West Virginia 32905 225878513 2008-07-15T20:46:13Z Dubyavee 3717381 Made sentence more comparative in both directions {{US state | Name = West Virginia | Fullname = State of West Virginia | Flag = Flag of West Virginia.svg | Flaglink = [[Flag of West Virginia]] | Seal = WV_State_Seal.svg | Map = Map of USA WV.svg | Nickname = Mountain State | Motto = [[Montani semper liberi]] | Capital = [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] | LargestCity = [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] | LargestMetro = [[Charleston WV metropolitan area|Charleston metro area]] | Governor = [[Joe Manchin]] (D)| Lieutenant Governor = [[Earl Ray Tomblin]]<ref>In the event of a vacancy in the office of Governor, the President of the [[West Virginia Senate|State Senate]] is first in line for succession.</ref> | Senators = [[Robert Byrd|Robert C. Byrd]] (D)<br />[[Jay Rockefeller]] (D) | PostalAbbreviation = WV | OfficialLang = none (''de facto'' [[English language|English]]) | Demonym = [[List of U.S. state residents names|West Virginian]] | AreaRank = 41<sup>st</sup> | TotalAreaUS = 24,230 | TotalArea = 62,755 | LandAreaUS = 24,078 | LandArea = 62,361 | WaterAreaUS = 152 | WaterArea = 394 | PCWater = 0.6 | PopRank = 37th | 2000Pop = 1,808,344 | DensityRank = 27th | 2000DensityUS = 75.1 <!--census.gov --> | 2000Density = 29.0 | MedianHouseholdIncome = $38,029 | IncomeRank = 48th | AdmittanceOrder = 35 | AdmittanceDate = [[June 20]], [[1863]] | TimeZone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]: [[UTC]]-5/[[Daylight saving time|-4]] | Latitude = 37°&#8202;12′ N to 40°&#8202;39′ N | Longitude = 77°&#8202;43′ W to 82°&#8202;39′ W | WidthUS = 130 | Width = 210 | LengthUS = 240 | Length = 385 | HighestPoint = [[Spruce Knob]]<ref name=usgs>{{cite web| year =[[29 April]] [[2005]] | url =http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest| title =Elevations and Distances in the United States| publisher =U.S Geological Survey| accessdate = 2006-11-09}}</ref> | HighestElevUS = 4,863 | HighestElev = 1,427 | MeanElevUS = 1,500 | MeanElev = 460 | LowestPoint = [[Harpers Ferry]]<ref name=usgs/> | LowestElevUS = 240 | LowestElev = 73 | ISOCode = US-WV | Website = www.wv.gov }} '''West Virginia''' ({{IPAEng|ˌwɛstvɚˈdʒɪnjə}}) is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Appalachia]] / [[Upland South]] region of the [[United States]]. West Virginia broke away from [[Virginia]] during the [[American Civil War]] and was admitted to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] as a separate state on [[June 20]], [[1863]] (an anniversary now celebrated as [[West Virginia Day]] in the state). It is one of only two states formed during the American Civil War (along with [[Nevada]]) and is the only state to form by seceding from a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] state and one of two states to secede from another state (the other being [[Kentucky]]). West Virginia is one of the [[Civil War]] "[[Border states (Civil War)|Border States]]". The [[United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] considers West Virginia part of the [[Southern United States|South]] because most of the state is south of the [[Mason-Dixon Line]]. The northern panhandle extends adjacent to [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Ohio]] with [[Weirton]] on a parallel with [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] while [[Bluefield]] is less than 70 miles from [[North Carolina]]. The unique position of West Virginia means that it is included in a wide variety of geographical regions (though often only marginally), such as the [[Upland South]], the [[Southeastern United States]], the [[Southern United States]], the [[Mid-Atlantic States|Mid-Atlantic]], [[Appalachia]] and even the [[Midwestern United States]] and [[Northeastern United States]]. Notably, it is the only state which entirely lies within the area served by the [[Appalachian Regional Commission]], which is a common definition of "Appalachia".<ref name="ARC service area">{{cite web|url=http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=27 |title=Appalachian Region: Counties in Appalachia |publisher=Appalachian Regional Commission |accessdate=2007-11-13}}</ref> While West Virginians recognize that their state is part of Appalachia, many do not welcome the term for purposes of self-identification.<ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1779288 WVU Social and Cultural Study]</ref> The state's [[Northern Panhandle of West Virginia|Northern Panhandle]], and [[North-Central West Virginia|North-Central]] region feel an affinity for [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. Also, those in the [[Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia|Eastern Panhandle]] feel a connection with the [[Washington, D.C.]] [[suburb]]s in [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]], and [[southern West Virginia]]ns often consider themselves [[Southern United States|Southerners]]. Finally, the towns and farms along the mid-[[Ohio River]] have an appearance and culture somewhat resembling the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/arts/ethnic/index.html An Introduction to West Virginia's Ethnic Communities]</ref> The capital and largest city is [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]]. The state is noted for its great natural beauty, its historically significant [[logging]] and [[coal mining]] industries, and its [[labor history]]. It is also known as a tourist destination for those people interested in outdoor activities such as skiing, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and hunting. == Geography == [[Image:WV plateau.jpg|right|thumb|Shaded relief map of the [[Cumberland Plateau]] and [[Ridge-and-valley Appalachians]].]] [[Image:Spruce Knob.jpg|right|thumb|The summit of [[Spruce Knob]] is often covered in clouds.]] {{main|Geography of West Virginia}} {{seealso|List of counties in West Virginia|List of West Virginia county seats}} West Virginia is bordered by [[Pennsylvania]] to the north; by [[Ohio]] to the north and west; by [[Kentucky]] to the west; by [[Maryland]] to the north and east; and by [[Virginia]] to the east and south. The [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Potomac River|Potomac]] rivers form parts of the boundaries. West Virginia is the only state in the nation located entirely within the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian Mountain range]], and in which all areas are mountainous; for this reason it is nicknamed ''The Mountain State''. About 75% of the state is within the [[Cumberland Plateau]] and [[Allegheny Plateau]] regions. Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas. On the eastern state line with [[Virginia]], high peaks in the [[Monongahela National Forest]] region give rise to an island of colder [[climate]] and [[ecosystem]]s similar to those of northern [[New England]] and eastern [[Canada]]. The highest point in the state is atop [[Spruce Knob]], at {{ft to m|4863|abbr=yes}},<ref name=usgs/> is covered in a [[boreal forest]] of dense [[spruce]] trees at altitudes above 4,000 feet (1,220 m). Spruce Knob lies within the Monongahela National Forest and is a part of the [[Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area]]. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/sksrnra.html] A total of six [[wilderness]] areas can also be found within the forest. Outside the forest to the south, the New River Gorge is a 1,000-foot (304 m) deep canyon carved by the [[New River (Kanawha River)|New River]]. The [[National Park Service]] manages a portion of the gorge and river that has been designated as the [[New River Gorge National River]], one of only 15 rivers in the U.S. with this level of protection. Other areas under protection and management include: {| border="0" |- |valign="top"| *[[Appalachian National Scenic Trail]] *[[Bluestone National Scenic River]] *[[Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge]] *[[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park]] |valign="top"| *[[Gauley River National Recreation Area]] *[[George Washington National Forest]] *[[Harpers Ferry National Historical Park]] *[[Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge]] |} [[Image:WVirginiaCo.png|thumb|right|200px|Map of [[List of counties in West Virginia|West Virginia counties]]]] The native [[vegetation]] for most of the state was originally mixed [[hardwood]] [[forest]] of [[oak]], [[chestnut]], [[maple]], [[beech]], and [[Eastern White Pine|white pine]], with [[willow]] and [[American sycamore]] along the state's waterways. Many of the areas are rich in [[biodiversity]] and scenic beauty, a fact that is appreciated by native West Virginians, who refer to their home as ''Almost Heaven''. Ecologically, most of West Virginia falls into the [[Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests]] [[ecoregion]]. The underlying rock strata are [[sandstone]], [[shale]], [[bituminous coal]] beds, and [[limestone]] laid down in a near shore environment from sediments derived from mountains to the east, in a shallow inland sea on the west. