West Virginia is a state of the United States in the Appalachian Mountains, popularly called The Mountain State. It is bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the north, and Maryland to the northeast. West Virginia, which broke away from Virginia during the Civil War, is also known as a mining country, as well as for its labor disputes and relative poverty.
Metro Valley
This bustling urban hub in West Virginia encompasses
the state's two most populous cities, Charleston (the capital) and
Huntington, serving as a central point for culture, commerce, and
entertainment. Bordering both Ohio and Kentucky, the area features a mix
of vibrant city life with major festivals, professional sports events,
and renowned glassmaking traditions, alongside serene countryside
escapes ideal for relaxation.
Ohio Valley
Situated along the
Ohio River and incorporating the state's western panhandle, this region
is home to the fourth and fifth largest cities, Parkersburg and
Wheeling, as well as charming small industrial towns, expansive rural
farmlands, and rolling hills. The northern section benefits from
proximity to Pittsburgh, influencing its economy and culture with
historic riverfront communities and opportunities for scenic river
excursions.
New River and Greenbrier Valleys
As the
southernmost area of West Virginia, this valley region offers thrilling
whitewater rafting on the Gauley and New Rivers, stunning parklands, and
quaint small towns like Beckley, Fayetteville, Lewisburg, and White
Sulphur Springs. It boasts the New River Gorge National Park and
Preserve, which includes the deepest canyon in the eastern United
States, along with a rich coal mining heritage, world-class rock
climbing, mountain biking, and luxurious spas such as The Greenbrier for
ultimate pampering.
Mountains and Lakes Country
Known as West
Virginia's emerging technology corridor, this central region includes
the third largest city, Morgantown, and the state's second-largest urban
area near the southern Pennsylvania border, with key spots like
Fairmont, Buckhannon, and Summersville. It blends innovation hubs with
deeply rural landscapes filled with numerous lakes (including the
state's largest, Summersville Lake), rivers, and streams perfect for
fishing, boating, camping, and hiking in a peaceful, nature-focused
setting.
Potomac Highlands
Nestled within the Allegheny
Mountains and the vast Monongahela National Forest, this predominantly
rural region is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, featuring premier
skiing at resorts like Canaan Valley, extensive caving opportunities,
and hiking trails amid steep forested hills and clear streams. It holds
West Virginia's highest point at Spruce Knob and lowest at Harpers
Ferry, significant Civil War sites, and a more populated eastern
panhandle influenced by nearby Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, with
attractions like Seneca Rocks and scenic fall foliage train rides adding
to its allure as nature's playground.
Charleston — West Virginia's bustling capital and most populous city
with an estimated 46,482 residents in 2024, serving as a key political,
economic, and cultural hub at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha
rivers. It boasts attractions like the majestic Italian
Renaissance-style State Capitol, the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences
(including a planetarium and art museum), and events such as FestivALL
and the Vandalia Gathering celebrating Appalachian traditions. Founded
in the late 18th century with roots in salt mining and natural gas, it
played a role in the Civil War and grew through chemical manufacturing
in the 20th century.
Beckley — A vibrant southern West Virginia
city with about 16,515 residents (2024 estimate), renowned for the
Tamarack Marketplace showcasing local artisans and the Beckley
Exhibition Coal Mine offering immersive tours into Appalachian mining
history. As the closest major town to New River Gorge National Park and
Preserve, it acts as a gateway for outdoor adventures, with a heritage
rooted in coal since its founding in 1838 and a nickname as the
"Smokeless Coal Capital." It also features the Youth Museum with a
planetarium and serves as a regional healthcare and education center.
Bluefield — Nestled in the East River Mountains on the Virginia
border, this high-elevation city (West Virginia's highest major one) has
around 9,157 residents (2024 estimate) and is dubbed "Nature's Air
Conditioned City" for its mild climate, even offering free lemonade on
hot days since 1938. Founded amid the late 19th-century coal boom, it
was a railroad hub fueling the Industrial Revolution and now highlights
attractions like the Bluefield Downtown Historic District, Mercer Mall,
and Bluefield State University, a historically Black institution. Its
sports legacy includes state championships and the Rough and Rowdy Brawl
boxing event.
