West Virginia
State in E central USA; nicknamed Mountain State
Area:
62,900 sq km/24,279 sq mi
Capital:
Charleston
Towns and Cities:
Huntington, Wheeling
Physical:
Allegheny Mountains; Ohio River; Monongahela and George Washington
national forests; Potomac Highlands
Features:
Harpers Ferry national historic park, with view from Jefferson Rock
over the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers; Berkeley Springs
state park, the country's first spa, frequented by George Washington;
Lewisburg national historic district; Blennerhassett Island historic
park and mansion; National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank;
glassblowing factories; the highest state east of the Mississippi
Industries:
Apples, maize, poultry, dairy and meat products, coal, natural gas,
oil, chemicals, synthetic fibres, plastics, steel, glass, pottery
Population:
(1995) 1,828,100
Famous People:
Pearl S Buck, Thomas `StonewallŽ Jackson, Walter Reuther, Cyrus Vance
History:
Evidence of Mound Builders in the 6th century; explorers and fur traders
arrived in the 1670s; first settlement at Mill Creek 1731 by Morgan
Morgan, who came from Delaware; German settlements followed in
the 1730s; coal discovered on the Coal River 1742; industrial
development began in the early 19th century. On the secession
of Virginia from the Union 1861, west Virginians dissented and
formed a new state 1863. Industrial expansion was accompanied
by labour strife in the early 20th century. Long one of the poorest
parts of the country, West Virginia reached its peak population
1950. The decline of employment in coal mining and heavy industry
has hampered the state's economic life.
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