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water. Sea level rose and fell many times during the [[Mississippian]] and [[Pennsylvanian]] eras, giving a variety of rock strata. The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest on earth, having formed over 300 million years ago. == Climate == The climate of West Virginia borders on a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Koppen climate classification]] ''Cfa'') in the lower elevations of the southwestern portion of the state (including [[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]] and [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]]), along with parts of the Eastern Panhandle east of the Appalachians with hot, humid summers and milder winters. The rest of the state has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Koppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'', except ''Dfb'' at the higher elevations) with warm to hot, humid summers and cold winters, increasing in severity with elevation. However, the weather is subject in all parts of the state to change. The hardiness zones range from zone 5b in the central [[Appalachian]] mountains to zone 7a in the warmest parts of the lowest elevations. In the Eastern Panhandle and the [[Ohio River]] Valley temperatures are warm enough to see and grow subtropical plants such as Southern magnolia (''[[Magnolia grandiflora]]''), Crepe Myrtle, [[Albizia julibrissin]], [[American Sweetgum]] and even the occasional [[needle palm]] and [[sabal minor]]. These plants don't thrive as well in other parts of the state. Average January temperatures range from around 28°F (-2°C) near the Cheat River to 43°F (5°C) along sections of the border with Kentucky. July averages range from 67°F (19°C) along the [[Potomac River#North Branch Potomac River|North Branch Potomac River]] to 76°F (24°C) in the western part of the state. It is cooler in the mountains than in the lower sections of the state. Annual precipitation ranges from less than 32 inches (810 mm) in the lower eastern section to more than 56 inches (1,400 mm) in higher parts of the Allegheny Front. Slightly more than half the rainfall occurs from April to September. Dense fogs are common in many valleys of the [[Kanawha]] section, especially the [[Tygart Valley]]. West Virginia is also one of the cloudiest states in the nation, with the cities of Elkins and Beckley ranking 9th. and 10th. in the U.S. respectively for the number of cloudy days per year (over 210). In addition to persistent cloudy skies caused by the damming of moisture by the Alleghenies, West Virginia also experiences some of the most frequent precipitation in the nation, with [[Snowshoe, WV|Snowshoe]] averaging nearly 200 days a year with either rain or snow. Snow usually lasts only a few days in the lower sections but may persist for weeks in the higher mountain areas. An average of 34 inches (86 cm) of snow falls annually in Charleston, although during the winter of 1995–1996 more than three times that amount fell as several cities in the state established new records for snowfall. Average snowfall in the Allegheny Highlands can range up to 180 inches per year. {| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"| | colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various West Virginia cities |- ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color: #000000" height="17" | City ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jan ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Feb ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Mar ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Apr ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | May ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jun ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jul ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Aug ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Sep ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Oct ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Nov ! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Dec |- ! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Beckley | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 39/22 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 43/25 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 52/32 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 62/41 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 71/49 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 77/57 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 80/61 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 79/60 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 73/54 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 63/42 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 52/34 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 43/26 |- ! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Charleston | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 43/24 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 47/27 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 57/34 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 67/42 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 75/50 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 82/58 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 85/63 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 84/62 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 77/55 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 67/43 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 56/35 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 47/28 |- ! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Elkins | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 39/18 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 44/20 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 53/27 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 63/35 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 72/44 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 78/53 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 82/58 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 80/57 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 74/50 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 64/37 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 53/29 | style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 44/22 |- ! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Huntington | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 41/24 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 46/28 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 56/36 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 67/44 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 75/53 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 82/61 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 85/65 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 84/64 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 77/57 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 66/45 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 55/37 | style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 45/29 |- | colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;"|''[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-west-virginia/]'' |} == History == {{main|History of West Virginia}} West Virginia's unique geography allowed for exploration from two concurrent directions and a duality of a "Border State". ===Prehistory=== {{main|West Virginia Prehistory}} The area now known as West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground of numerous [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] peoples before the arrival of [[Europe]]an settlers. Many ancient man-made earthen mounds from various [[mound builder (people)|mound builder]] cultures survive, especially in the areas of [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]], [[South Charleston, West Virginia|South Charleston]], and [[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]]. Although little is known about these civilizations, the artifacts uncovered give evidence of a complex, stratified culture that practiced [[metallurgy]]. ===European exploration and settlement=== {{see|Vandalia (colony)|Westsylvania}} [[Image:ThomasLEE.JPG|thumb|right|[[Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist)|Thomas Lee]], the first manager of the [[Ohio Company]] of Virginia.]] In 1671, General [[Abram Wood]], at the direction of Royal Governor [[William Berkeley]] of the [[Virginia Colony]], sent a party which discovered Kanawha Falls. In 1716, Governor [[Alexander Spotswood]] with about thirty horsemen made an excursion into what is now [[Pendleton County, West Virginia|Pendleton County]]. John Van Metre, an Indian trader, penetrated into the northern portion in 1725. The same year, [[Germans|German]] settlers from [[Pennsylvania]] founded New Mecklenburg, the present [[Shepherdstown, West Virginia|Shepherdstown]], on the [[Potomac River]], and others followed. King [[Charles II of England]], in 1661, granted to a company of gentlemen the land between the Potomac and [[Rappahannock River|Rappahannock]] rivers, known as the [[Northern Neck]]. The grant finally came into the possession of [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]], and in 1746, a [[Fairfax Stone|stone]] was erected at the source of the [[Potomac River#North Branch Potomac River|North Branch Potomac River]] to mark the western limit of the grant. A considerable part of this land was surveyed by [[George Washington]] between 1748 and 1751. The diary kept by the surveyor indicates that there were already many squatters, largely of German origin, along the [[Potomac River#South Branch Potomac River|South Branch Potomac River]]. [[Christopher Gist]], a surveyor in the employ of the first [[Ohio Company]], which was composed chiefly of Virginians, explored the country along the [[Ohio River]] north of the mouth of the [[Kanawha River]] between 1751 and 1752. The company sought to have a fourteenth colony established with the name "[[Vandalia (colony)|Vandalia]]". Many settlers crossed the mountains after 1750, though they were hindered by Native American resistance. Few Native Americans lived permanently within the present limits of the state, but the region was a common hunting ground, crossed by many trails. During the [[French and Indian War]] the scattered British settlements were almost destroyed. In 1774, the Crown Governor of Virginia [[John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore]], led a force over the mountains, and a body of militia under [[Andrew Lewis (soldier)|then-Colonel Andrew Lewis]] dealt the [[Shawnee Indians]], under [[Cornstalk|Hokoleskwa]] (or "Cornstalk"), a crushing blow during the [[Battle of Point Pleasant]] at the junction of the Kanawha and the Ohio rivers. Native American attacks continued until after the [[American Revolutionary War]]. During the war, the settlers in western Virginia were generally active Whigs and many served in the [[Continental Army]], however Claypool's Rebellion of 1780–1781 where a group of men refused to pay Colonial taxes showed war-weariness in West Virginia. ===Trans-Allegheny Virginia, 1776-1861=== {{details|Virginia}} Social conditions in western Virginia were entirely unlike those in the eastern portion of the state. The population was not homogeneous, as a considerable part of the immigration came by way of Pennsylvania and included Germans, Protestant [[Ulster-Scots]], and settlers from the states farther north. During the [[American Revolution]], the movement to create a state beyond the Alleghanies was revived and a petition for the establishment of "Westsylvania" was presented to [[United States Congress|Congress]], on the grounds that the mountains made an almost impassable barrier on the east. The rugged nature of the country made slavery unprofitable, and time only increased the social, political, economic and cultural differences (''see'' [[Tuckahoe-Cohee]]) between the two sections of Virginia.