Charles Town — A charming historic community
founded in 1786 by George Washington's brother Charles, with a growing
population of about 8,869 (2024 estimate), known for its pivotal role in
American history including the 1859 trial and execution of abolitionist
John Brown at the Jefferson County Courthouse. It features the Hollywood
Casino at Charles Town Races, a popular gaming and entertainment venue
since 1933, along with the Downtown Historic District and Charles
Washington Hall. The city has seen rapid growth through annexations and
maintains ties to early U.S. figures via estates like Happy Retreat.
Harpers Ferry — West Virginia's premier tourist spot and a
significant Civil War landmark with just 269 residents (2020 census),
situated at the dramatic confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers
where three states meet. Famous for John Brown's 1859 raid on the
federal armory, which sparked national tensions over slavery, it now
centers on Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the Appalachian Trail
headquarters, and preserved sites like John Brown's Fort and Storer
College (a civil rights pioneer). The town has rebounded from a 2015
fire and 2019 train derailment, focusing on tourism and historic
preservation.
Huntington — The state's second-largest city with
an estimated 44,942 residents (2024), home to Marshall University's
Thundering Herd and located along the Ohio River. Established in 1871 as
a railroad terminus, it evolved from an industrial powerhouse in coal
and manufacturing to a hub for education, healthcare, and tourism,
featuring the Huntington Museum of Art, Camden Park (one of the oldest
amusement parks), and the bustling Port of Huntington Tri-State.
Cultural highlights include festivals like the West Virginia Hot Dog
Festival and film connections such as "We Are Marshall," with recent
revitalization efforts like Pullman Square.
Morgantown — West
Virginia's third-largest city with around 30,490 residents (2024
estimate), dominated by West Virginia University's Mountaineers and
their energetic campus life. Founded in 1772, it pioneered the
innovative Personal Rapid Transit system in 1975 and offers attractions
like the WVU Art Museum, Core Arboretum trails, and the Metropolitan
Theatre for performing arts. As a youthful, education-driven community
with a median age under 25, it hosts events such as the Morgantown
Marathon and emphasizes Appalachian culture through its museums and
revitalized neighborhoods like Sunnyside.
Parkersburg — Situated
on the Ohio River with about 29,403 residents (2021 estimate), this city
is famed for Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park and its role as
"Where West Virginia Began." Chartered in 1820, it thrived as a
transportation and oil refining center in the 19th century, now hosting
museums like the Oil and Gas Museum and events such as the Mid-Ohio
Valley Multi-Cultural Festival. It gained attention through the 2019
film "Dark Waters" depicting local environmental issues with chemical
pollution, while maintaining a focus on industry, recreation, and
regional history.
Wheeling — A northern panhandle city with
27,062 residents (2020 census), celebrated for its Victorian-era
architecture and the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Founded in
1769, it was instrumental in West Virginia's statehood during the Civil
War, hosting the Wheeling Conventions, and later became a manufacturing
powerhouse before shifting to tourism and healthcare. Highlights include
the iconic Wheeling Suspension Bridge (1849), Oglebay Park with its zoo
and golf courses, and cultural venues like the Capitol Theatre, with
recent downtown revitalization projects enhancing its historic charm.
Blackwater Falls State Park — Renowned as West Virginia's most
photographed site, this park showcases a dramatic 57-foot waterfall
plunging through a rugged gorge along the Blackwater River, with
waters tinted amber from tannins in nearby hemlock and red spruce
trees. Situated in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, it was
established in 1937 and offers over 20 miles of hiking trails,
scenic bike paths through the canyon with features like beehive coke
ovens and stone archways, and in winter, the East Coast's longest
sledding magic carpet. The park also includes a comfortable lodge,
historical sites, and opportunities for cross-country skiing and
geocaching.
Monongahela National Forest — This expansive
woodland covers more than 919,000 acres (about 3,700 km²) across the
eastern portion of West Virginia, extending from near Elkins
southward to Richwood. It encompasses the state's highest peak at
Spruce Knob, along with iconic northern sites like Seneca Rocks and
Dolly Sods Wilderness, and southern highlights including the
Highland Scenic Highway, Cranberry Wilderness, and Cranberry Glades
Botanical Area. Known for its rugged terrain with spectacular
vistas, rivers, blueberry thickets, high-elevation bogs, and open
meadows, the forest provides over 825 miles of hiking trails ranging
from short day hikes to multi-day backpacking adventures, plus 500
miles of paths for mountain biking and horseback riding. It features
23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas, and attractions such as Cass Scenic
Railroad State Park, Blackwater Falls (nearby), and Seneca Caverns.
