⛰️West Virginia

The Mountain State

West Virginia was created during the Civil War, when the mountainous western counties of Virginia refused to secede and broke away to form their own state — the only state created by seceding from a seceding state. Its terrain is almost entirely mountainous: the Appalachian Mountains cover the entire state, and the average elevation of 1,500 feet is the highest of any state east of the Mississippi.

Breaking from Virginia

Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861, but the mountainous counties of western Virginia had long had different economic interests — small farms rather than plantation slavery — and different politics. Representatives from the western counties met at the Wheeling Conventions to reject secession. They formed a "Restored Government of Virginia," which then consented to the creation of a new state. President Lincoln signed the statehood bill on December 31, 1862, and West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863.

Coal

The Appalachian coalfields of West Virginia have been among the most productive in the world. Coal built company towns, railroad fortunes, and a generations-long tradition of labor conflict. The Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921 — a week-long armed conflict between coal miners and mine owners backed by state police and federal troops — was the largest labor uprising in American history. More than 10,000 miners took part. The industry has declined dramatically since the 1990s as natural gas has displaced coal in electricity generation.

Whitewater and Wild

The New River Gorge — counter to its name, one of the oldest rivers in North America — became West Virginia's first national park in 2020. The state's whitewater rivers (New, Gauley, Cheat) make it a premier rafting destination. The Monongahela and Jefferson National Forests cover large sections of the state with second-growth hardwood forest.

Appalachian Culture

West Virginia's geography kept much of the state isolated from mainstream American culture until well into the 20th century. Appalachian music, dance, crafts, and storytelling traditions survive more strongly here than almost anywhere else. The "almost heaven" of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" captures something real about the state's landscape and sense of place — though Denver himself was never from West Virginia.

West Virginia Facts

• West Virginia is the only state created by breaking away from another state during a civil war.
• Mother's Day was first celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908.
• The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs houses a massive, formerly secret Cold War bunker that was intended to shelter all of Congress in the event of nuclear war.
• The state's northern panhandle is further north than Pittsburgh.
• West Virginia is entirely within Appalachia and has the highest percentage of residents born in-state of any state.

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