WEST VIRGINIA
MOUNTAIN STATE
TIMO NOOT
K E I O K A L L AS
L AU R I K A BU R
March 11, 2011
Orissaare Gymnasium
Facts & Figures
 STATEHOOD
 CAPITAL
 LARGEST CITY
 TOTAL AREA
 POPULATION
 INDUSTRY
 AGRICULTURE
June 20, 1863; 35th state
Charleston (since 1869)
Charleston (population 51,702)
24,230 sq mi; 62,755 sq km
1,810,354
tourism, coal mining, chemicals,
metal manufacturing, forest
products, stone, clay, glassmaking
poultry and eggs, cattle, dairy
products, apples
History
The earliest Indians in the area that is now West Virginia were the
moundbuilders who occupied the land. The uncharted and unexplored
region was granted to the London Company by King James I in 1606.
The state’s first white settlers arrived in 1726. Other settlers followed, many of
them German or Scotch-Irish.
The early history of the state is closely tied to that of Virginia, of which West
Virginia was once a part. The first major land battle fought between Union
and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War was the Battle of Philippi on June
3, 1861. The first state sales tax in the
United States went into effect in West Virginia
on July 1, 1921.
West Virginia is the only state with two
panhandles.
A Closer Look at West Virginia
THE MOUNTAIN STATE is a rough-and-tumble landscape of steep ridges and
deep valleys that is sometimes called the Colorado of the East.
The thickly forested Appalachians acted as a barrier, keeping people from the
east away.Native Americans defendes their hunting grounds against the
newcomers, but gave up after a 1774 defeat.
The State Bird - cardinal
The State Plant - rhododendron
Appalachians
Mining and Natural Resources
Coal mining was West Virginia’s no.1
priority since the discovery of coal on
the Coal River in 1742. Generations
later the hard worked had begun to
show as West Virginia ranked first in
nation in coal production. The most
important mined product in the state
was bituminous coal.
West Virginia produces large quantities of natural gas from gas fields that lie
beneath the Appalachian Plateau.
Timbering, which had spread throughout the region by the turn of the century,
remains a major industry.
Glassmaking Then & Now
Glassmaking has long been a source of income and pride for West Virginia.
Early glass molds were made of iron and cast by factories with no particular
connection to the glass industry. Often these companies sold the same molds
to different glass factories, resulting in different glassmakers offering the
same glass product patterns and designs. After 1900, glass factories began to
make their own molds on site.
West Virginia Today
Nowadays tourism is the chief business in West Virginia. Tourists seeking for a
thrill can go kayaking on the Gauley River, among many other recreational
activities. The recreational opportunities in West Virginia are varied, ranging
from magnificent national forests to health spas. Favorite sports include
fishing, hunting, skiing, rock climbing, skating and base jumping.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Bridge Day
BASE JUMPING, an activity that is legal only on
Bridge Day each October, is very popular among
residents and tourists alike.
Switzerland of America
This is another nickname given because of the
mountainous terrain of West Virginia. Early settlers
tended to compare mountainous areas of the new
land to the mountains of Switzerland and, so, many
states, including Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire,
and New Jersey have, at one time or another, been
labeled the "Switzerland of America”.
Fun Trivia
• State motto: Montani semper liberi “Mountaineers are always free”
• Home to the grandson of George Washington’s
• The capital hasn’t always been Charleston; both Charleston and Wheeling
aspired to be the state`s capital, and for years the capital shuttled back and forth
In 1877 a special election was called to decide the issue.
• 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.
• The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston
Fun Trivia
• West Virginia has the oldest population of any state. The median age is 40.
• On January 26, 1960 Danny Heater, a student from Burnsville, scored 135
points in a high-school basketball game earning him a place in the Guinness
Book of World Records.
• One of the longest suspension bridges in the world, built in 1849, is called
“Wheeling´s Rainbow”. It was the first bridge over the Ohio River.
The Sites of West Virginia
Some really lovely sites worth visiting
References
1. Bockenhauer, M.H. And Cunha, S.F., 2004, Our Fifty States, National
Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., 240 p.
2. Clack, G., 1997, Portrait of the USA, United States Information Agency, 96p.
3. Encyclopedia Americana (volume 28) international edition, 2004, Scholastic
Library Publishing, Inc., Connecticut, 689 p.
4. Hudson, P. and Ballard, S.L., 1998, The Smithsonian Guides to Historic
America ( the Carolinas and the Appalachian states), Stewart, Tabori &
Chang, New York City, 485 p.
5. WikiPedia
6. World Wide Web
THANK YOU!