Fishing opportunities abound in 129 miles of warm-water streams and
578 miles of trout streams.
New River Gorge National Park and
Preserve — Home to the deepest river canyon in eastern North
America, this area protects a rugged, whitewater river that flows
northward through profound gorges, making it one of the continent's
oldest waterways. The gorge reaches depths of over 1,000 feet in
places, with the iconic New River Gorge Bridge spanning 3,030 feet
across it at a height of 876 feet above the river—once the world's
longest single-span arch bridge and now the fifth longest.
Activities include more than 100 miles of hiking and mountain biking
trails, world-class whitewater rafting, rock climbing, fishing, and
the annual Bridge Day event featuring BASE jumping and rappelling.
Coopers Rock State Forest — A favored natural reserve just
outside Morgantown, featuring striking rock outcroppings and
panoramic overlooks. Spanning 12,747 acres across Monongalia and
Preston counties, it includes about 50 miles of trails for hiking,
biking, and cross-country skiing, along with historical sites like
old iron furnaces and picnic shelters. The main attraction is the
Coopers Rock Overlook, a massive sandstone outcrop providing
sweeping views of the Cheat River Gorge and canyon. Other activities
include rock climbing, camping at McCollum Campground, and nearby
water pursuits on the Cheat River such as rafting or fishing. A
trading post operates seasonally from May to October.
Summersville Lake — West Virginia's largest lake, celebrated for its
dramatic cliff-lined shores and exceptionally clear, emerald-green
waters filtered by surrounding limestone. Formed by a dam on the
Gauley River, it covers approximately 2,700 acres of water with over
60 miles of shoreline at summer pool levels. The recently
established Summersville Lake State Park on its northern shore
emphasizes rock climbing—the first U.S. state park to do so—with
premier routes on sandstone cliffs like Pirates Cove. Popular
activities include boating, water skiing, swimming, jet skiing,
paddle boarding, scuba diving, kayaking, rafting, and fishing for
large- and smallmouth bass in its 129 miles of streams.
Beartown State Park — A distinctive geological wonderland filled
with massive sandstone boulders, towering cliffs, and narrow
crevices amid a lush mountain forest. Encompassing 110 acres on the
eastern summit of Droop Mountain in northern Greenbrier and
Pocahontas counties, the park's formations are made of Droop (or
Pottsville) sandstone dating back over 300 million years to the
Pennsylvanian age. Its name derives from the bear-like appearance of
the boulders or the area's historical abundance of bears. A
half-mile boardwalk trail winds through the moss-covered rock walls
and deep crevices, offering an easy, scenic loop to explore the
ancient landscape.
Bluestone River is a picturesque river that carved an awe inspiring gorge in the South West Virginia.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is one of the largest and one of the most haunted places in West Virginia and all of USA.
By plane
Yeager Airport (IATA: CRW)
Raleigh County Memorial
Airport (IATA: BKW)
By train
Amtrak serves stations in Harpers
Ferry (HFY) and Martinsburg (MRB). As well as in White Sulfur Springs
(WSS), Alderson (ALD), Hinton (HIN), Prince (PRC), Thurmond (THN),
Montgomery (MNG), Charleston (CHW) and Huntington (HUN).
By car
I64 Lexington KY - Huntington WV - Charleston WV - Beckley WV -
Lexington VA
I77 Fort Chiswell VA - Beckley WV - Charleston WV -
Cambridge OH
I79 Charleston WV - Clarksburg WV - Washington PA
It is the only state located completely within the Appalachians, and
in which all its areas are mountainous; For this reason it is nicknamed
The Mountain State. Approximately 75% of the state is within the
Cumberland Plateau and Allegheny Plateau regions. Although the relief is
not very high, these regions are extremely rugged in most areas.
