West Virginia
-
What is West Virginia?
West Virginia, the 35th state, was admitted to the union in 1863. It is a relatively small state bordered by Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The state's capital is Charleston.
West Virginia is known as the Mountain State because it has the highest average elevation of any U.S. state east of the Mississippi River. The maximum elevation in West Virginia is 4,863 feet (1,482 meters) at Spruce Knob, and the lowest is 247 feet (75 meters) at Harpers Ferry.
West Virginia has struggled economically compared to the rest of the United States. The rugged terrain has contributed to this, but the state has been working to diversify its economy by developing education and telecommunications.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where is West Virginia located in the United States?
West Virginia is a constituent state of the United States, admitted as the 35th state in 1863. It is a relatively small state bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland and Virginia to the east, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. The state has two panhandles, one knifing northward between Pennsylvania and Ohio, the other eastward between Maryland and Virginia.
West Virginia is called the Mountain State because it has the highest average elevation of any U.S. state east of the Mississippi River, approximately 1,500 feet (460 meters) above sea level. The maximum elevation in West Virginia is 4,863 feet (1,482 meters) at Spruce Knob, in the east. The lowest point is 247 feet (75 meters) at Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the capital city of West Virginia?
The capital of West Virginia is Charleston. Situated in the Allegheny Mountains, it sits at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers. Originally named Charles Town in 1794, it was renamed Charleston in 1819. Charleston was designated the state capital in 1870, with the move from Wheeling taking place in 1885. The State Capitol, completed in 1932, features a gold-leafed dome larger than that of the United States Capitol.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did West Virginia become a separate state?
West Virginia became a separate state due to political tensions that arose during the American Civil War. In April 1861, a majority of delegates from the western area of Virginia opposed secession from the Union.
These delegates met in Wheeling, declaring the Ordinance of Secession illegal. They established a Restored Government of Virginia aligned with the Union and called for elections in western Virginia. In October 1861, voters in the proposed new state overwhelmingly approved its creation. In 1863, Congress consented to the admission of West Virginia into the Union, with the condition that the state would gradually emancipate its slaves.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some important natural features of West Virginia?
West Virginia is part of the Appalachian Mountain system and has two main regions: the Appalachian Plateau Province and the Ridge and Valley Province. Spruce Knob, the highest point, reaches 4,863 feet, while the lowest is 247 feet at Harpers Ferry. The state's rugged terrain includes hills and mountains, but lacks large level areas.
The eastern area has a trellised drainage pattern into the Potomac River, while the western part drains into the Ohio River. The New River flows north into West Virginia, joining the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River.
Forests cover most of West Virginia with hardwoods like oak and maple on the plateau, and softwoods such as pine and spruce on mountain slopes. Common animals include rabbits, squirrels, deer and black bears.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some main industries or economic activities in West Virginia?
West Virginia has traditionally maintained a poor economic position among the states. However, the state has an abundance and variety of natural resources, most notably bituminous coal.
Key industries and economic activities in West Virginia:
* Coal Mining: West Virginia is one of the premier coal-mining regions in the country and the world.
* Chemicals, Primary Metals, Lumber, and Wood Products: These are relatively stable industries in West Virginia.
* Tourism: Tourism is a growing service sector in West Virginia.
* Agriculture: Cattle and dairy products are important, and one of the prime apple-growing regions in the country is in the eastern panhandle.2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
News •
West Virginia, constituent state of the United States of America. Admitted to the union as the 35th state in 1863, it is a relatively small state. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland and Virginia to the east, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. The state capital is Charleston.
West Virginia justifies in every way its nickname, the Mountain State. With an average elevation of about 1,500 feet (460 meters) above sea level, it is the highest of any U.S. state east of the Mississippi River. It is a region tied economically and socially to the mountain spines that span its length and breadth and to the rivers that enclose it on many sides. Originally it constituted the northwestern portion of Virginia, but its inhabitants defied the stateās secession convention in 1861, choosing instead to remain within the union. Two years later the area formed a new state, its citizenry acting much in the tradition suggested by the motto of West Virginia, āMontani semper liberiā (āMountaineers are always freeā).
