Information and history of the state of West Virginia

West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861, in which 50 northwestern counties of Virginia decided to break away from Virginia during the American Civil War. The new state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.

West Virginia was the only state in the Union to secede from a Confederate state during the American Civil War.

The state is noted for its mountains, its historically significant logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history. It is one of the most densely karstic areas in the world, making it a choice area for recreational caving and scientific research.

Some West Virginia Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Animal	3. State Flower	4. State Fish	5. State Insect
6. State Tree	7. State Butterfly	8. State Reptile	9. State Fruit	10. State Soil

1. Cardinal - West Virginia designated the northern cardinal as official state bird in 1949.
2. Black Bear - The state Division of Natural Resources conducted a poll to elect a state animal as a symbol for West Virginia in 1954.
3. Rhododendron - The rhododendron was adopted as the official state flower of West Virginia in 1903.
4. Brook Trout - West Virginia designated brook trout as the official state fish in 1973.
5. Honeybee - West Virginia designated the honeybee as official state insect in 2002.
6. Sugar Maple - West Virginia designated the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) as the official state tree in 1949, after a vote by public school students and civic organizations.
7. Monarch Butterfly - The Monarch Butterfly was designated West Virginia’s official state butterfly on March 1, 1995.
8. Timber Rattlesnake - West Virginia designated the timber rattlesnake as the official state reptile in 2008.
9. Golden Delicious Apple - West Virginia designated the apple as the official state fruit in 1972 and then ammended the resolution in 1995 to specify the golden delicious apple.
10. Monongahela silt loam - The Monongahela series was designated the official state soil by the West Virginia Legislature in April 1997.

Did you know?

• West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state.
• West Virginia has the oldest population of any state. The median age is 40.
• West Virginia's nickname is the Mountain State and its motto is "Mountaineers Are Always Free."
• Coal House, the only residence in the world built entirely of coal, is located in White Sulphur Springs. The house was occupied on June 1, 1961.
• Chester Merriman of Romney was the youngest soldier of World War I, having enlisted at the age of 14.
• West Virginia has an mean altitude of 1,500 feet, giving it the highest average altitude east of the Mississippi.