Quick Facts
Capital City: Charleston
Abbreviation: WV
Population (2019): 1,854,304; Rank: 38 of 50 | Population Quick Facts
Region: South
Admission to Statehood: June 20, 1863 (35th State)
State Motto:
State Nickname: The Mountain State
Origin of State Name: Named after England’s Queen Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen”
Area Codes: 304 681
Zip Codes: West Virginia Zip Codes
State Symbols
Bird: Cardinal | List of State Birds
Flag: A white field is bordered in dark blue. West Virginia’s flag displays a rock containing the date June 20, 1863, the day West Virginia became a state. The two men represent farming and mining. Below them are two rifles with a “Liberty Cap” on top the rifles. A banner ribbon includes the state motto “Mountaineers Are Always Free”. Around the picture are a wreath of rhododendron and the name of the state on a red ribbon. Get this Flag
Flower: Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) | Other State Flowers
Soil: Monongahela
Song:
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- “West Virginia Hills” | Words by: Ellen King | Music by: H.E. Engle
- “West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home” | Words by: Col. Julian G. Hearne, Jr | Music by: Col. Julian G. Hearne, Jr
- “This Is My West Virginia” | Words by: Iris Bell | Music by: Iris Bell
- “Take Me Home Country Roads” | Words by: Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver | Music by: Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver
- Other State Songs | Sheet Music
Tree: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Other State Trees
Quarter: New River Gorge Bridge with the date 1863 West Virginia Quarter | List of State Quarters
Geography
Area:
- Area: 24,231 sq.mi (62,758 sq.km.), 41st
- Land: 24,087 sq.mi. (62,385 sq.km.), 41st
- Water: 145 sq.mi. (376 sq.km.), 50th
Largest Cities: Charleston | Huntington| Morgantown | Wheeling | Weirton | Fairmont | Beckley | Martinsburg | Clarksburg
Border States: Kentucky | Maryland | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Virginia | List of US Regions
Highest Point: Spruce Knob ; 4,863 feet, (1,482 m.) 24th tallest
Lowest Point: West Virginia; 240 feet, 30th lowest
Geographic Center: Braxton, 4 miles east of Sutton
National Parks: Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Bluestone National Scenic River
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Gauley River National Recreation Area
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
Location:
- Absolute Center: 38°35.9’N / 80°42.2’W
- Relative Center: Braxton, 4 miles east of Sutton
- Distance Between U.S. Cities
State Government
Economy
- Economy:
- Agriculture: Cattle, dairy products, poultry, apples.
- Industry: Chemical products, mining, primary metals, stone, clay, and glass products, tourism.
- White Pages:
