah Valley. This helps open up western Virginia to settlement.

1727 The town of Mecklenburg, later known as Shepherdstown, is established on the south bank of the Potomac by German settlers from Pennsylvania. This is the state's oldest permanent European settlement.

1731 Colonel Morgan Morgan, the first White settler in what is now West Virginia, builds a cabin at Bunker Hill, southeast of Berkeley Springs. The site is located in West Virginia's eastern panhandle.

1742 Coal is discovered in Coal River by explorers John P. Salling and John Howard.

1747 Virginia land speculators form the Ohio Company to extend settlement into the Ohio River Valley. This is the first group to seek to develop the region west of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1749, the Ohio Company receives a royal charter; in 1750, the group sends Christopher Gist to explore the Ohio Country. This activity angers the French, who see it as encroaching on their territorial claims. The dispute over the Ohio territory helps to bring on the French and Indian War.

1755–63 The French and Indian War erupts between Britain and France. British General Edward Braddock, accompanied by Virginia troops under George Washington, leads an expedition through Maryland to confront the French and their Indian allies. Braddock's forces are defeated near Fort Duquesne (present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).

1775–83 The American Revolution. Virginia, the most prominent and wealthiest English colony in America, is a leading force in the Revolution. Patriot leaders include Virginians such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, and James Monroe. In 1779, George Rogers Clark and his Virginia troops seize from the British the region later known as the Northwest Territory. Virginia later cedes this territory to the national government. The Revolution's last battle is fought in 1782, at Fort Henry, Wheeling.

1776 The town of Bath is established at Berkeley Springs as a spa. Located along the Potomac River, the site is a natural hot spring.

1784 Virginia cedes its western lands to the national government (then under the Articles of Confederation). Three years later, the Confederation Congress passes the Ordinance of 1787, creating the Northwest Territory out of the western lands ceded to the national government by the states. The measure also establishes territorial government and provisions for creating new states.

1794 Peter Tarr builds an ironworks on Kings Creek. This is the first iron furnace built west of the Allegheny Mountains.

1797 President George Washington chooses Harpers Ferry as the site of one of two national armories. The government also builds an arsenal, which produces weapons until the outbreak of the Civil War.

1811 Work begins on the National Road (now US Route 40), extending from Cumberland, Maryland westward over the Allegheny Mountains. The federally funded road helps open up the West to settlement. It eventually reaches Wheeling, in what is now the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

1840 Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), establishes Bethany College in the northern panhandle of western Virginia, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh.

1817 Salt manufacturers in western Virginia's Kanawha Valley form the Kanawha Salt Company. This is the United States' first business trust.

1818 The National Road (now US Route 40) connects Cumberland, Maryland, with Wheeling.

1827 Construction begins on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This is the first major railroad line to cross the western part of Virginia. It is finally completed in the mid-1850s, connecting Cumberland, Maryland, with Wheeling.

1832 Following several rebellions in which the enslaved rebelled against their enslavers, the Virginia General Assembly debates whether to abolish slavery. Charles Faulkner of Berkeley County, in western Virginia, argues in the House for abolition on economic grounds.

1834 The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reaches Harpers Ferry.

1849 The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is built in Wheeling. This structure carries the National Road across the Ohio River, opening up the west to further expansion.

1852 Philippi Bridge is built in Barbour County. Now lying on US Route 119/250, it is the state's oldest and longest covered bridge.

1853 The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reaches Wheeling.

1856 The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reaches Grafton. This makes the town an important junction between Wheeling and Parkersburg.

1859John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown, a radical Northern abolitionist, leads an eighteen-man raid against the US government arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Brown hopes to gain weapons for a general insurrection against slavery. Colonel Robert E. Lee is in charge of the US Army units sent to stop Brown. The abolitionist is caught and hanged, but his death helps to fan the antislavery movement.

1860 West Virginia's first oil well is drilled, at Burning Springs. Within a few months of drilling, the town has around six thousand inhabitants.

1861–65 The Civil War. Virginia's forty western counties refuse to secede along with the eastern part of the state. This is due in part to the overall lack of slavery in the western counties, since inhabitants believed it slowed industrial progress. Western Virginians also felt isolated from the rest of the state. They resented the government in Richmond, which was controlled by the Tidewater region's slaveholding aristocracy.

The westerners form a "Restored" Government of Virginia, based at Wheeling. In 1861, Union General George B. McClellan fights a decisive battle at Rich Mountain, driving Confederate forces out of the western counties and protecting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line to Washington, DC. In November 1863, Union and Confederate forces face off at Droop Mountain. That same year, Congress passes a bill recognizing West Virginia statehood. Arthur I. Boreman, a Republican, serves as first state governor. During the course of the war, West Virginia provides more than thirty thousand troops to the Union.