<!--Why did this attempt at separation fail?--> The convention that met in 1829 to form a new constitution for Virginia, against the protest of the counties beyond the mountains, required a property qualification for [[suffrage]] and gave the slave-holding counties the benefit of three-fifths of their slave population in apportioning the state's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result, every county beyond the Alleghenies except one voted to reject the constitution, which nevertheless passed because of eastern support. Though the Virginia Constitution of 1850 provided for white male suffrage, the distribution of representation among the counties continued to give control to the section east of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]]. Another grievance of the west was the large expenditure for internal improvements at state expense by the [[Virginia Board of Public Works]] in the East compared with the scanty proportion allotted to the West. ===Separation from Virginia=== {{see also|West Virginia in the American Civil War}} [[Image:JCarlile.jpg|thumb|right|[[John S. Carlile]], a leader during the First [[Wheeling Convention]]]] West Virginia is the only state in the Union to secede from a confederate state, [[Virginia]], during the American Civil War.<ref>http://www.wvculture.org/history/statehood/statehood12.html " Chapter Twelve "Reorganized Government of Virginia Approves Separation"</ref> On [[April 17]], [[1861]] fifteen of the forty-six delegates from the area located in the present state of West Virginia voted to secede from the United States.<ref>Charles Ambler "The History of West Virginia", 1933, pg. 309</ref> Almost immediately after the vote to proceed with [[secession]] prevailed in the Virginia General Assembly, a mass meeting at [[Clarksburg, West Virginia|Clarksburg]] recommended that each county in northwestern Virginia send delegates to a convention to meet in [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]] on [[May 13]] [[1861]]. When this First [[Wheeling Convention]] met, 425 delegates from 25 counties were present, though more than one-third of the delegates were from the northern panhandle area,<ref>J. McGregor "The Disruption of Virginia", pg. 193</ref> but soon there was a division of sentiment. Some delegates favored the immediate formation of a new state, while others argued that, as Virginia's secession had not yet been passed by the required referendum, such action would constitute revolution against the United States.<ref> The [[United States Constitution]] provides that no state may be divided without its consent.</ref> It was decided that if the ordinance were adopted (of which there was little doubt), another convention including the members-elect of the legislature should meet at Wheeling in June. At the election on [[May 23]] [[1861]], secession was ratified by a large majority in the state as a whole, but in the western counties approximately 34,677 voted against and 19,121 voted for the Ordinance.<ref>Richard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 147</ref> The Second Wheeling Convention met as agreed on [[June 11]] and declared that, since the Secession Convention had been called without the consent of the people, all its acts were void, and that all who adhered to it had vacated their offices. The Wheeling Conventions, and the delegates themselves, were never actually elected by public ballot to act on behalf of western Virginia.<ref> C. Ambler "The History of West Virginia", pg. 318</ref> An act for the reorganization of the government was passed on [[June 19]]. The next day [[Francis H. Pierpont]] was chosen by other delegates at the convention to be governor of Virginia, other officers were elected and the convention adjourned. The legislature was composed of 103 members, 33 of whom had been elected to the Virginia General Assembly<ref>Virgil Lewis "How West Virginia Was Made" pgs. 79-80</ref> on [[May 23]]. This number included some hold-over Senators from 1859, and as such had vacated their offices to convene in Wheeling. The other members "were chosen even more irregularly-some in mass meetings, others by county committee, and still others were seemingly self-appointed"<ref>Charles Ambler "The History of West Virginia", pg. 318</ref> They met on [[June 20]] and filled the remainder of the state offices, organized a state government and elected two United States senators who were recognized at [[Washington, D.C.]] At that point, therefore, there were two state governments in Virginia, one pledging allegiance to the United States and one to the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. The Wheeling Convention, which had taken a recess until [[August 6]], then reassembled on [[August 20]], and called for a popular vote on the formation of a new state and for a convention to frame a constitution if the vote should be favorable. At the election on [[October 24]] [[1861]], 18,489 votes were cast for the new state and only 781 against. The accuracy of these election results have been questioned, since Union troops were stationed at many of the polls to prevent Confederate sympathizers from voting.<ref>http://www.wvculture.org/hiStory/statehoo.html</ref> Most of the affirmative votes came from ten counties in the Wheeling area.<ref>Richard O. Curry "A House Divided", pgs. 141-152</ref> Over 50,000 votes had been cast on the Ordinance of Secession, yet the vote on statehood gathered only a little over 19,000. In Ohio County, home to Wheeling, a little over one-quarter of the voters cast a vote.<ref>Richard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 149</ref> At the Constitutional Convention in November 1861, Mr. Lamb of Ohio County and Mr. Carskadon said that in Hampshire County, out of 195 votes only 39 were cast by citizens of the state, the rest by Union soldiers.<ref>J. McGregor "The Disruption of Virginia", pg. 270</ref> In most of what would become West Virginia, there was no vote at all as two-thirds of the territory of West Virginia had voted for secession and county officers were still loyal to Richmond.<ref>Richard O. Curry "A House Divided" map, pg. 49</ref> Votes recorded from Secession counties were mostly cast in the northwest by Unionist refugees from those counties.<ref>Richard O. Curry "A House Divided", pg. 86</ref> The convention began on [[November 26]] [[1861]], and finished its work on [[February 18]] [[1862]], and the instrument was ratified (18,162 for and 514 against) on [[April 11]] [[1862]]. [[Image:Harper's Ferry seen from Maryland side of Potomac River.jpg|left|thumb|[[Harpers Ferry]] (as it appears today) changed hands a dozen times during the [[American Civil War]].]] On [[May 13]], the state legislature of the reorganized government approved the formation of the new state. An application for admission to the Union was made to Congress, and on [[December 31]] [[1862]], an enabling act was approved by President [[Abraham Lincoln]] admitting West Virginia, on the condition that a provision for the gradual abolition of slavery be inserted in the Constitution. Many, including Lincoln, felt that West Virginia's admission as a state was unconstitutional, but wartime politics prevailed.<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/history/statehood/lincolnopinion.html Opinion of Abraham Lincoln on the Admission of West Virginia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Convention was reconvened on [[February 12]] [[1863]], and the demand was met. The revised constitution was adopted on [[March 26]] [[1863]], and on [[April 20]] [[1863]], President Lincoln issued a proclamation admitting the state at the end of sixty days ([[June 20]] [[1863]]). Meanwhile officers for the new state were chosen and Governor Pierpont moved his capital to [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]] where he asserted jurisdiction over the counties of Virginia within the Federal lines. [[Image:FirstConfederateMemorial.JPG|thumb|right|[[First Confederate Memorial]], [[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]].]] The question of the constitutionality of the formation of the new state was brought before the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in the following manner: [[Berkeley County, West Virginia|Berkeley]] and [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson]] counties lying on the Potomac east of the mountains, in 1863, with the consent of the reorganized government of Virginia voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia. Many voters absent in the Confederate Army when the vote was taken refused to acknowledge the transfer upon their return. The [[Virginia General Assembly]] repealed the act of secession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia asking the court to declare the counties a part of Virginia. Meanwhile, Congress, on [[March 10]] [[1866]], passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. The Supreme Court, in 1870, decided in favor of West Virginia.<ref>[http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=78&page=39 Virginia v. West Virginia,] 78 U.S. 39 (1870)</ref> During the [[American Civil War]], West Virginia suffered comparatively little. [[George B. McClellan]]'s forces gained possession of the greater part of the territory in the summer of 1861, culminating at the Battle of Rich Mountain, and Union control was never seriously threatened, in spite of the attempt by [[Robert E. Lee]] in the same year. In 1863, General [[John D. Imboden]], with 5,000 Confederates, overran a considerable portion of the state. Bands of guerrillas burned and plundered in some sections, and were not entirely suppressed until after the war ended. The area which became West Virginia furnished about an equal number of soldiers to the Federal and Confederate governments[http://www.wvculture.org/History/civwaran.html], approximately 22,000-25,000 each. The Wheeling government found it necessary in 1865 to strip voting rights from returning Confederates. James Ferguson, who proposed the law, said that if it was not enacted he would lose election by 500 votes.