At the eastern state line with Virginia, the high peaks in the
Monongahela National Forest region create an island of colder climate
and ecosystems similar to those of northern New England and eastern
Canada. Its highest point is Spruce Knob, at 1,482 meters above sea
level and is covered by a dense boreal spruce forest at altitudes above
1,220 m. This is in the Monongahela National Forest and is a part of the
Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. A total of six areas
of moorland can also be found within the forest. Coming out of the
forest to the south, the New River Gorge is a 1,000-foot deep canyon
carved by the New River. Other areas under protection and control
include:
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Bluestone National
Scenic River
Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Gauley River National Recreation
Area
George Washington National Forest
Harpers Ferry National
Historical Park
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
The native vegetation was originally hardwood forest with a mix of oak,
chestnut, maple, beech and white pine, with willow and American sycamore
along the waterways. Many of the areas are rich in biodiversity and
scenic beauty, a fact that is appreciated by the population, who refer
to their home as Almost Heaven.
The underlying rock strata are
sandstones, shales, bituminous coal beds, and limestones deposited near
the edge of sediments from the mountains to the east, and in a shallow
inland sea to the west. Some beds have a coastal swamp environment, some
river delta, some surface water. Sea level rose and fell many times
during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras (Carboniferous Period
Epochs), creating a variety of rock strata. The Appalachian Mountains
are some of the oldest on earth, at 300 million years old.
The climate is between a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate
classification Cfa) in the lower elevations of the southwestern part
(including Huntington) and parts of the Eastern Panhandle east of the
Appalachians with warm, humid summers and mild winters. The remainder
has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa,
except Dfb in higher areas) with hot, humid summers and cold winters,
which increase in severity with increasing elevation. However, the
weather is changeable in all parts of the state. The most rigorous zones
extend from zone 5b in the central Appalachians to zone 7a in the
hottest parts of the lower foothills. In the Eastern Panhandle and Ohio
River Valley temperatures are warm enough to see and grow subtropical
plants such as magnolia grandiflora, albizia julibrissin, sweetgum and
occasionally some needle palms and lesser sabales. These plants do not
thrive in other parts of the state.
Average temperatures in
January range from -2°C near the Cheat River to 5°C along sections of
the Kentucky border. The July average ranges from 19°C along the North
Branch of the Potomac River to 24°C in the western part. The climate is
colder in the mountains than in the lower elevations.
Annual
precipitation ranges from less than 810 mm in the lower section of the
East, to more than 1,400 mm in the upper parts of the Allegheny Front.
Virtually more than half of the rainfall occurs from April to September.
Dense fogs are common in many valleys of the Kanawha section, especially
the Tygart Valley. Snow usually lasts only a few days at lower
elevations, but can persist for weeks in higher mountain areas. An
average of 86 cm of snow falls annually in Charleston, although during
the winter of 1995-1996 more than three times that amount fell in
several cities, setting new highs in snowfall records.
The region has been populated since prehistory. In Moundsville, South
Charleston and Romney there are many traces of mound culture. They are
evidence of ancient societies formed by people who had a tribal cultural
system based on trade.
Around 1670, the Iroquois expelled the
other tribes from the region and reserved it for themselves as a hunting
reserve during the Beaver War. The area was also inhabited by other
Sioux-speaking tribes.
It was a disputed territory, even by
European Americans. Pennsylvania and Virginia claimed it before the
Revolutionary War. Some companies that speculated in land, such as
Vandalia, and later the Ohio & Indiana Company, tried unsuccessfully to
legitimize their claims and settle in West Virginia and Kentucky.
With the final agreement on the border dispute between Pennsylvania
and Virginia, which led to the creation of Kentucky, the inhabitants of
the latter "were satisfied [...], and the inhabitants of most of West
Virginia were grateful."
It belonged to the British Colony of
Virginia between 1607 and 1776, and between that year and 1863 it
constituted the western part of Virginia (known as Trans-Allegheny
Virginia before the formation of West Virginia). Strong discontent with
electoral representation and underrepresentation in the state Parliament
caused residents to be divided over secession from the Union during the
Civil War.
The western and northern counties established a
separate government led by Francis Pierpont in 1861, which they called
the "restored government." The majority voted to secede from Virginia,
and the new state was admitted to the Union in 1863. A year later, a
constitutional convention wrote the state's Constitution. Although
Parliament ratified it, it was not submitted to a popular vote. In this
period, he abolished slavery and temporarily deprived those who had
worked in Confederate positions or had fought for The Confederacy.