1862 African Americans in Parkersburg open the Sumner School to provide Black children with an education.

1863 West Virginia joins the Union as the thirty-fifth state.

1866 The state government takes over the Sumner School. This makes it the South's first public school for Black children.

1867 Storer College opens at Harpers Ferry. It is one of the first Black colleges or universities in the nation.

1869 The legislature passes the Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, giving African Americans the right to vote. Two years earlier, the legislature passed the Fourteenth Amendment, which gives citizenship to African Americans.

1873 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad is completed.

1885 Charleston is designated the permanent state capital.

1890 The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) is formed in Columbus, Ohio. By 1900, it has successfully organized in the Midwest and Pennsylvania, but is unable to organize in West Virginia until 1902.

1891 The legislature establishes the West Virginia Colored Institute, in Kanawha County. The school later becomes West Virginia State College.

1896 Christopher Payne of Fayette County is the first Black person elected to the state legislature.

1897 Labor activist Mary Harris "Mother" Jones helps West Virginia miners confront management for better working conditions.

1900 The state is producing over 21 million tons of coal each year.

1907 A mine in Monongah explodes, killing 361 miners. This is the nation's worst coal-mining accident.

1912–13 MWA coal miners’ strike in Kanawha County leads to violent battles between miners and mine operators, in which many are killed on both sides. Governor William E. Glasscock imposes martial law. His successor, Governor Henry D. Hatfield arbitrates the dispute and forces the miners to accept his terms.

1917–18 World War I. More than 46,000 West Virginians serve in the Armed Forces during the war.

1921 West Virginia becomes the first state to impose a sales tax. In the same year, coal miners and law enforcement clash in Logan, over efforts to unionize. President Warren G. Harding eventually sends in federal troops to keep the peace.

1928 Minnie Buckingham Harper is appointed to the West Virginia House of Delegates. This makes her the first Black woman to become a member of a legislative body in the United States.

1932 The West Virginia Capitol Building is completed.

1933 During President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first hundred days in office, he passes the New Deal legislation, which allows collective bargaining in labor disputes. This greatly improves the position of West Virginia's miners in their disputes with the mine operators.

1938 Pearl S. Buck, a native of Hillsboro who spent much of her life in China, wins the Nobel Prize for literature.

1941–45 World War II. Approximately 250,000 West Virginians serve in the military. Despite the war, United Mine Workers leader John L. Lewis calls several coal strikes in order to improve working conditions.

1943 The US Supreme Court rules in the case West Virginia State Board of Education et al. v. Barnette et al., which relates to freedom of religion. The High Court rules that school authorities cannot compel public school children to salute the American flag, if that goes against their religious beliefs. The Board of Education had required the flag salute, and expelled children who did not do it. Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious group claimed that the Board's policies violated the biblical prohibition of "graven images."

1954 The West Virginia Turnpike opens after two years of construction, connecting Charleston and Princeton. The road cuts through the mountains in the central part of the state, making access far easier.

That same year, the US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education forces the states to integrate their public schools. The response in West Virginia is mixed; some counties comply quickly, but others require lawsuits to compel their compliance.

1972 Arnold Miller of West Virginia becomes head of the United Mine Workers (UMW) union.

1974 Voters ratify an amendment reorganizing the state's judiciary. The amendment, which goes into effect in 1976, does away with justices of the peace and establishes a unified court system. All state courts except municipal courts become part of a single system administered and supervised by the state Supreme Court.

1976 John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV, a member of the nationally prominent Rockefeller family, wins election as governor. A moderate Democrat, he has previously served in the state legislature and as West Virginia's secretary of state. Rockefeller wins reelection in 1980.

1980 The Democrats lose control of the US Senate in the 1980 elections. West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd becomes minority leader.

1984 At the Olympics, gymnast Mary Lou Retton (a native of Fairmont), becomes the first American to win an individual all-around gold medal in that sport.

1985 West Virginia seeks to improve its revenues by establishing a state lottery.

1990 West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore Jr. is convicted of corruption and goes to prison.

1998 Former NASA engineer Homer Hickam publishes Rocket Boys, a memoir of his early love of spaceflight set in Coalwood, West Virginia. The book is later adapted as an award-winning movie, titled October Sky (1999).

2006 On January 2, 2006, an explosion at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, traps thirteen miners for more than two days. It is the worst mine explosion in West Virginia since 1968, and only one of the thirteen trapped miners survives the blast. The incident forces the US government to reexamine mine safety and regulate inspections of mines across the nation.