<ref>Charles Ambler "Disfranchisement in West Virginia", Yale Review, 1905, pg. 41</ref> The property of Confederates might be confiscated, and in 1866 a constitutional amendment disfranchising all who had given aid and comfort to the Confederacy was adopted. The addition of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth]] and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifteenth Amendments]] to the United States Constitution caused a reaction, the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic party]] secured control in 1870, and in 1871, the constitutional amendment of 1866 was abrogated. The first steps toward this change had been taken, however, by the [[United States Republican Party|Republicans]] in 1870. On [[August 22]] [[1872]], an entirely new constitution was adopted. Beginning in [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], and for several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the pre-war Virginia government's debt, which had mostly been incurred to finance public infrastructure improvements, such as canals, roads, and railroads under the [[Virginia Board of Public Works]]. Virginians, led by former Confederate General [[William Mahone]], formed a political coalition which was based upon this theory, the [[Readjuster Party]]. Although West Virginia's first constitution provided for the assumption of a part of the Virginia debt, negotiations opened by Virginia in 1870 were fruitless, and in 1871, that state funded two-thirds of the debt and arbitrarily assigned the remainder to West Virginia. The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939. === Hidden resources === After [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], the new 35th state benefited from development of its mineral resources more than any other single economic activity. [[Salt]] mining had been underway since the 18th century, though it had largely played out by the time of the American Civil War, when the red salt of [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha County]] was a valued commodity of first Confederate, and later Union forces. Later, more sophisticated mining methods would restore West Virginia's role as a major producer of salt. However, in the second half of the 19th century, there was an even greater treasure not yet developed, [[bituminous coal]]. It would fuel much of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the U.S. and the steamships of many of the world's navies. The residents (both Native Americans and early European settlers) had long known of the underlying coal, and that it could be used for heating and fuel. However, for a long time, very small "personal" mines were the only practical development. After the War, with the new [[railroad]]s came a practical method to transport large quantities of coal to expanding U.S. and export markets. As the [[anthracite]] mines of northwestern New Jersey and Pennsylvania began to play out during this same time period, investors and industrialists focused new interest in West Virginia. [[Geologist]]s such as Dr. [[David T. Ansted]] surveyed potential coal fields and invested in land and early mining projects. The completion of the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) across the state to the new city of [[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]] on the [[Ohio River]] in 1872 opened access to the [[New River (West Virginia)|New River]] Coal Field. Soon, the C&O was building its huge [[coal pier]] at [[Newport News, Virginia]] on the large harbor of [[Hampton Roads]]. In 1881, the new Philadelphia-based owners of the former [[Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad]] (AM&O), which stretched across Virginia's southern tier from [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], had sights clearly set on the Mountain State, where the owners had large land holdings. Their railroad was renamed [[Norfolk and Western]] (N&W), and a new railroad city was developed at [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] to handle planned expansion. After its new president [[Frederick J. Kimball]] and a small party journeyed by horseback and saw firsthand the rich bituminous coal seam which his wife named "Pocahontas", the N&W redirected its planned westward expansion to reach it. Soon, the N&W was also shipping from new coal piers at Hampton Roads. In 1889, in the southern part of the state, along the Norfolk and Western rail lines, the important coal center of [[Bluefield, West Virginia]] was founded. The "capital" of the [[Pocahontas coalfield]], this city would remain the largest city in the southern portion of the state for several decades. It shares a sister city with the same name, Bluefield, in Virginia. In the northern portion of the state and elsewhere, the older [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] (B&O) and other lines also expanded to take advantage of coal opportunities. The B&O developed coal piers in [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] and at several points on the [[Great Lakes]]. Other significant rail carriers of coal were the [[Western Maryland Railway]] (WM), [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] (SOU), and the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] (L&N). Particularly notable was a latecomer, the [[Virginian Railway]] (VGN). By 1900, only a large area of the most rugged terrain of southern West Virginia was any distance from the existing railroads and mining activity. Within this area west of the New River Coalfield in Raleigh and Wyoming counties lay the [[Winding Gulf Coalfield]], later promoted as the "Billion Dollar Coalfield." A protégé of Dr. Ansted was [[William N. Page|William Nelson Page]] (1854–1932), a [[civil engineer]] and mining manager in [[Fayette County, West Virginia|Fayette County]]. Former West Virginia Governor [[William A. MacCorkle]] described him as a man who knew the land "as a farmer knows a field." Beginning in 1898, Page teamed with northern and European-based investors to take advantage of the undeveloped area. They acquired large tracts of land in the area, and Page began the [[Deepwater Railway]], a [[short-line railroad]] which was chartered to stretch between the C&O at its line along the [[Kanawha River]] and the N&W at [[Matoaka, West Virginia|Matoaka]], a distance of about 80 miles. Although the Deepwater plan should have provided a competitive shipping market via either railroad, leaders of the two large railroads did not appreciate the scheme. In secret collusion, each declined to negotiate favorable rates with Page, nor did they offer to purchase his railroad, as they had many other short-lines. However, if the C&O and N&W presidents thought they could thus kill the Page project, they were to be proved mistaken. One of the [[silent partner]] investors Page had enlisted was millionaire industrialist [[Henry H. Rogers|Henry Huttleston Rogers]], a principal in [[John D. Rockefeller]]'s [[Standard Oil Trust]] and an old hand at developing natural resources, transportation. A master at competitive "warfare", Henry Rogers did not like to lose in his endeavors, and also had [[deep pocket|"deep pockets"]]. Instead of giving up, Page (and Rogers) quietly planned and then built their tracks all the way east across Virginia, using Rogers' private fortune to finance the $40 million cost. When the renamed [[Virginian Railway]] (VGN) was completed in 1909, no less than three railroads were shipping ever-increasing volumes of coal to export from Hampton Roads. West Virginia coal was also under high demand at [[Great Lakes]] ports. The VGN and the N&W ultimately became parts of the modern [[Norfolk Southern]] system, and the VGN's well-engineered 21th century tracks continue to offer a favorable gradient to Hampton Roads. As coal mining and related work became major employment activities in the state, there was considerable labor strife as working conditions, safety issues, and economic concerns arose. Even in the 21st century, mining safety and ecological concerns is still challenging to the state whose coal continues to power electrical generating plants in many other states. Coal is not the only valuable mineral found in West Virginia, as the state was the site of the 1928 discovery of the 34.48 carat (6.896 g) [[Jones Diamond]]. == Demographics == [[Image:West Virginia population map.png|thumb|left|West Virginia population density map.]] {{USCensusPop |1790 = 55873 |1800 = 78592 |1810 = 105469 |1820 = 136808 |1830 = 176924 |1840 = 224537 |1850 = 302313 |1860 = 376688 |1870 = 442014 |1880 = 618457 |1890 = 762794 |1900 = 958800 |1910 = 1221119 |1920 = 1463701 |1930 = 1729205 |1940 = 1901974 |1950 = 2005552 |1960 = 1860421 |1970 = 1744237 |1980 = 1949644 |1990 = 1793477 |2000 = 1808344 }} The [[center of population]] of West Virginia is located in [[Braxton County, West Virginia|Braxton County]], in the town of [[Gassaway, West Virginia|Gassaway]] [http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt]. As of 2005, West Virginia has an estimated population of 1,816,856, which is an increase of 4,308, or 0.2%, from the prior year and an increase of 8,506, or 0.5%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural decrease since the last census of 3,296 people (that is 108,292 births minus 111,588 deaths) and an increase from net [[Human migration|migration]] of 14,209 people into the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 3,691 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 10,518 people. Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states in that statistic. It has the lowest percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). The five largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are: [[American ancestry|American]] (23.2%), [[German American|German]] (17.2%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (13.5%) (Many actually [[Scots-Irish American|Scots-Irish]]), [[English American|English]] (12%), [[Italian American|Italian]] (4.8%). Large numbers of people of [[Germans|German]] ancestry are present in the northeastern counties of the state. 