In 1671, General Abraham Wood, under the orders of the royal governor
of the colony of Virginia, William Berkeley, sent a group of men led by
Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam to Fort Henry, who discovered Kanawha
Falls. Some sources say that Governor Alexander Spotswood's 1716
Ultramontane Expedition had already penetrated Pendleton County,
although original excursion stories modern historians suggest that none
of the pilots had ventured west of the Blue Ridge, Harrisonburg .
John Van Meter, an Indian trader, went to the northern part in 1725.
That same year, German settlers from Pennsylvania founded New
Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, on the Potomac River, and were
followed by many.
In 1661, Charles II gave that company the strip
between the Potomac and the Rappahannock, known as the Northern Neck.
The land eventually became the property of Thomas Fairfax, and in 1746
an obelisk was erected at the headwaters of the North Branch of the
Potomac, to mark the western boundary of the territory.
Between
1748 and 1751, George Washington surveyed much of the region. The diary
of that time indicates that many occupants, mainly of German origin,
behaved abusively. Christopher Gist was an explorer with the Ohio
Company, a company composed almost entirely of Virginians, which between
1751 and 1752 explored the lands along the Ohio River north of the mouth
of the Kanawha.
The Ohio Company sought to found a new colony
called Vandalia. Many settlers crossed the mountains starting in 1750,
hampered by indigenous resistance. Some natives lived permanently within
the state's current boundaries, but the region was considered a hunting
preserve, crisscrossed by many routes. During the French and Indian War,
the British settlements, scattered throughout the territory, were almost
completely destroyed.
In 1774, Virginia Crown Governor John
Murray led an expedition beyond the mountains. In turn, a corps of
militia under Colonel Andrew Lewis dealt the Shawnee, led by Cornstalk,
a devastating blow at the Battle of Point Pleasant at the confluence of
the Kanawha and the Ohio. In the Treaty of Camp Charlotte that ended
Dunmore's War, Cornstalk recognized the new frontier with Ohio, with the
Long Knives of Virginia.
In 1776, however, the Shawnee waged a
new war, and in this they were joined by the Chickamauga. Native
American attacks continued until the Revolutionary War. Settlers in this
area were generally active Whigs and many joined the Continental Army.
The Claypool Rebellion of 1780 to 1781, in which a group of men refused
to pay colonial taxes, showed weariness with war.
Social conditions in western Virginia were very different from those
in the eastern part. The population was not homogeneous, as much of the
immigration came from Pennsylvania and included Germans, Scots-Irish
Protestants, and settlers from more northern states. The eastern and
southern counties were mainly settled by people from eastern Virginia.
During the Revolutionary War, the movement to create a state beyond
the Allegheny was revived, and a petition for the birth of
"Westsylvania" was presented to Congress, arguing that to the east the
mountains were an almost impenetrable barrier. Wild nature also made
slavery unnecessary and unprofitable.
In 1829 a commission was
created to draft a new constitution. This, contrary to the claims of the
ultramontane counties, established that it was necessary to own land to
be able to vote and gave the slave counties an advantage corresponding
to three-fifths of their slave population in the allocation of state
seats. in the House of Representatives. As a result, all counties beyond
the Allegheny (except one) voted against the Constitution, which was
passed, however, to the support of the eastern counties.
The
Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 and 1851, known as the Reform
Convention, extended the right to vote to all white men over the age of
21 and provided that the governor, lieutenant governor, judges,
sheriffs, and all offices of the county were to be decided by popular
election. In turn, the composition of the General Assembly changed:
representation in the House of Delegates was assigned on the basis of
whiteness and the 1850 census, while the Senate was divided arbitrarily,
between West, which received 20 senators and East 30.
The
Westerners accepted this clause because they were promised that the
seats would be redistributed based on the 1865 census, or a referendum.
In any case, this gave a fiscal advantage to the east, since a property
tax was levied based on the real and present value of assets, with the
exception of slaves. Slaves under 12 years of age were not taxed, while
those over 12 years of age had to be paid $300, that is, a fraction of
their real value. However, the goods, animals and lands of small farmers
did have to pay their full value. Despite this and the lack of
improvements in the West, the new Constitution received 75,748 in favor
and 11,063 against, especially from the East, dissatisfied with the
advantages for the West.