2010 Senator Robert Byrd dies on June 28 at the age of ninety-two. Senator Byrd was the longest-serving senator in US history, having represented West Virginia in the US Senate since 1959.

2010 A coal-dust explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County kills twenty-nine of the thirty-one miners working at the site. In 2011, the Massey Energy Company pays $209 million in restitution and civil and criminal penalties after a state-funded investigation found Massey Energy to be responsible for the disaster.

2014 In January, ruptured tanks at the Freedom Industries plant in Charleston leak toxic chemicals used to purify coal before burning into the Elk River, leading to one of the worst water contamination incidents in US history. The governor, declaring a state of emergency, orders hundreds of thousands of people to stop using and drinking their tap water. The spill leads to new laws regarding above-ground chemical storage as well as indictments of Freedom Industries officials.

2018 A non-union teachers' strike shuts down schools across the state temporarily and results in the government agreeing to a wage increase. Observers suggest the organizing model used in the walkout might set an example for workers in other states.

2022 Governor Jim Justice declares a state of emergency after heavy rainfall in July leads to serious flooding in six West Virginia counties.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Belle Boyd, 1843–1900 (Martinsburg), Confederate spy.

Pearl S. Buck, 1892–1973 (Hillsboro) Writer; social activist.

Harry Flood Byrd, 1887–1966 (Martinsburg), Governor of Virginia; US senator.

Johnson Newlon Camden, 1828–1908, Industrialist; politician.

John William Davis, 1873–1955 (Clarksburg), Statesman; US solicitor general.

Frank De Vol, 1911–99 (Moundsville), Film/television/radio composer.

Joanne Dru, 1922–96 (Logan), Actor.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., 1950– (Keyser) African American studies professor, documentary filmmaker, and historian

Steve Harvey, 1957– (Welch), Actor, comedian, and self-help writer

Henry D. Hatfield,1875–1962 (Logan County), Governor of West Virginia; US senator.

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824–63 (Clarksburg), Confederate general.

Anna Jarvis, 1864–1948 (Welch), Activist; founder of Mother's Day.

Katherine Johnson, 1918–2020 (White Sulphur Springs), Mathemetician; NASA researcher.

Don Knotts, 1924–2006 (Morgantown), Actor.

John Knowles, 1926–2001 (Fairmont), Author.

Peter Marshall, 1926– (Huntington), Television host.

Kathy Mattea, 1959– (South Charlestown), Country singer.

Randy Moss, 1977– (Rand), Retired football player; sports analyst.

Don Redman, 1900–64 (Piedmont), Jazz musician.

Mary Lou Retton, 1968– (Fairmont), Gymnast.

Walter Reuther, 1907–70 (Wheeling), Labor leader.

Chris Sarandon, 1942– (Beckley), Actor; producer.

Lewis L. Strauss, 1896–1974 (Charleston), Naval officer; chair of the Atomic Energy Commission.

Cyrus Vance, 1917–2002 (Clarksburg), Statesman; Cabinet officer.

Chuck Yeager, 1923–2020 (Myra), US Air Force officer: first pilot to break the sound barrier.

Bill Withers, 1938–2020 (Slab Fork), Singer-songwriter.

TRIVIA

• The state fruit is the Golden Delicious apple, adopted as such in 1995. The variety was discovered in 1905 in Clay County, by Anderson Mullins.
• On October 6, 1896, Charleston became the first place in the United States to have rural free delivery (RFD) mail. This allowed farmers and people far away from post offices to receive their mail quickly and cheaply. The idea quickly spread throughout the nation.
• The first Union soldier to die in the Civil War was killed in a battle in West Virginia. Bailey Brown died on May 22, 1861, at Fetterman, Taylor County.
• The Mingo Oak, the nation's largest and oldest white oak tree, grew in West Virginia. Declared dead in the late 1930s, the tree was felled on September 10, 1938.
• Wheeling's Suspension Bridge, built in 1849, was one of the first of its kind in the world.
• Businessman William Tompkins was the first person in the United States to use natural gas for industry. Tompkins used the gas in 1841 to evaporate salt brine.
• The New River in West Virginia is one of the oldest rivers in the world and is believed to have existed before the Appalachian Mountains through which it runs.
• The eightieth Feast of the Ramson was held in 2018 in celebration of the state's abundant wild onion population known as "ramps."
• In 2021, the New River Gorge was designated America's newest national park. The 70,000-acre park is located southeast of Charleston and features rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and hiking trails.

Bibliography

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Eric Baderscher