5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population. There were 20,928 births in 2006. Of these, 19,757 (94.40% of the births, 95.19% of the population) were to Non-Hispanic Whites. There were 22 births to American Indians (0.11% of the births and 0.54% of the population), 177 births to Asians (0.85% of the births and 0.68% of the population), 219 births to Hispanics (1.05% of the births and 0.88% of the population) and 753 births to Blacks and others (3.60% of the births and 3.56% of the population). [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf] {{US Demographics}} == Economy == {{main|Economy of West Virginia}} The economy of West Virginia is one of the most fragile of any [[U.S. state]]. According to [[U.S. Census Bureau]] data, West Virginia is the third lowest in per capita income,<ref>[http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank29.html State Rankings-Statistical Abstract of the United States-Personal Income per Capita in Constant (2000) Dollars 2004<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ahead of only [[Arkansas]] and [[Mississippi]]. It also ranks last in median household income.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank33.html State Rankings-Statistical Abstract of the United States-Median Household Income, 2003<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The proportion of West Virginia's adult population with a [[bachelor's degree]] is the lowest in the U.S. at 15.3%.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank19.html State Rankings-Statistical Abstract of the United States-Persons 25 Years Old and Over With a Bachelor's Degree or More, 2004<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> West Virginia's GDP was $55.6B in 2006, which was a 0.6% increase from 2005. This makes growth rate for the state the 2nd lowest in the nation, behind only [[Michigan]]. One of the major resources in West Virginia's economy is [[coal]]. According to the [[Energy Information Administration]], West Virginia is a top coal-producer in the United States, second only to Wyoming. West Virginia produces minimal oil and natural gas. Nearly all of the electricity generated in West Virginia is from coal-fired power plants. West Virginia produces a surplus of electricity and leads the Nation in net interstate electricity exports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=WV |title= EIA State Energy Profiles: West Virginia |date=2008-06-12 |accessdate=2008-06-24}}</ref> Farming is also practiced in West Virginia, but on a limited basis because of the mountainous terrain over much of the state. [[Image:Coalseam 8618.JPG|right|thumb|Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia]] West Virginia personal [[income tax]] is based on federal adjusted gross income (not taxable income), as modified by specific items in West Virginia law. Citizens are taxed within 5 income brackets, which range from 3.0% to 6.5%. The state's consumer [[sales tax]] is levied at 6%. Effective [[January 1]], [[2004]] calculation of WV consumer sales tax has been converted to a calculated figure from the bracket system, and remains at six percent for most goods (food goods are now taxable at four percent). The computation of tax is carried out to the third decimal place and rounded up when the third decimal place is five (.005) or higher; and similarly rounded down if the third place is four (.004) or lower. By virtue of this method, sales totaling $0.08 and below would not have a sales tax associated with them.<ref>[http://www.state.wv.us/taxrev/taxdoc/tsd1.htm WV State Tax Department - TSD Publications<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> West Virginia counties administer and collect [[property tax]]es, although property tax rates reflect levies for state government, county governments, county boards of education, and municipalities. Counties may also impose a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places not located within the city limits of any municipality that levies such a tax. Municipalities may levy license and [[gross receipts tax]]es on businesses located within the city limits and a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places in the city. Although the Department of Tax and Revenue plays a major role in the administration of this tax, less than one-half of one percent of the property tax collected goes to state government. The primary beneficiaries of the property tax are county boards of education. Property taxes are paid to the [[sheriff]] of each of the state's 55 counties. Each county and municipality can impose its own rates of property taxation within the limits set by the West Virginia Constitution. The West Virginia legislature sets the rate of tax of county boards of education. This rate is used by all county boards of education statewide. However, the total tax rate for county boards of education may differ from county to county because of excess levies. The Department of Tax and Revenue supervises and otherwise assists counties and municipalities in their work of assessment and tax rate determination. The total tax rate is a combination of the tax levies from four state taxing authorities: state, county, schools, and municipal. This total tax rate varies for each of the four classes of property, which consists of personal, real, and intangible properties. Property is assessed according to its use, location, and value as of [[July 1]]. All property is reappraised every three years; annual adjustments are made to assessments for property with a change of value. West Virginia does not impose an [[inheritance tax]]. Because of the phase-out of the federal [[estate tax]] credit, West Virginia's estate tax is not imposed on estates of persons who died in 2005. == Transportation == [[Image:WVtollbooth.jpg|thumb|left|A toll plaza [[West Virginia Turnpike]].]] [[Image:NewRiverGorgeBridgeWV.jpg|thumb|right|The [[New River Gorge Bridge]].]] [[Image:Weirton-Steubenville Bridge pic 1.jpg|thumb|right|The Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries [[U.S. Route 22]].]] {{main|Transportation in West Virginia}} Highways form the backbone of transportation systems in West Virginia, with over 37,300 miles of public roads in the state.<ref>[http://www.wvdot.com/3_roadways/3_roadways.htm West Virginia Department of Transportation, accessed [[9 June]] [[2006]]]</ref> Airports, railroads, and rivers complete the commercial transportation modes for West Virginia. Commercial air travel is facilitated by airports in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Wheeling, and Parkersburg. Cities like Charleston, Huntington, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Bluefield, and Logan have bus-based public transit systems. Charleston also has a limited number of [[tram|trolley]] cars that run primarily through the downtown area. [[West Virginia University]] in Morgantown boasts the [[Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit|PRT (personal rapid transit) system]], the state's only single rail public transit system. Developed by [[Boeing]], the WVU School of Engineering and the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]], it was a model for low-capacity light transport designed for smaller cities. It was also the model for DisneyWorld's tram system. Recreational transportation opportunities abound in West Virginia, including hiking trails,<ref>de Hart, A, and Sundquist, B., Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Charleston, WV 1993.</ref> [[rail trails]],<ref>[http://www.wvrtc.org West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council, accessed [[9 June]] 9, 2006]</ref> ATV off road trails,<ref>[http://www.trailsheaven.com/ Hatfield and McCoys Trail web site, accessed [[6 June]] [[2006]]]</ref> white water rafting rivers,<ref>[http://www.wvwhitewater.com/ WV White Water web site, access [[6 June]] [[2006]]]</ref> and two tourist railroads ([[Cass Scenic Railroad]],<ref>[http://www.cassrailroad.com/ Cass Scenic Railroad web site, accessed [[6 June]] 9, 2006]</ref> and the [[South Branch Valley Railroad|Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad]].<ref>[http://www.potomaceagle.info/ Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, accessed [[6 June]] [[2006]]]</ref>) West Virginia is crossed by several [[interstate highways]]. [[I-64]] enters the state near [[White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia|White Sulphur Springs]] in the mountainous east, and exits for [[Kentucky]] in the west, near [[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]]. [[I-77]] enters from [[Virginia]] in the south, near [[Bluefield, West Virginia|Bluefield]]. It runs north past [[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]] before it crosses into [[Ohio]]. [[I-64]] and [[I-77]] are merged in a stretch of toll road known as the [[West Virginia Turnpike]], on which construction began in 1952. It runs from just east of [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] south to the exit for [[Princeton, West Virginia|Princeton]]. [[I-68]]'s western terminus is in [[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]]. From there it runs east into [[Maryland]]. At the [[I-68]] terminus in Morgantown, it meets [[I-79]], which enters from Pennsylvania and runs through the state to its southern terminus in [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]]. [[I-70]] briefly runs through West Virginia, crossing the northern panhandle through [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]]. [[I-81]] also briefly runs in West Virginia through the [[Eastern Panhandle]] where it goes through [[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]]. Rail lines in the state used to be more prevalent, but many lines have been discontinued because of increased automobile traffic. Many old tracks have been converted to [[rail trails]] for recreational use, and the state is still served by a few commercial lines for hauling coal and by [[Amtrak]]. In 2006 [[Norfolk Southern]] along with the West Virginia