Because of this, many in the West
continued to seek to form a separate state, among them the lawyer
Francis Harrison Pierpont. In addition to differences over slavery, in
that region the central government was perceived to have little interest
in repairing roads and railroads.
West Virginia was the only territory to secede from a Confederate
state, Virginia, during the Civil War, forming a separate state. At the
Richmond convention, called for the sole purpose of deciding on the
separation of Virginia from the United States on April 17, 1861, of the
49 delegates delegated from western Virginia, 17 did so in favor of
secession. , 30 against and 2 abstained.
Almost immediately
thereafter, a mass meeting in Clarksburg recommended that each county in
the northwest (present-day West Virginia) send delegates to a convention
in Wheeling, to begin its work on May 13, 1861. When it met, there were
425 delegates from 25 counties.
Some delegates were in favor of
the new state. Others argued that, since secession had not been approved
by a referendum, it was an act against the United States. It was decided
that if Virginia approved secession, another convention would be formed
in Wheeling in June 1861, including the elected members of the state
legislature. In the May 23 vote throughout Virginia, secession was
ratified by a large majority of the state as a whole. But in the western
counties, there were 34,677 votes against secession and 19,121 in favor.
The Second Wheeling Convention met as agreed on June 11 and declared
that since the Secession Convention had been called without popular
consent, all its acts were void and all who had adhered to it had ceased
from office. public. On June 19, a law was approved to reorganize the
government. The next day, convention delegates elected Francis Harrison
Pierpont as governor of Virginia, and other officials from a rival state
government and two U.S. senators (Willey and Carlile) to replace the
secessionists, before adjourning. The federal government quickly
recognized the new government and Congress accepted the two new
senators. Thus there were two state governments in Virginia: one loyal
to the United States and the other to the Confederacy.
The
Wheeling Convention and its delegates were never actually elected by the
people to act on behalf of West Virginia. Of the 103 members of this
Convention, 33 had been elected to the Virginia General Assembly, in the
regular election of May 23 . This number also includes some state
senators elected in 1859, who abandoned their offices to meet in
Wheeling. Other members "were elected even more irregularly: some at
mass meetings, others by the county committee, and still others were
apparently self-nominated." This irregular assembly appointed Unionists
to the rest of the state offices.
The Wheeling Convention
reconvened on August 20 and called for a popular vote for the formation
of a new state and for a convention to draft a constitution, in the
event of a vote in favor of the creation of the new state. In the
elections of October 24, 1861, 18,408 people voted in favor of the new
State and only 781 against. The results of these elections have been
questioned several times, as the Union Army occupied the area and its
troops were present in many voting centers, discouraging Confederate
sympathizers from voting. The majority of votes in favor of statehood
(or separation of the territory from the rest of Virginia) came from 16
counties in its northern zone. If some 50,000 voters had participated in
the Secession vote (on May 23), only a little more than 19,000
participated in the vote on the independence of the state.
In
Ohio County, seat of the Convention, only 25% of registered voters went
to the polls. At the Constitutional Convention in November 1861, Mr.
Lamb of Ohio County and Mr. Carskadon claimed that in Ohio County of
Hampshire, of a total of 195 votes, only 39 were cast by citizens, while
the rest were illegal votes by Union soldiers. In most of the territory
that would become West Virginia, there were even no elections, since
two-thirds of the territory of West Virginia had voted to secede, and
the elected officials of those counties were still loyal to Richmond.
Votes cast in the counties that had voted to secede were cast by
unionist refugees in other counties.
Despite this controversy,
the delegates met to draft a constitution for the new state. The
Convention began on November 26, 1861 and completed the work on February
18, 1862. The constitution was ratified April 11, 1862, with 18,162
votes in favor and 514 against.
On May 13, the state legislature
of the reorganized government of Virginia (acting on behalf of all
Virginia, as a government loyal to the Union and with its recognition)
approved the formation of the new state. A petition for admission to the
Union was presented to Congress, by Senator Waitman Willey of the
Restored Government of Virginia. On December 31, 1862, President Abraham
Lincoln signed the Act admitting West Virginia as a state, provided that
a provision for the gradual abolition of slavery be inserted into its
constitution. Although many thought that West Virginia's entry was
illegal and unconstitutional, Lincoln stood by his opinion on the
legality of West Virginia's admission, saying that "the body which
consents to the entry of West Virginia is the Legislature of Virginia"
and that the Therefore, his entry was both constitutionally convenient.
The Convention met again on February 12, 1863 and approved the
changes required by the federal government. The revised Constitution was
adopted March 26, 1863, and on April 20, 1863, President Lincoln issued
the official announcement that the state was admitted to the Union,
effective June 20, 1863. Meanwhile, government officials were elected of
the state, while Governor Pierpont moved Virginia's capital to the
Union-occupied city of Alexandria, and exercised jurisdiction over all
remaining counties in Virginia.
The question of the
constitutionality of the formation of the new state was then brought
before the Supreme Court. Berkeley and Jefferson counties, situated on
the Potomac River east of the mountains, voted in 1863 to annex West
Virginia, with the consent of the reorganized Virginia government. Many
voters in these strongly pro-Southern counties were serving in the
Confederate army at the time of the vote, and therefore upon their
return, refused to recognize the transfer.
The Virginia General
Assembly repealed this act of secession and in 1866 sued West Virginia,
asking the Supreme Court to declare those counties part of Virginia,
which would have made West Virginia's admission as a state
unconstitutional. Meanwhile, on March 10, 1866, Congress passed a joint
resolution recognizing the transfer. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of
West Virginia in 1870.
During the Civil War, the forces of Union
General George B. McClellan took control of the main part of the
territory in the summer of 1861, culminating in the Battle of Rich
Mountain, and Unionist control was never seriously threatened again,
despite an attempt by Robert Edward Lee in the same year. In 1863,
General John D. Imboden, with 5,000 Confederates, recovered a
considerable part of the state. Guerrilla bands broke out and looted
some areas, and were not completely suppressed until the war ended. The
counties in the eastern section were most affected by the war, with
military control changing several times over the years.
The area
that became West Virginia provided a nearly equal contingent of both the
Union and Confederate armies, approximately 22,000-25,000 soldiers each.
Because of this, in 1865 the Wheeling government removed the right to
vote. to the soldiers of the new state, who had served in the
Confederate army, to remain in power. James Ferguson, who proposed the
law, said that without it he would have lost the election by 500 votes.
Confederate property could also be confiscated, by an amendment to the
state Constitution to expropriate those who had served the Confederacy.
The 14th and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution sparked
reactions in the state. The Democratic Party returned to power in 1870
and in 1871 the 1866 amendment was repealed, although the first steps
towards this change had been taken by the Republican Party in 1870. On
August 22, 1872, a completely new Constitution was approved.
Beginning in the Reconstruction era and for several decades, both states
repeatedly argued over the division of Virginia's antebellum debt, and
the funds that were used to finance public infrastructure such as
canals, highways, and railways. railways by the Virginia Public Works
Agency. Virginians, led by former Confederate general William Mahone,
formed a political coalition that was based on precisely this, and was
called the Readjustment Party. Although West Virginia's first
constitution had laid the foundation for assuming part of Virginia's
debt, negotiations that opened in 1870 were unsuccessful. In 1871
Virginia decided to assume two-thirds of the debt and arbitrarily assign
the rest to West Virginia. The issue was finally resolved in 1915, when
the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia
$12,393,929.50. The last installment of this sum was paid in 1939.
According to the 2000 national census of the United States Census
Bureau, the population in 2000 was 1,808,344 inhabitants, a growth of
0.8% in relation to the population in 1990, which was 1,793,477
inhabitants. . An estimate made in 2005 estimates the population at
1,816,856 inhabitants, a growth of 1.3% in relation to the population in
1990, 0.5% in relation to the population in 2000, and 0.2% in relation
to the estimated population in 2004.
The decrease in the natural
population between 2000 and 2005 was 3,296 inhabitants - 108,292 births
111,588 deaths - the population growth caused by immigration was 14,209
inhabitants, while interstate migration increased by 3,691 inhabitants.
Between 2000 and 2005, the population grew by 8,506 inhabitants.
5.6% of the population is less than 5 years old, 22.3% is less than 18
years old and 15.3% of the population is 65 years or older. The female
population makes up approximately 51.4% of the population.
