West Virginia |
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| Entered the Union: June 20, 1863 (35) | Capital: Charleston | |
| Origin of Name: In honor of Elizabeth, "Virgin Queen" of England | ||
| State Motto: Montani semper liberi (Mountaineers are always free) | ||
| State Nickname: Mountain State | State Tree: Sugar Maple | |
| State Flower: Rhododendron | State Bird: Cardinal | |
| State Animal: Black Bear | State Fish: Brook Trout | |
| State Fruit: Golden Delicious Apple | State Butterfly: Monarch | |
| State Colors: Old Gold and Blue | State Gem: Fossil Coral | |
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State Song
s: “West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home"
• "The West Virginia Hills" • "This is My West Virginia" |
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| National Forest: 1 • State Forests: 9 • State Parks: 36 | ||
| Famous For: Harpers Ferry, Cass Scenic Railroad, Greenbrier and Berkeley Springs Resorts | ||
| Famous West Virginians: George Brett (baseball), Pearl S. Buck (author), Martin Delany (first black army major), Billy Dixon (frontiersman), Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Confederate general), Don Knotts (actor), Peter Marshall (TV host), Kathy Mattea (singer), Mary Lou Retton (gymnast), Jerry West (basketball), Chuck Yeager (test pilot, Air Force general) | ||
| Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make. | ||
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| A small population of Cherokee, Delaware and Shawnee Indian tribes lived in the West Virginia region. Many of the Native Americans had died in tribal wars or disease during the late 1500s. | ||||||||||||
| In 1731 Morgan Morgan established the first permanent white settlement on Mill Creek in present-day Berkeley County. | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia was a part of Virginia until Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861. The delegates of the 40 western counties who opposed secession formed their own government, and were granted statehood in 1863. | ||||||||||||
| Declared a state by President Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia is the only state to be designated by Presidential Proclamation. | ||||||||||||
| The state's rapid industrial expansion began in the 1870s, drawing thousands of European immigrants and African Americans into the region. | ||||||||||||
| Because of its mountains, West Virginia is sometimes referred to as "the Switzerland of the United States." | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia ranks second in coal production. | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia has long been famous for its manufacture of fine glass. The first glass plant in West Virginia was at Wellsburg in 1815. | ||||||||||||
| Tourism is the state's leading industry. | ||||||||||||
| On July 1, 1921, West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax. | ||||||||||||
| Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908. | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state. | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia has one of the oldest populations of any state. The median age is about 43. | ||||||||||||
| ESPN's Scholastic last year picked as the best sports team nickname in America the Dots of Poca High School in Poca. | ||||||||||||
| On January 26, 1960 Danny Heater, a student from Burnsville, scored 135 points in a high school basketball game earning him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. | ||||||||||||
| The New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville is one of the highest steel arch bridges in the United States. The bridge is also the longest steel arch bridge (1,700 feet) in the United States. Every October on Bridge Day, the road is closed and individuals parachute and bungee cord jump 876 feet off the bridge. The event attracts about 100,000 people each year. | ||||||||||||
| Nearly 75% of West Virginia is covered by forests. | ||||||||||||
| The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on October 6, 1896, and then spread throughout the United States. | ||||||||||||
| The first steamboat was launched by James Rumsey in the Potomac River at New Mecklensburg (Shepherdstown) on December 3, 1787. | ||||||||||||
| The Golden Delicious apple originated in Clay County. The original Grimes Golden Apple Tree was discovered in 1775 near Wellsburg. | ||||||||||||
| The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street, between Kanawha and Virginia Streets. | ||||||||||||
| The Greenbrier Hotel is the home of the famous springs which were rumored to cure various ailments. | ||||||||||||
| "Paws-Paws," nicknamed the "West Virginia banana," originated in the state and took their name from Paw Paw, Morgan County. | ||||||||||||
| Towns in West Virginia named after cities in other countries include Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva, Ghent, Glasgow, Killarney, Lima, London, Moscow, Odessa, Ottawa, Palermo, Rangoon, Santiago, Shanghai, Vienna, and Wellington . | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia's Ethnic Roots: American 23.2%, German 17.2%, Irish 13.5%, English 12%, Italian 4.8%, (American is likely Scots-Irish) | ||||||||||||
| Religion in West Virginia: 77.3% Christian (69.3% Protestant, 8% Catholic), 20% No Religion, 2.2% Other Religions, 0.5% LDS | ||||||||||||
| Ironic to its name, the New River is actually one of the oldest rivers in the World and flows south to north, opposite from most rivers because it was formed before the mountains. |
At a Glance
West Virginia Quick Facts
| Entered the Union | June 20, 1863 (35) |
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| Capital | Charleston |
| Nickname | Mountain State |
| State Bird | Cardinal |
| State Flower | Rhododendron |
| State Tree | Sugar Maple |
New for 2026
More West Virginia Facts & Photos
In December 2020, New River Gorge became the country's 63rd national park. The 70,000-acre New River Gorge National Park and Preserve follows one of the oldest rivers on the continent and offers some of the best whitewater rafting and rock climbing in the East.
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, in the mountains of Pocahontas County, is the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world, with a dish covering more than two acres. It sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000-square-mile area where radio signals are strictly limited to protect the telescope.
West Virginia's official state fossil is the giant ground sloth Megalonyx jeffersonii. Thomas Jefferson described its bones, found in a West Virginia cave, in 1797, and the state adopted the ten-foot Ice Age animal as its fossil in 2008.
Spruce Knob, at 4,863 feet, is the highest point in West Virginia. It rises in the Monongahela National Forest and is crowned by a red spruce forest more typical of Canada than the southern Appalachians.
Voices of America
In Their Own Words
Martin Delany
“Our elevation must be the result of self-efforts and work of our own hands. No other human power can accomplish it. If we but determine it shall be so, it will be so.”
First Black Army Major
Benjamin Franklin
"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God Governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
Founding Father
Samuel Adams
While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
Signer of Declaration of Independence
Pearl S. Buck
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
Author
Abraham Lincoln
"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. "
President
George Washington
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports."Farewell Address
President
Last updated: July 2026