- Capital:
- Charleston
- Population1:
- (2020) 1,793,716; (2025 est.) 1,766,147
- Governor:
- Patrick Morrisey (Republican)
- Date Of Admission:
- June 20, 1863
- U.S. Senators:
- Shelley Moore Capito (Republican)
- Jim Justice (Republican)
- State Nickname:
- Mountain State
- State Motto:
- "Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers Are Always Free)"
- State Bird:
- northern cardinal
- State Flower:
- big rhododendron
- State Song:
- āThe West Virginia Hillsā
- āThis Is My West Virginiaā
- āWest Virginia My Home Sweet Homeā
- Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives:
- 2 (of 435)
- Time Zone:
- Eastern (GMT ā5 hours)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 62,756
In comparison with the national standards and averages of the United States, West Virginia is poor in personal incomes and in overall economic development. For decades the rich coal beds underlying West Virginia have made it a leading producer of bituminous coal in North America. The gnarled terrain long locked West Virginians into their small communities in the narrow valleys and posed both literal and symbolic obstacles to people from the outside world. Since World War II large numbers of the stateās population have left West Virginia for places offering greater employment opportunities. The 1970s marked a brief turning point in out-migration during that decadeās energy crisis and accompanying coal boom. Beginning in the 1980s, population loss from the coalfields and heavy manufacturing was partially offset by an influx of urban professionals and retirees in the eastern panhandle. West Virginians have turned to the development of education and telecommunications, among other strategies, to create a more modern social and economic climate in their state. Area 24,230 square miles (62,756 square km). Population (2020) 1,793,716; (2025 est.) 1,766,147.
Land
Relief
The maximum elevation in West Virginia is 4,863 feet (1,482 meters) at Spruce Knob, in the east. The lowest point is 247 feet (75 meters) at Harpers Ferry, located on a steep tongue of land rising above the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The land is rugged, ranging from hilly to mountainous, and there are no extensive expanses of level land. The state has two panhandles, one knifing northward between Pennsylvania and Ohio, the other eastward between Maryland and Virginia.
All of West Virginia is a part of the Appalachian Mountain system. It is commonly subdivided into two major physiographic regions: the Appalachian Plateau Province and the Ridge and Valley Province. In general, these are separated by the Allegheny Front, dividing the waters that flow to the Atlantic Ocean from those flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. The Appalachian Plateau Province covers the western two-thirds of the state and coincides with the Ohio River drainage basin. It is a region severely dissected by streams into a maze of hills and valleys, and, in places, the original plateau surface shows as the uniform top levels of the remaining ranges. The eastern portion of the plateau, with the highest mountains of the state, is referred to as the Allegheny Mountain section. The Allegheny Mountains include more than 40 peaks over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) in elevation, inducing heavy precipitation in the area and making it the wettest in the state and the source of many of its rivers. The eastern edge of the state and the eastern panhandle comprise the Ridge and Valley Province. This geologic province takes in most of the Potomac River basin and is famous for its northeast-southwest folded mountain alignment, part of the chain reaching from Canada to north-central Alabama. The northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains forms a minor region in the easternmost end of the eastern panhandle.
Drainage and soils
The drainage east of the Allegheny Front features a trellised pattern flowing toward the northeast and ultimately draining into the Potomac. The western portions drain across an inclined plane by a longer, dendritic drainage pattern that flows generally northwest into the Ohio River. A very small area drains into the eastward-bound James River system of Virginia.
Drainage over West Virginiaās rugged surface has created some of the stateās most productive and level alluvial soils on the larger river floodplains. The weathered limestone soils of the east are suited for pasture and orchards. Some of the clay soils along the Ohio River are bases for the ceramics industry. In general, however, the high relief and deciduous forest of the Appalachian Plateau Province produce a thin, rocky, acidic soil not conducive to large-scale commercial farming.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
