West Virginia State Facts and History

Discover the wonders of West Virginia! You will get a wealth information of the state of West Virginia

West Virginia Quick Facts

• Current Governor: Jim Justice (Democrat)
• Capital: Charleston
• Population: 1,792,147 (2019 est.)
• Land Area: 24,038.21 sq km
• Water Area: 191.83 sq km
• Total Area: 24,230.04 SQ KM
• Width: 130 mi (210 km)
• Length: 240 mi (385 km)
• State Motto: “Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers Are Always Free)”
• Nickname: Mountain State
• Electoral votes: 5
• Seats in U.S. House of Representatives: 3 (of 435)
• State Song: “The West Virginia Hills”
• Date of Statehood: June 20, 1863
• Time Zone: Eastern (GMT −5 hours)
• Official Website of West Virginia: wv.gov
• State abbreviation/Postal code: WV

State Symbol of West Virginia

State Animal	Black bear
State Bird	Cardinal
State Butterfly	Monarch butterfly
State Colors	Old gold and blue
State Fish	Brook trout
State Flower	Rhododendron
State Fruit	Golden delicious apple
State Gem	Silicified Mississippian fossil coral
State Insect	Honeybee
State Motto	Montani semper liberi (Mountaineers are always free)
State Nickname	Mountain State
State Rock	Coal
State Soil	Monongahela silt loam
State Song	“West Virginia My Home Sweet Home”, “The West Virginia Hills”, “This is My West Virginia”
State Tree	Sugar maple

College & Universities

Academy of Careers and Technology	Scott College of Cosmetology
Alderson Broaddus College	Shepherd University
Appalachian Bible College	South Branch Career and Technical Center
B M Spurr School of Practical Nursing	Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Beckley Beauty Academy	United Technical Center
Ben Franklin Career Center	University of Charleston
Bethany College	Valley Beauty School
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College	Valley College-Beckley
Bluefield State College	Valley College-Martinsburg
Bridgemont Community and Technical College	Valley College-Princeton
Cabell County Career Technology Center	West Liberty University
Carver Career Center	West Virginia Business College-Wheeling
Charleston School of Beauty Culture	West Virginia Junior College-Bridgeport
Clarksburg Beauty Academy and School of Massage Therapy	West Virginia Junior College-Charleston
Concord University	West Virginia Junior College-Morgantown
Davis & Elkins College	West Virginia Northern Community College
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College	West Virginia Rehabilitation Center
Everest Institute-Cross Lanes	West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Fairmont State University	West Virginia State University
Fayette Institute of Technology	West Virginia University
Fred W Eberle Technical Center	West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Garnet Career Center	West Virginia University Hospital Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Glenville State College	West Virginia University Hospital Departments of Rad Tech and Nutrition
HRDE-Stanley Technical Institute – Hinton	West Virginia University Institute of Technology
HRDE-Stanley Technical Institute-Clarksburg	West Virginia Wesleyan College
Hrde-stanley Technical Institute-morgantown	Wheeling Jesuit University
HRDE-Stanley Technical Institute-Parkersburg	Wood County School of Practical Nursing
Human Resource Development and Employment Inc	Mountain State College
Huntington Junior College	Mountain State University
Huntington School of Beauty Culture-Main Campus	Mountaineer Beauty College
International Beauty School 4	Mountwest Community and Technical College
James Rumsey Technical Institute	New River Community and Technical College
John D Rockefeller IV Career Center	Ohio Valley University
Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College	Opportunities Industrialization Center-North Central West Virginia
Marion County Adult and Community Education	Pierpont Community and Technical College
Marshall University	Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Mercer County Technical Education Center	Putnam Career and Technical Center
Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center	Ralph R Willis Career and Technical Center
Mineral County Vocational Technical Center	Roane-Jackson Technical Center
Monongalia County Technical Education Center	Salem International University
Morgantown Beauty College Inc

Popular Tourist Attractions

1. Snowshoe Mountain
2. Harpers Ferry
3. The Greenbrier
4. New River Gorge Bridge
5. Camden Park
6. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
7. Charleston Civic Center
8. Canaan Valley
9. Big Sandy Superstore Arena
10. Clay Center
11. Summersville Lake
12. Seneca Rocks
13. Wheeling Island
14. Blackwater Falls State Park
15. Monongahela National Forest
16. Cacapon State Park

Famous Natives and Residents

Name	Profession
George Brett	baseball player;
Pearl S. Buck	author;
John Corbett	actor;
Phyllis Curtin	soprano;
Joanne Dru	actress;
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson	Confederate general;
John S. Knight	publisher;
Don Knotts	actor;
Whitney D. Morrow	banker and diplomat;
John Forbes Nash	mathematician;
Mary Lou Retton	gymnast;
Walter Reuther	labor leader;
Eleanor Steber	soprano;
Lewis L. Strauss	naval officer and scientist;
Cyrus Vance	government official;
Jerry West	basketball player;
William Lyne Wilson	legislator
Chuck Yeager test	pilot and Air Force general.

Famous Actors And Actresses

1. John Corbett
2. Elizabeth McLaughlin
3. Ashlie Rhey