The Flag of West Virginia
West Virginia is a landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States . It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and east, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state , with a population of 1,793,716 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.
West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key border state during the American Civil War . It was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state, one of two states (along with Nevada ) admitted to the Union during the Civil War, and the second state to separate from another state, after Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820. Some of its residents held slaves, but most were yeoman farmers, and the delegates provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in the new state constitution. The state legislature abolished slavery in the state, and at the same time ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationally on February 3, 1865.
West Virginia's northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio to form a tristate area , with Wheeling , Weirton , and Morgantown just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Huntington in the southwest is close to Ohio and Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry in the eastern panhandle region are considered part of the Washington metropolitan area, between Maryland and Virginia. West Virginia is often included in several U.S. geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland South , and the Southeastern United States . It is the only state entirely within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission ; the area is commonly defined as "Appalachia ". (Full article... )
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John Rinehart Blue (October 13, 1905 – May 27, 1965) was an American military officer, educator, businessperson, and politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia . Blue was a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County, from 1953 until 1959.
Born in 1905 in
Romney, West Virginia , Blue was a grandson of Lieutenant John Monroe Blue, a member of the
11th Virginia Cavalry during the
American Civil War . Blue graduated from
Presbyterian College in 1928 and completed his
graduate studies at
West Virginia University . He enlisted in the
U.S. Army and served from 1942 until 1946, and afterward served as a
first lieutenant in the 398th Airborne Infantry Regiment,
100th Airborne Division of the
U.S. Army Reserve . From 1948 until his death, Blue operated a
Ben Franklin five and dime variety store in Romney. He also served as principal of the
West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind Advanced School for the Deaf. (
Full article... )
List of recognized articles
Virginia Ruth "Jennie" Lewis (née
Egnor ; November 29, 1921 – October 9, 2001), known professionally as
Dagmar , was an American actress, model, and television personality. In the 1950s she became one of the first major female stars of television, receiving much press coverage. (
Full article... )
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The following are images from various West Virginia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 From left, Senator
Joe Manchin , Energy Secretary
Rick Perry , Senator
Shelley Moore Capito , and Representative
David McKinley (2017) (from
West Virginia )
Image 2 Bluefield , a major center for coal mining, in 2014 (from
West Virginia )
Image 4 Thomas Lee , the first manager of the
Ohio Company of Virginia (from
West Virginia )
Image 6 Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight , a statue on the grounds of the
West Virginia State Capitol (from
West Virginia )
Image 7 State of Westylvania proposed to the U.S. Congress (from
West Virginia )
Image 8 Turnout by county in the October 24, 1861, West Virginia statehood vote (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 9 1715 Nicolas de Fer map showing the Native American areas known as Tionontatacaga and Calicuas (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 10 Packed circles diagram showing estimates of the ethnic origins of people in West Virginia in 2021. (from
West Virginia )
Image 11 A toll plaza on the
West Virginia Turnpike (from
West Virginia )
Image 12 The
Veterans Memorial Bridge carries US 22 from Weirton WV into Ohio. (from
West Virginia )
Image 13 Köppen climate types of West Virginia, using 1991-2020
climate normals (from
West Virginia )
Image 16 Counties (in blue) approving Virginia's secession from the U.S. (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 17 Racial plurality in West Virginia by county, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White 70–80%
80–90%
90%+
(from
West Virginia )
Image 18 Seneca Rocks, Pendleton County (from
West Virginia )
Image 19 Thomas Lee , the first manager of the
Ohio Company of Virginia (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 21 Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia (from
West Virginia )
Image 23 The
Linsly Institute building in
Wheeling, West Virginia , which served as the state's first
capitol building from statehood in 1863 until March 28, 1870, when the capitol was transferred to
Charleston, West Virginia (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 24 Saturday afternoon street scene,
Welch , McDowell County, 1946 (from
West Virginia )
Image 26 Escaped slave broadside,
Hampshire County , West Virginia, 1845 (from
West Virginia )
Image 27 Map of Virginia dated June 13, 1861, featuring the percentage of slave population within each county at the 1860 census and the proposed state of Kanawha (from
West Virginia )
Image 28 The summit of
Spruce Knob is often covered in clouds. (from
West Virginia )
Image 29 A view of the
New River in West Virginia, the world's third-oldest river geologically (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 30 West Virginia population density map (from
West Virginia )
Image 31 Harpers Ferry alternated between Confederate and Union rule eight times during the
American Civil War , and was finally annexed by West Virginia. (from
West Virginia )
Image 32 A slave woman tending to a white baby in West Virginia, 1865 (from
West Virginia )
Image 33 1751
Fry-Jefferson map showing early ferries and established colonial borders before the
French And Indian War (from
History of West Virginia )
Image 35 Votes by county in the October 1861 statehood vote (from
West Virginia )
Image 37 Child labor in the coal mines of West Virginia, 1908 (from
West Virginia )
Largest cities or towns in West Virginia
Rank
Name
County
Pop.
Rank
Name
County
Pop.
Charleston Huntington
1
Charleston
Kanawha
47,215
11
South Charleston
Kanawha
12,240
Morgantown Parkersburg
2
Huntington
Cabell
46,048
12
Vienna
Wood
10,230
3
Morgantown
Monongalia
30,955
13
St. Albans
Kanawha
10,069
4
Parkersburg
Wood
29,675
14
Bluefield
Mercer
9,730
5
Wheeling
Ohio
26,771
15
Bridgeport
Harrison
8,681
6
Weirton
Hancock
18,449
16
Moundsville
Marshall
8,401
7
Fairmont
Marion
18,411
17
Oak Hill
Fayette
8,218
8
Martinsburg
Berkeley
17,465
18
Dunbar
Kanawha
7,205
9
Beckley
Raleigh
16,183
19
Elkins
Randolph
7,026
10
Clarksburg
Harrison
15,480
20
Hurricane
Putnam
6,506
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