and U.S. Government approved a plan to modify many of the rail tunnels in West Virginia, espeically in the southern half of the state, to allow for double stacked cars (see [[Intermodal freight transport#Variations| intermodal freight]]). This is expected to also help bring economic growth to the southern half of the state. Because of the mountainous nature of the entire state, West Virginia has several notable tunnels and bridges. The most famous of these is the [[New River Gorge Bridge]], which was at a time the longest steel single-arch bridge in the world with a 3,031-foot (924 m) span. The bridge is also pictured on the West Virginia [[state quarter]]. The Veterans Memorial Bridge (Weirton-Steubenville Bridge) was at its time of construction one of only three cable-stayed steel girder trusses in the United States. It connects [[Steubenville, Ohio]] with [[Weirton, West Virginia]] along US Route 22. == Law and government == {{main|Law and government of West Virginia}} West Virginia's capital and seat of government is the city of [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]], located in the southwest area of the state. === Legislative branch === {{see|West Virginia Legislature}} The West Virginia Legislature is [[bicameral]], consisting of the [[West Virginia House of Delegates|House of Delegates]] and the [[West Virginia Senate|Senate]]. It is a citizen's legislature, meaning that legislative office is not a full-time occupation, but rather a part-time position. Consequently, the legislators often hold a full-time job in their community of residence. Typically, the legislature is in session for 60 days between January and early April. The final day of the regular session ends in a bewildering fury of last-minute legislation in order to meet a constitutionally imposed deadline of midnight. During the remainder of the year, monthly interim sessions are held in preparation for the regular session. Legislators also gather periodically for 'special' sessions when called by the governor. === Executive branch === {{see|List of Governors of West Virginia}} The governor, elected every four years on the same day as the U.S. Presidential election, is sworn in during the following January. Governors of West Virginia can serve two consecutive terms but must sit out a term before serving a third term in office. === Judicial branch === {{see|Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia}} West Virginia is one of thirteen states that does not have a [[Capital punishment in the United States|death penalty]]. For the purpose of courts of general jurisdiction, the state is divided into 31 judicial circuits. Each circuit is made up of one or more counties. Circuit judges are elected in partisan elections to serve eight-year terms. West Virginia’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the busiest appellate court of its type in the United States. West Virginia is one of 11 states with a single appellate court. The state constitution allows for the creation of an intermediate court of appeals, but the Legislature has never created one. The Supreme Court is made up of five justices, elected in partisan elections to 12-year terms. West Virginia is an [[alcoholic beverage control state]]. However, unlike most such states, it does not operate retail outlets, having exited that business in 1990. It retains a monopoly on wholesaling of distilled spirits only. === Politics === [[Image:WV Capitolbuilding.jpg|thumb|right|The West Virginia State Capitol.]] {{main|Politics of West Virginia}} At the state level, West Virginia's politics are largely dominated by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], with Democrats currently holding the governorship, both senate seats, two of three house seats and both houses of the state legislature. West Virginia also has a very strong tradition of union membership. In the Republican landslide of [[United States presidential election, 1988|1988]], it was one of only ten states, and the only southern state (as defined by the US Census), to give its electoral votes to [[Michael Dukakis]]; it was one of only six states to support [[Jimmy Carter]] over [[Ronald Reagan]] in [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]]; and it supported Bill Clinton by large margins in both [[United States presidential election, 1992|1992]] and [[United States presidential election, 1996|1996]]. However, the West Virginia State Democratic Party, like many State Democratic Parties in the South, is on the whole more moderate than the national party. For example, Senator [[Robert Byrd]] was a member of the bipartisan [[Gang of 14]], while Governor [[Joe Manchin]] and Congressmen [[Alan Mollohan]] and [[Nick Rahall]] are pro-life on the issue of abortion. Furthermore, the state has trended increasingly Republican in Presidential elections; despite the earlier Democratic wins in Presidential matchups mentioned, it narrowly elected [[George W. Bush]] over Al Gore in [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]], then re-elected Bush by a much larger margin in [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]], and [[John McCain]] has usually polled well ahead of [[Barack Obama]] for the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] matchup. The most consistent support for Democrats is found in the [[coal field]]s of [[southern West Virginia]] (especially [[McDowell County, West Virginia|McDowell]], [[Mingo County, West Virginia|Mingo]], [[Logan County, West Virginia|Logan]], [[Wyoming County, West Virginia|Wyoming]], and [[Boone County, West Virginia|Boone]] Counties), while [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] are most numerous to the east of the [[Allegheny Mountains]], especially in the state's [[Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia|Eastern Panhandle]] and [[Potomac Highlands]]. The [[Northern Panhandle]] and [[North-Central West Virginia]] regions usually split right down the middle in terms of being Republican or Democrat. == Important cities and towns == :''See also: [[List of cities in West Virginia]], [[List of towns in West Virginia]], [[List of villages in West Virginia]], [[List of census-designated places in West Virginia]]'' [[Image:Charleston WV skyline.jpg|thumb|Charleston is West Virginia's most populous city]] [[Image:huntington wv.jpg|thumb|Huntington]] [[Image:Parkersburg West Virginia skyline.jpg|thumb|Parkersburg]] [[Image:BeechurstPRT.jpg|thumb|Morgantown]] [[Image:Wheeling West Virginia.jpg|thumb|Wheeling]] ===Large cities (> 10,000 population)=== {| border="0" |- |valign="top"| *[[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]], 53,421 (2007 estimate: 50,478) *[[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]], 51,475 (2007 estimate: 48,982) *[[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]], 33,099 (2007 estimate: 31,617) *[[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]], 26,809 (2007 estimate: 29,361) *[[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]], 31,419 (2007 estimate: 29,101) *[[Fairmont, West Virginia|Fairmont]], 19,097 (2007 estimate: 19,096) *[[Weirton, West Virginia|Weirton]], 20,411 (2007 estimate: 18,842) *[[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]], 17,254 (2007 estimate: 16,830) |valign="top"| *[[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]], 14,972 (2007 estimate: 16,450) *[[Clarksburg, West Virginia|Clarksburg]], 16,743 (2007 estimate: 16,341) *[[South Charleston, West Virginia|South Charleston]], 13,390 (2007 estimate: 12,479) *[[Teays Valley, West Virginia|Teays Valley]], 12,704 (2007 estimate: N/A) *[[Bluefield, West Virginia|Bluefield]], 11,451 (2007 estimate: 11,063) *[[St. Albans, West Virginia|St. Albans]], 11,567 (2007 estimate: 11,028) *[[Vienna, West Virginia|Vienna]], 10,861 (2007 estimate: 10,613) *[[Cross Lanes, West Virginia|Cross Lanes]], 10,353 (2007 estimate: N/A) |} ===Towns and small cities=== {| border="0" |- |valign="top"| *[[Barboursville, West Virginia|Barboursville]] *[[Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia|Berkeley Springs]] *[[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]] *[[Bridgeport, West Virginia|Bridgeport]] *[[Buckhannon, West Virginia|Buckhannon]] *[[Charles Town, West Virginia|Charles Town]] *[[Dunbar, West Virginia|Dunbar]] *[[Eleanor, West Virginia|Eleanor]] *[[Elkins, West Virginia|Elkins]] *[[Fayetteville, West Virginia|Fayetteville]] *[[Follansbee, West Virginia|Follansbee]] |valign="top"| *[[Grafton, West Virginia|Grafton]] *[[Hamlin, West Virginia|Hamlin]] *[[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]] *[[Hinton, West Virginia|Hinton]] *[[Kenova, West Virginia|Kenova]] *[[Keyser, West Virginia|Keyser]] *[[Kilsyth, West Virginia|Kilsyth]] *[[Kingwood, West Virginia|Kingwood]] *[[Lewisburg, West Virginia|Lewisburg]] *[[Logan, West Virginia|Logan]] *[[Madison, West Virginia|Madison]] *[[Mannington, West Virginia|Mannington]] |valign="top"| *[[Marlinton, West Virginia|Marlinton]] *[[Milton, West Virginia|Milton]] *[[Montgomery, West Virginia|Montgomery]] *[[Moorefield, West Virginia|Moorefield]] *[[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]] *[[Mount Hope, West Virginia|Mount Hope]] *[[New Martinsville, West Virginia|New Martinsville]] *[[Nitro, West Virginia|Nitro]] *[[Oak Hill, West Virginia|Oak Hill]] *[[Paden City, West Virginia|Paden City]] *[[Petersburg, West Virginia|Petersburg]] *[[Philippi, West Virginia|Philippi]] |valign="top"| *[[Pleasant Valley, West Virginia|Pleasant Valley]] *[[Point Pleasant, West Virginia|Point Pleasant]] *[[Princeton, West Virginia|Princeton]] *[[Corporation of Ranson, West Virginia|Ranson]] *[[Ravenswood, West Virginia|Ravenswood]] *[[Richwood, West Virginia|Richwood]] *[[Ripley, West Virginia|Ripley]] *[[Romney, West Virginia|Romney]] *[[Salem, West Virginia|Salem]] *[[Shepherdstown, West Virginia|Shepherdstown]] |valign="top"| *[[Shinnston, West Virginia|Shinnston]] *[[Spencer, West Virginia|Spencer]] *[[Summersville, West Virginia|Summersville]] *[[Wardensville, West Virginia|Wardensville]] *[[Webster Springs, West Virginia|Webster Springs]] *[[Welch, West Virginia|Welch]] *[[Wellsburg, West Virginia|Wellsburg]] *[[Weston, West Virginia|Weston]] *[[Westover, West Virginia|Westover]] *[[White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia|White