Portal:West Virginia

The West Virginia Portal

Panorama northwest, northeast and east from a ridge along West Virginia Route 42 between Elk Garden and Sulphur City in Mineral County, West Virginia (2016)

West Virginia is a mountainous state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,769,979 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.

West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key border state during the American Civil War. It separated from Virginia and was one of two states (along with Nevada) admitted to the Union during the Civil War. Some of its residents held slaves, but most were yeoman farmers, and the delegates provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in the new state constitution. The state legislature abolished slavery in the state, and at the same time ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationally on February 3, 1865.

West Virginia's northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio to form a tristate area, with Wheeling, Weirton, and Morgantown just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Huntington in the southwest is close to Ohio and Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry in the eastern panhandle region are considered part of the Washington metropolitan area, between Maryland and Virginia. West Virginia is often included in several U.S. geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland South, and the Southeastern United States. It is the only state entirely within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission; the area is commonly defined as "Appalachia". (Full article...)

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Portrait Swisher, prior to 1897.

Howard Llewellyn Swisher (September 21, 1870 – August 27, 1945) was an American businessperson, real estate developer, orchardist, editor, writer, and historian. As a prominent businessman, he established several companies responsible for the development of businesses and real estate in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Swisher was born in 1870 near Levels, West Virginia. He became a schoolteacher there at the age of 18, then graduated from Fairmont State Normal School (present-day Fairmont State University) and West Virginia University. He then remained in Morgantown, where he established a bookstore and stationery shop. Following the success of his bookstore, Swisher organized the Main Street Building Company, the Howard L. Swisher Company, and the Morgantown Building Association, each of which constructed a large number of residences in the city. He was also the inaugural secretary-treasurer of the West Virginia Real Estate Dealers' Association. (Full article...)

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Spruce Mountain (in the distance) beyond the River Knobs (Judy Rocks, foreground) and the Fore Knobs (middle distance)

Spruce Mountain, located in eastern West Virginia, is the highest ridge of the Allegheny Mountains. The whale-backed ridge extends for only 16 miles (26 km) from northeast to southwest, but several of its peaks exceed 4,500 feet (1,400 m) in elevation. The summit, Spruce Knob (4,863 ft; 1,482 m), is the highest point both in West Virginia and in the entire Allegheny range, which spans four states. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various West Virginia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Seneca Rocks, Pendleton County (from West Virginia)
Image 2Harpers Ferry alternated between Confederate and Union rule eight times during the American Civil War, and was finally annexed by West Virginia. (from West Virginia)
Image 3Spruce Knob is the highest point in West Virginia and the Allegheny Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 4The iconic New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville (from West Virginia)
Image 5West Virginia is situated in the Appalachian Mountains, bounded by Allegheny Mountains, Ohio and Big Sandy rivers, and the Cumberland Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 6Bluefield, a major center for coal mining, in 2014 (from West Virginia)
Image 7Köppen climate types of West Virginia, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from West Virginia)
Image 8Escaped slave broadside, Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1845 (from West Virginia)
Image 9John S. Carlile, a leader during the First Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 10Turnout by county in the October 24, 1861, West Virginia statehood vote (from History of West Virginia)
Image 11The Veterans Memorial Bridge carries US 22 from Weirton into Ohio. (from West Virginia)
Image 12State of Westsylvania proposed to the U.S. Congress (from West Virginia)
Image 13West Virginia Independence Hall, site of the Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 14Child laborer photographed by Lewis Hine in the coal mines of West Virginia, 1908 (from West Virginia)
Image 15Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (from West Virginia)

Racial plurality in West Virginia by county, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

(from West Virginia)

