West Virginia

West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, becoming the nation’s thirty-fifth state. Known as the Mountain State, it has Charleston as both its capital and largest city. Located entirely within the Appalachian region, its landscape is defined by forested mountains, narrow valleys, and rivers including the Ohio, Kanawha, and New.

West Virginia was created during the Civil War when its western counties separated from Virginia after that state joined the Confederacy. Delegates meeting in Wheeling established a loyal state government, leading to West Virginia’s admission as a Union state. Coal mining, timber, railroads, and manufacturing later shaped its economy and communities, while conflicts between miners and mine owners made the state an important center in the history of the American labor movement.