Upon becoming a state in 1863, it established a public school system.
In 1933, the state's 398 school districts were reorganized into 55
districts, each operating within each county.
Currently, all
educational institutions need to follow rules and regulations dictated
by the Council of Education, made up of nine members chosen by the
governor for terms of up to nine years. This council is administered by
a superintendent, elected for four years. It has 55 school districts,
each operating in a county. Each school district has its own
superintendents. Charter schools - independent public schools, which are
not managed by school districts, but depend on public budgets to
operate, are not permitted to operate. Schooling is compulsory for all
children and adolescents over six years of age, until the completion of
secondary education or until the age of fifteen.
In 1999, public
schools served approximately 291,800 students, employing approximately
21,100 teachers. Private schools served nearly 15,900 students,
employing approximately 1,500 teachers. The public school system
accounted for about $1,987 million, and public school spending is
approximately $7,200 per student. About 78.7% of inhabitants over 25
years of age have a secondary education diploma.
The first
library was founded in 1808, in Wheeling. The first public library, for
its part, was founded on May 18, 1859, in Ohio County. Currently, it has
about 97 public library systems, which move an average of 4.4 books per
inhabitant.
West Virginia University has 37 higher education
institutions, of which 15 are public and 22 are private. The state's
first institution of higher learning, West Virginia University, was
founded in 1867 in Morgantown. This is the largest institution of higher
learning.
The gross domestic product was 53,782 million dollars in 2005. The
per capita income, for its part, was 29,602 dollars, the second smallest
in the country, only behind Mississippi. The unemployment rate is 5.3%.
The primary sector accounts for 5% of GDP. Together, agriculture and
livestock account for 1% of the GDP, and employ approximately 29,900
people. The effects of the logging and fishing industries are not of
great magnitude on the economy. It has about 21,000 farms, covering
approximately 85%. The main products of the agricultural industry are
poultry, cattle meat and milk, straw, corn, tobacco, apples and peaches.
The secondary sector contributes 18% of the GDP. The manufacturing
industry, with 16% of GDP, employs approximately 84,600 people. The
total value of products manufactured in the state is $9 billion. The
main industrialized products manufactured in the state are chemical
products, wooden furniture and transportation equipment. Mining
contributes 7% of GDP, employing around 26,300 people. The main natural
resource extracted in the state is coal. The state of West Virginia is
the second largest coal producer in the United States. The extraction of
coal from mountain tops is a common practice in different regions, which
has produced several ecological consequences such as soil erosion,
ecosystem degradation and deforestation. Despite these impacts, few
studies demonstrate evidence that these extractive practices provide
benefits to local communities. Other important natural resources are oil
and granite. The construction industry accounts for 5% of GDP, employing
approximately 48,900 people.
The services sector accounts for the
majority of the GDP, with 77%. About 18% of GDP is generated through
community and personal services. This sector employs around 263,600
people. Government services account for 16% of GDP, employing
approximately 84,600 people. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 15%
of GDP, and employs approximately 192,800 people. Financial and real
estate services account for about 15% of GDP, employing approximately
46,900 people. Transport, telecommunications and public services employ
some 44,900 people, and account for 11% of the GDP. 99.5% of the
electricity generated in the state is produced in coal-fired
thermoelectric plants. The rest is produced in small hydroelectric
plants and in thermoelectric plants powered by oil or natural gas.
The Bush administration has promoted the interests of the mining
industry, facilitating mountaintop coal mining, and more generally has
responded to companies' demands, including relaxing health regulations.
Its main transportation center is Charleston. In 2002 it had 3,595 kilometers of railway tracks. Coal accounts for 95% of the railway cargo transported. In 2003, it owned 59,534 kilometers of public roads, of which 884 kilometers were interstate highways, considered part of the United States federal highway system.
The first newspaper, the Potomak Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser,
was first published in 1790, in Shepherdstown. The oldest newspaper
still in circulation, meanwhile, is The Intelligencer, first printed in
Wheeling in 1852. There are currently 97 newspapers published, of which
21 are dailies.
The first radio station was founded in 1923, in
Huntington. The first television station was founded in 1949, also in
Huntington. Currently, it has 123 radio stations - of which 51 are AM
and 72 are FM - and 11 television stations.