50 state - West Virginia

West Virginia . . .

West Virginia's official flag was adopted in 1929. The flag has a white field surrounded by blue. The state seal is encircled by a garland of the state flower. The seal pictures a farmer and a miner around a rock bearing the date June 20, 1863 which is the day West Virginia split from Virginia and became a state. There are two rifles and a red liberty cap which symbolize freedom. A red ribbon below the men has the state motto, "MONTANI SEMPER LIBERI" which means "Mountaineers are always free" in Latin. A large red ribbon above the seal reads, "STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA."

West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863 as the 35th state in the USA. The capital and largest city is Charleston. West Virginia is a relatively small state in eastern United States. It is bordered on the north by Pennsylvania and Maryland, on the west by Ohio and Kentucky, and on the east and south by Virginia. West Virginia is called the mountain state because of its mountainous terrain and location in the very heart of the Appalachian Highlands. It is the most mountainous state east of the Mississippi. The state has unusually irregular boundaries which were formed largely by rivers and mountains. It has the shape of a large pan with two handles, one in the north and one in the east. West Virginia is sometimes called the Panhandle State.

West Virginia is not a very good state for farming because of the mountainous location The economy is mainly based on mining and the state is rich in natural resources, including coal, natural gas, oil, and salt. It is also noted for the manufacturing of fine glass.

The American civil war caused West Virginia to become a state on their own. Slaveholders in Virginia wanted to withdraw from the union so leaders in the western counties decided to set up their own government. The counties which split were being ignored by the Richmond state government and the eastern counties were being favored. So, in 1863 the US Congress voted to make it a state called West Virginia.

Most of West Virginia today is rural and the main cities are small. The cities with the highest populations are mainly located in river valleys.

The climate in humid and the summers are humid and warm and winters humid and cooler. They miss the severe winters of the northern states and the scorching summers of the southern states. West Virginia’s summers are rainy throughout the entire state.

Many people visit Virginia in the spring through fall because there is great white river rafting, hunting and camping. In the winter the mountains offer a nice skiing season that lasts from Nov. to Feb.

West Virginia has 55 Counties:
Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan McDowell Marion Marshall Mason Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming