West Virginia, WV

West Virginia is the 41st largest state and notable for being a ‘secession state’ organized during the American Civil War after the Wheeling Conventions held by counties in what was then western Virginia.  The counties voted to breakaway from the Virginia Commonwealth and form their own state still loyal to the Union.  West Virginia was one of two states that entered the Union during the Civil War and the only state to separate from the Confederacy.

West Virginia is heavily defined by the Appalachian Mountain Range which constitutes much of its territory and supplies abundant coal deposits, timber, and recreational opportunities.  Coal mining and logging are still principle industries alongside natural gas and to a lesser extent oil.  Many popular tourist attractions and recreations include fishing, skiing, hiking, and hunting.

Most of the state’s population is dispersed along the western and northern state lines, primarily around the towns of Huntington, Charleston, and Morgantown; and in Wheeling in the northern sliver of land between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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