Sulphur Springs]] |valign="top"| *[[Williamson, West Virginia|Williamson]] *[[Williamstown, West Virginia|Williamstown]] |} ===Metropolitan Statistical Areas=== {| border="0" |- |valign="top"| *[[Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area|Charleston, WV MSA]] *[[Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA]] *[[Morgantown metropolitan area|Morgantown, WV MSA]] *[[Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area|Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH MSA]] *[[Weirton-Steubenville metropolitan area|Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA]] |valign="top"| *[[Wheeling metropolitan area|Wheeling, WV-OH MSA]] *[[Cumberland, MD-WV MSA]] *[[Hagerstown Metropolitan Area|Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA]] *[[Washington Metropolitan Area|Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA]] *[[Winchester, VA-WV MSA]] |} ===Micropolitan Statistical Areas=== {| border="0" |- |valign="top"| *[[Beckley, WV]] [[United States micropolitan area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]] (MSA) *[[Bluefield, WV]]-VA MSA *[[Clarksburg, WV]] MSA |valign="top"| *[[Fairmont, WV]] MSA *[[Oak Hill, WV]] MSA *[[Point Pleasant micropolitan area|Point Pleasant, WV-OH MSA]] |} == Education == {{main|Education in West Virginia}} [[Image:Fairmont West Virginia.jpg|thumb|Fairmont]] [[Image:Beckley Main Street.jpg|thumb|Beckley]] West Virginia has received low marks for reading and math skills at the eighth-grade level and ranked 51st in college education rates.<ref>[http://www.timeswv.com/westvirginia/local_story_255230118.html The Times West Virginian - State earns ‘D’ in prosperity study<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> === Colleges and universities === {{see|List of colleges and universities in West Virginia}} {| |valign="top"| *[[Alderson-Broaddus College]] *[[Appalachian Bible College]] *[[Bethany College (West Virginia)|Bethany College]] *[[Bluefield State College]] *[[Concord University]] *[[Davis and Elkins College]] *[[Fairmont State University]] *[[Glenville State College]] *[[Marshall University]] *[[Mountain State University]] *New River Community and Technical College *[[Ohio Valley University]] *[[Salem International University]] |valign="top"| *[[Shepherd University]] *[[University of Charleston]] *[[West Liberty State College]] *[[West Virginia Northern Community College]] *[[West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine]] *[[West Virginia State University]] *[[West Virginia University]] **[[Potomac State College of West Virginia University]] **[[West Virginia University Institute of Technology]] **[[West Virginia University at Parkersburg]] *[[West Virginia Wesleyan College]] *[[Wheeling Jesuit University]] |} ==Sports== [[Image:MartinsburgWV HistoricDistrict.jpg|thumb|Martinsburg]] [[Image:Clarksburg West Virginia.jpg|thumb|Clarksburg]] {| class="wikitable" ![[Club]] ![[Sport]] ![[League]] |- |[[West Virginia Mountaineers]] |[[American football|Football / Basketball]] |[[College Football / College Basketball]] |- |[[Marshall Thundering Herd]] |[[American football|Football]] |[[College Football]] |- |[[Bluefield Orioles]] |[[Baseball]] |[[Appalachian League]] |- |[[Princeton Devil Rays]] |[[Baseball]] |[[Appalachian League]] |- |[[West Virginia Power]] |[[Baseball]] |[[South Atlantic League]] |- |[[Wheeling Nailers]] |[[Ice hockey]] |[[ECHL]] |- |[[West Virginia Wild]] |[[Basketball]] |[[International Basketball League]] |- |[[Huntington Heroes]] |[[Indoor football]] |[[American Indoor Football Association]] |- |[[West Virginia Crash]] |[[Football]] |[[United States Football Alliance]] |- |[[Ohio Valley Greyhounds]] |[[Indoor football]] |[[United Indoor Football]] |- |[[West Virginia Chaos]] |[[Soccer]] |[[USL Premier Development League]] |} ==Miscellaneous topics== {{US state insignia | Name = West Virginia | Motto = ''[[Montani semper liberi]]'' ([[Latin]], "Mountaineers are Always Free") | Slogan = "Wild and Wonderful"<br>"Open for Business" (''former'')<br>"Almost Heaven" (''former'') | Bird = [[Northern Cardinal]]<br>(''Cardinalis cardinalis'') | Animal = [[American black bear|Black Bear]] <br>(''Ursus americanus'') | Fish = [[Brook trout|Brook Trout]]<br>(''Salvelinus fontinalis'') | Insect = [[Western honey bee|European Honey Bee]]<br>(''Apis mellifera'') | Flower = [[Rhododendron]]<br>(''Rhododendron maximum'') | Tree = [[Acer saccharum|Sugar Maple]]<br>(''Acer saccharum'') | Fossil = | Song = "The West Virginia Hills" <br>"This Is My West Virginia"<br> "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home"| Folk Dance = | Gemstone = [[Coral#Geological history|Silicified Mississippian Fossil Coral]]<br>(''Lithostrotionella'') | Mineral = | StateRock = | Colors = [[Old Gold]] and [[Blue]] | Butterfly = [[Monarch Butterfly]]<br>(''Danaus plexippus'') | Fruit = [[Golden Delicious|Golden Delicious Apple]]<br>(''Malus domestica'') | Wildflower = [[Fringed Gentian]]<br>(''Gentiana crinita'') | Soil = Monongahela Silt Loam | Tartan = | Reptile = [[Timber Rattlesnake]]<br>(''Crotalus horridus'') | Quarter = West_Virginia_quarter_reverse_side_2005_transparent_sm.png | QuarterReleaseDate = Released in 2005 }} The state has a rich, lush beauty reflecting its temperate [[topography]]. [[Tourism|Tourist]] sites include the [[New River Gorge Bridge]],<ref>The New River Gorge Bridge is one of just two U.S. sites which have granted explicit permission for [[BASE jumping]]. This occurs each year on the third Saturday in October, known as "Bridge Day". [http://www.wvbridgeday.com/ Bridge Day website], accessed [[January 17]], [[2006]].</ref> [[Harpers Ferry National Historical Park]] and many [[state park]]s. [[The Greenbrier]] [[hotel]] and [[resort]], originally built in 1778, has long been considered a premier hotel frequented by numerous world leaders and [[U.S. President]]s over the years. West Virginia is also home to the [[Green Bank Telescope]] at the [[National Radio Astronomy Observatory]]. A common story told about West Virginia is the folktale about how it got the nickname "West, By God, Virginia". According to the legend, a West Virginia native who was being inducted into the US Army during the [[First World War]] (some versions make it as early as the [[Spanish-American War]]), was repeatedly asked by his induction officer, "What part of Virginia?" And the soldier, finally getting fed up with the confusion, said "Not Virginia! West Virginia! West, by God, Virginia!". This story, whether true or not, has entered American folklore, and it is not unusual to hear not only West Virginians themselves, but other Americans, refer to the state as "West, By God, Virginia";, or often as "West By-God", or sometimes simply as "By-God". Many West Virginians, when travelling outside the state, or when abroad, enjoy paying homage to the legend by referring to their home state in this manner. West Virginia has long been the butt of jokes as a backwater, in addition to incestuous relationships. At a National Press Club dinner on [[June 2]], [[2008]], U.S. Vice President Cheney mentioned he had "Cheneys on both sides" of his family tree, "...and we don't even live in West Virginia."<ref>Cheney Apologizes to West Virginia</ref> ===Film=== {{seealso|List of television shows and movies in West Virginia}} ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]'' (2007): One scene is set in the fictional town of Middleton, West Virginia. ''[[Rocket Science (film)]]'' (2007) ''[[We Are Marshall]]'' (2006): set at [[Marshall University]] in [[Huntington, West Virginia|Huntington]]. Filmed in Huntington, [[Kenova, West Virginia|Kenova]] and [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. ''[[Silent Hill]]'' (2006): adapted from the [[Konami]] video game series of the same name, this film is set in the fictional Toluca County, West Virginia. ''[[Walk the Line]]'' (2005): Actors Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon played Johnny Cash and June Carter in a scene featuring Wheeling, West Virginia in which they talk to locals and perform a concert. ''[[Bubble (film)|Bubble]]'' (2005): set and filmed in [[Belpre, Ohio]] and [[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]]. ''[[Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!]]'' (2004): set in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia. ''[[Wrong Turn]]'' (2003): set in West Virginia, although the movie was filmed in [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. ''[[The Mothman Prophecies (film)|The Mothman Prophecies]]'' (2002): set in [[Point Pleasant, West Virginia|Point Pleasant]], but filmed in [[Pennsylvania]]. ''[[October Sky]]'' (1999): set in [[Coalwood, West Virginia|Coalwood]] in [[McDowell County, West Virginia|McDowell County]], but filmed in [[Tennessee]]. ''[[Whatever]]'' (1998): [[independent film]] set within [[Northern New Jersey]] in the early 1980s, but filmed in Wheeling, West Virginia. ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991): Partly filmed in Weirton, West Virginia. ''[[Paradise Park (film)|Paradise Park]]'' (1990): set and filmed in [[West Virginia]]. ''[[Matewan]]'' (1987): set in [[Matewan, West Virginia|Matewan]], filmed in [[Thurmond, West Virginia|Thurmond]]. ''[[Reckless]]'' (1984): partially filmed in [[Weirton, West Virginia|Weirton]]. ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978): partially filmed in [[Weirton, West Virginia|Weirton]], but is set in Western Pennsylvania. ''[[Fools' Parade (film)|Fool's Parade]]'' (1971): set in 1930s West Virginia, filmed in [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]]. ''[[Holy Ghost People]]'' (1967): documentary on a congregation in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia. ''[[The Night of the Hunter]]'' (1955): filmed in [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]] and [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]]. ===Music=== {{main|Music of West Virginia}} ====Appalachian music==== West Virginia's folk heritage is a part of the [[Appalachian folk music]] tradition, and includes styles of [[Musical styles (violin)#Fiddle|fiddling]], ballad singing, and other styles that draw on [[Ulster-Scots|Scots-Irish]] music. Camp Washington-Carver, a Mountain Cultural Arts Center located at [[Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia|Clifftop]] in [[Fayette County, West Virginia|Fayette County]], hosts an annual Appalachian String Band Festival.