Image 17Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from History of West Virginia)
Image 18Packed circles diagram showing estimates of the ethnic origins of people in West Virginia in 2021. (from West Virginia)
Image 19Votes by county in the October 1861 statehood vote (from West Virginia)
Image 20Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 21Shaded relief map of the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge-and-valley Appalachians (from West Virginia)
Image 22Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 23Counties (in blue) approving Virginia's secession from the U.S. (from History of West Virginia)
Image 24West Virginia population density map (from West Virginia)
Image 25Saturday afternoon street scene, Welch, McDowell County, 1946 (from West Virginia)
Image 26Map of Virginia dated June 13, 1861, featuring the percentage of slave population within each county at the 1860 census and the proposed state of Kanawha (from West Virginia)
Image 271715 Nicolas de Fer map showing the Native American areas known as Tionontatacaga and Calicuas (from History of West Virginia)
Image 28A view of the New River in West Virginia, the world's third-oldest river geologically (from History of West Virginia)
Image 29The West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston is home to the West Virginia Legislature. (from West Virginia)
Image 301751 Fry-Jefferson map showing early ferries and established colonial borders before the French And Indian War (from History of West Virginia)
Image 31The Linsly Institute building in Wheeling, West Virginia, which served as the state's first capitol building from statehood in 1863 until March 28, 1870, when the capitol was transferred to Charleston, West Virginia (from History of West Virginia)
Image 32A slave woman tending to a white baby in West Virginia, 1865 (from West Virginia)
Image 33Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, changed hands a dozen times during the American Civil War. (from History of West Virginia)

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... that Babydog is "a fixture in West Virginia politics"?
... that professor Ruth Ann Davis made the largest-ever single contribution to Potomac State College of West Virginia University to support nursing scholarships in memory of her mother?
... that the Vulcan Bridge, a bridge in Vulcan, West Virginia, was constructed after the mayor requested financial aid from the Soviet Union?
... that James Dillon Armstrong was a Virginia state senator, a delegate to West Virginia's constitutional convention, and a circuit court judge while serving for more than 43 years as a Presbyterian church elder?

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This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2025-07-12 23:16 (UTC)

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Chafin House (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-07-12, score: 40
Walt Walowac (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-07-11, score: 46

Paull (surname) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Charles Matthews (talk · contribs · new pages (75)) started on 2025-07-10, score: 20
Bill Bell (West Virginia politician) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by WikiOriginal-9 (talk · contribs · new pages (58)) started on 2025-07-09, score: 60
Charleston Golden Eagles baseball (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by WestVirginia91 (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-07-09, score: 50
List of people from Orange, New Jersey (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Melchior2006 (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-07-09, score: 36

Glade Creek, Tennessee (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by EvergreenLAM (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-07-09, score: 20

Dawson v. Steager (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Lethargilistic (talk · contribs · new pages (56)) started on 2025-07-08, score: 30

Vincent Reed (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Bookworm-ce (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-07-07, score: 30
Tennant v. Jefferson County Commission (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Lethargilistic (talk · contribs · new pages (56)) started on 2025-07-06, score: 20

Charles W. Swisher (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Brianyoumans (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-07-06, score: 45
Arizona Senate Bill 1165 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Nahida (talk · contribs · new pages (79)) started on 2025-07-06, score: 20
Luke McCormick (footballer, born 2000) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Martin Del (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-06-30, score: 30

Maine Legislative Document 233 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Nahida (talk · contribs · new pages (79)) started on 2025-07-04, score: 20

Arron Bain (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JoseyWales019 (talk · contribs · new pages (11)) started on 2025-07-01, score: 40

Tim Epling (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Danzigmusicfan1 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-07-02, score: 40
Grafton monster (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-07-01, score: 40
Darryl Prue (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JoseyWales019 (talk · contribs · new pages (11)) started on 2025-06-29, score: 38

13th Georgia Infantry Regiment (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by STPatrick1982 (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-07-01, score: 20
Natalie Cochran (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Gommeh (talk · contribs · new pages (16)) started on 2025-07-01, score: 20
Greg Van Zant (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by WestVirginia91 (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-07-01, score: 20
Trenton Limestone Group (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Zigismon (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-06-30, score: 30

The Citadel Bulldogs baseball, 1980–1989 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Billcasey905 (talk · contribs · new pages (56)) started on 2025-06-29, score: 20

Vegetable Man (Cryptid) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-06-29, score: 40
J.C. Flowers (baseball) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Stonecold415 (talk · contribs · new pages (10)) started on 2025-06-29, score: 30

Clarksburg History Museum (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (24)) started on 2025-06-28, score: 60

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Sources

^ "Biggest US Cities By Population - West Virginia - 2018 Population". Biggest US Cities. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.

[1] "Biggest US Cities By Population - West Virginia - 2018 Population". Biggest US Cities. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2020.

[1]