<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/stringband/ Appalachian String Band Festival<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Capitol Complex in Charleston hosts The Vandalia Gathering, where traditional Appalachian musicians compete in contests and play in impromptu jam sessions and evening concerts over the course of the weekend.<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/vandalia/ Vandalia Gathering<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ====Classical music==== The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1939, as the ''Charleston Civic Orchestra'', before becoming the ''Charleston Symphony Orchestra'' in 1943. The first conductor was William R. Wiant, followed by the prominent conductor Antonio Modarelli, who was written about in the [[November 7]], [[1949]] ''Time Magazine'' for his composition of the ''River Saga'', a six-section program piece about the Kanawha River according to the Charleston Gazette's [[November 6]], [[1999]] photo essay, "Snapshots of the 20th Century".<ref>http://www.wvgazette.com/static/century/gz1106.html</ref> Prior to coming to Charleston, Modarelli had conducted the [[Wheeling Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]], according to the orchestra's website.<ref>[http://www.wvsymphony.org/orchestra.php West Virginia Symphony Orchestra<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ====Musical innovation==== The West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/agency/cultcenter.html West Virginia Cultural Center] accessed [[January 19]], [[2006]].</ref> is home to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/ West Virginia Division of Culture and History] accessed [[January 19]], [[2006]]</ref> which helps underwrite and coordinate a large number of musical activities. The Center is also home to [[Mountain Stage]], the internationally broadcast live-performance music radio program established in 1983.<ref>In 2001, Mountain Stage debuted a television show featuring many of the radio program's guests. [http://www.mountainstage.org/ Mountain Stage], accessed [[January 20]], [[2006]].</ref> The program also travels to other venues in the state such as the [[West Virginia University]] Creative Arts Center in Morgantown.<ref>[http://www.tourmorgantown.com/ Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau], accessed [[January 20]], [[2006]].</ref> The Center hosts concerts sponsored by the Friends of Old Time Music and Dance, which brings an assortment of acoustic roots music to West Virginians.<ref>A list of events can be found on the FOOTMAD website<ref>[http://www.footmad.org Footmad<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Center also hosts the West Virginia Dance Festival, which features classical and modern dance.<ref>[http://www.wvculture.org/dance/index.html West Virginia Dance Festival], accessed [[January 20]], [[2006]].</ref> Huntington's historic [[Keith-Albee Theatre]], built by brothers A.B. and S.J. Hyman, was originally opened to the public on [[May 7]], [[1928]], and hosts a variety of performing arts and music attractions. The theatre was eventually gifted to [[Marshall University]] and is currently going through renovation to restore it to its original splendor. The town of [[Glenville, West Virginia|Glenville]] has long been home to the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival.<ref>[http://www.etc4u.com/folkfest/ West Virginia State Folk Festival<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Mountaineer Opera House in [[Milton, West Virginia|Milton]] hosts a variety of musical acts. The [[Boston, Massachusetts]] band [[Big Wreck]] wrote a song titled "[[The Pleasure and the Greed|West Virginia]]". ==See also== *[[List of West Virginia-related topics]] {{portal|West Virginia|Flag of West Virginia.svg|left=yes}} {{clear}} <!-- Please place links to all topics directly related to the State of West Virginia in the [[List of West Virginia-related topics]] --> ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin}} *{{1911}} * Charles H. Ambler, ''A History of Education in West Virginia From Early Colonial Times to 1949 '' (1951) * Charles H. Ambler and Festus P. Summers. ''West Virginia, the Mountain State'' (1958) * Jane S. Becker, ''Inventing Tradition: Appalachia and the Construction of an American Folk, 1930-1940'' 1998. * Richard A. Brisbin, et al. ''West Virginia Politics and Government'' (1996) * James Morton Callahan, ''History of West Virginia'' (1923) 3 vol * John C. Campbell, ''The Southern Highlander and His Homeland'' (1921)reissued 1969. * Richard Orr Curry, ''A House Divided: A Study of Statehood Politics and Copperhead Movement in West Virginia'' (1964) * Donald Edward Davis. ''Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians'' 2000. * Ronald D, Eller. ''Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers: Industrialization of the Appalachian South, 1880–1930'' 1982. * Carl E. Feather, ''Mountain People in a Flat Land: A Popular History of Appalachian Migration to Northeast Ohio, 1940–1965''. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1998. * Thomas R. Ford ed. ''The Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey''. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1967. * Horace Kephart, ''Our Southern Highlanders''. Rev. ed. New York: Macmillan, 1922. Reprinted as ''Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life among the Mountaineers'' . With an Introduction by George Ellison. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1976. * Gerald Milnes, ''Play of a Fiddle: Traditional Music, Dance, and Folklore in West Virginia.'' Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1999. * Otis K. Rice, ''The Allegheny Frontier: West Virginia Beginnings, 1730-1830'' (1970), * Otis K. Rice and Stephen W. Brown, ''West Virginia: A History'', 2d ed. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1993), standard * Curtis Seltzer, ''Fire in the Hole: Miners and Managers in the American Coal Industry'' (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1985), conflict in the coal industry to the 1980s. * Joe William Trotter Jr., ''Coal, Class, and Color: Blacks in Southern West Virginia, 1915-32'' (1990) * John Alexander Williams, ''West Virginia: A History for Beginners''. 2nd ed. Charleston, W.Va.: Appalachian Editions, 1997. * John Alexander Williams. ''West Virginia: A Bicentennial History'' (1976) * John Alexander Williams. ''West Virginia and the Captains of Industry'' 1976. * John Alexander Williams. ''Appalachia: A History'' (2002) '''Primary sources''' * Elizabeth Cometti, and Festus P. Summers. ''The Thirty-fifth State: A Documentary History of West Virginia''. Morgantown: West Virginia University Library, 1966. {{refend}} ==External links== {{sisterlinks}} ;State Government *[http://www.wv.gov/ State of West Virginia government website] *[http://www.legis.state.wv.us West Virginia Legislature website] *[http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia website] *[http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/WV_CON.cfm Constitution of West Virginia] *[http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/masterfrm3Banner.cfm West Virginia Code] ;U.S. Government *[http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=WV Energy Profile for West Virginia- Economic, environmental, and energy data] *[http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=WV USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of West Virginia] *[http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/wv.htm West Virginia State Fact Sheet] from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ;Other *[http://www.wvgov.org Governor Joe Manchin III's website] *[http://www.westvirginia.com Visiting West Virginia] *[http://www.wvculture.org/history West Virginia Archives and History] {{-}} {{West Virginia|expand}} {{United States}} {{US South}} {{coor title d|39|N|80.5|W|region:US-WV_type:state}} [[Category:1863 establishments]] [[Category:States of the United States]] [[Category:West Virginia|*]] [[af:Wes-Virginië]] [[als:West Virginia]] [[ang:West Virginia]] [[ar:فيرجينيا الغربية]] [[frp:Virginia du Ponant]] [[az:Qərbi Virciniya]] [[bn:ওয়েস্ট ভার্জিনিয়া]] [[zh-min-nan:West Virginia]] [[bs:West Virginia]] [[br:West Virginia]] [[bg:Западна Вирджиния]] [[ca:Virgínia de l'Oest]] [[cv:Анăç Вирджини]] [[cs:Západní Virginie]] [[cy:Gorllewin Virginia]] [[da:West Virginia]] [[pdc:Wescht Wirschini]] [[de:West Virginia]] [[et:Lääne-Virginia]] [[es:Virginia Occidental]] [[eo:Okcidenta Virginio]] [[eu:Mendebaldeko Virginia]] [[fa:ویرجینیای غربی]] [[fo:West Virginia]] [[fr:Virginie-Occidentale]] [[fy:West Firginia]] [[ga:Virginia Thiar]] [[gv:Yn Virjeeney Heear]] [[gd:West Virginia]] [[gl:Virxinia Occidental]] [[ko:웨스트버지니아 주]] [[hy:Արևմտյան Վիրջինիա]] [[hr:Zapadna Virginia]] [[io:Westa-Virginia]] [[bpy:ওয়েস্ট ভার্জিনিয়া]] [[id:West Virginia]] [[ik:West Virginia]] [[os:Ныгуылæн Вирджини]] [[is:Vestur-Virginía]] [[it:Virginia Occidentale]] [[he:וירג'יניה המערבית]] [[pam:West Virginia]] [[ka:დასავლეთი ვირჯინია]] [[ks:वेस्‍ट वर्जिनिया]] [[kw:Vyrjynia West]] [[sw:West Virginia]] [[ht:Vijini de Lwès]] [[ku:West Virginia]] [[lad:Virginia Occidental]] [[la:Virginia Occidentalis]] [[lv:Rietumvirdžīnija]] [[lt:Vakarų Virdžinija]] [[lij:Virginn-ia Oççidentâ]] [[hu:Nyugat-Virginia]] [[mk:Западна Вирџинија]] [[mi:West Virginia]] [[mr:वेस्ट व्हर्जिनिया]] [[ms:Virginia Barat]] [[nl:West Virginia]] [[ja:ウェストバージニア州]] [[no:Vest-Virginia]] [[nn:Vest-Virginia]] [[oc:Virgínia Occidentala]] [[uz:G`arbiy Virjiniya]] [[pms:Virginia Ossidental]] [[nds:West-Virginia]] [[pl:Wirginia Zachodnia]] [[pt:Virgínia Ocidental]] [[ro:West Virginia (stat SUA)]] [[ru:Западная Вирджиния]] [[sa:वेस्‍ट वर्जिनिया]] [[sq:West Virginia]] [[simple:West Virginia]] [[sk:Západná Virgínia]] [[sl:Zahodna Virginija]] [[sr:Западна Вирџинија]] [[fi:Länsi-Virginia]] [[sv:West Virginia]] [[ta:மேற்கு வேர்ஜினியா]] [[th:มลรัฐเวสต์เวอร์จิเนีย]] [[vi:Tây Virginia]] [[tr:Batı Virginia]] [[uk:Західна Вірджинія]] [[ur:مغربی ورجینیا]] [[vo:West Virginia]] [[yi:וועסט ווירדזשיניע]] [[diq:West Virginia]] [[bat-smg:Vakaru Virdžinėjė]] [[zh:西維吉尼亞州]]