West Virginia

A number of famous people were born in or lived in West Virginia. Not to be forgotten:.
. The Spurs have advanced to the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history, and currently are tied 2-2 in the series against the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons. The minor league hockey team is:. In the postseason thus far, the Spurs have defeated the Denver Nuggets 4-1, the Seattle Supersonics 4-2 and the Phoenix Suns 4-1. The minor league baseball teams are:. With the acquisitions of Brent Barry from Seattle, Nazr Mohammed from New York, and veteran Glenn Robinson from free agency, alongside defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, international phenom Manu Ginobili, lightning quick Tony Parker, clutch shooter Robert Horry, and MVP candidate Tim Duncan, the Spurs finished the 2004-2005 season ranked number two in the Western Conference with a 59-23 record, finishing with the best record in the Southwest division.

Listed alphabetically, the 55 counties of West Virginia are:. Duncan was named both the NBA Regular Season and Finals MVP for the season. The three largest Protestant denominations in West Virginia: Baptist (29% of the total state population), Methodist (15%), Presbyterian (4%). The Spurs won the series 4-2, giving them their second NBA Championship in franchise history. The religious affiliations of the citizens of West Virginia are:. The series against the Nets marked the first time two former ABA teams would play each other for the NBA Championship. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population. In the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Suns, Lakers and Dallas Mavericks en route to facing the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.

5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. Mixing the inside presences of Duncan and Robinson with the newer outside threats, the Spurs earned a 60-22 record. The 5 largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are American (23.2%), German (17.2%), Irish (13.5%), English (12%), Italian (4.8%). Second-year French star Tony Parker was now the starting point guard for the Spurs and the squad featured a variety of three-point shooters including Stephen Jackson, Danny Ferry, Bruce Bowen and Argentina product Manu Ginobili. The racial makeup of the state is:. The Spurs had remade their team in an attempt to dethrone the three-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. It was also last in the country in percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). This version of the Spurs was very different from the team that had won the title a few years earlier.

Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in that statistic. Entering the 2002-2003 season, the team knew it would be memorable for at least two reasons, as David Robinson announced that it would be his last in the NBA and the Spurs would begin play at their new arena (approved in 1999 by County voters), the SBC Center, named after telecommunications giant SBC whose corporate headquarters were located in San Antonio. As of 2003, West Virginia was probably the US state least affected by immigration. The Spurs finished with 58-24 records for both the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons but found themselves suffering playoff ousters in both seasons from the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. The population of West Virginia as of 2003 was 1,810,354. The longterm viability of the Spurs franchise in San Antonio was however achieved during the 1999-2000 season, as Bexar County voters approved increases on car rental and hotel taxes which would allow for the construction of a new arena to be constructed near Freeman Coliseum. Given the unsettled present condition of the US steel industry, continuation of metal-working industries in the Northern Panhandle cannot be assured. In all aspects of heavy industry there is a perception that the electorate favors creation of factory jobs more than implementation of strict environmental controls; this is probably correct, but how much this outlook actually contributed to the choice of location in West Virginia is hard to determine. The Spurs were not able to capitalize on their success during the 1999-2000 season. Although they finished with an overall record of 53-29, the Spurs lost in the first round to the Suns primarily due to an injury to Duncan which kept him out of the playoff series.

Also in the Northern Panhandle, Weirton has been the site of the only tin-processing industry in the USA. The victory by the Spurs was not only the first NBA title to be won by a former ABA team, but also was the first Finals appearance by a team from the ABA. Metallurgy, especially steel, has been predominant in the Northern Panhandle due to a spill-over effect from the traditional center of the US steel industry in Pittsburgh. Duncan was named the Finals MVP. In the Kanawha River Valley near Charleston and along the southern Ohio River Valley near Huntington chemicals predominate, attracted by a readily available labor force and access by barge carriers. They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals and won the series and the franchise's first World Title four games to one on the Knicks' home court of Madison Square Garden. Along the western edges of the state the large rivers of the mid-continent erode a distance into the hills and it is here, in the west, that some dense pockets of heavy industry appear. The team was just as dominant in the playoffs, rolling through the Western Conference with a record of 11-1.

Other wild greens, such as sour dock, lambs quarters, and wild leek (or "ramps") are also still gathered by many for table use, although today more on the basis of avocation or keeping up traditions than out of necessity. Playing a shortened 50-game season, the Spurs ended up with a 37-13 record. Wild gathered ginseng contributed about $ 2 million in 2000 to the West Virginia economy, a figure larger than many conventional cultivated vegetable and fruit crops. The season was delayed over three months until resolution on a new labor agreement was reached in January 1999. One area where this practice is still significant is the gathering of wild North American ginseng, often for the Asian market. Prior to the beginning of training camps however, the NBA owners led by commissioner David Stern locked out the players in order to force a new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA Players Association (NBAPA). In traditional frontier agriculture there was much gathering of wild "greens" and forest produce to supplement the diet. With a healthy Robinson and Duncan and the additions of playoff veterans such as Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey, the Spurs looked forward to the 1998-1999 season.

In 2002, all of the top five counties by agricultural dollar value were located near the eastern Virginia border. While both Duncan and Robinson played low-post roles, the two seamlessly meshed on the court. In the ridge and valley area along the eastern border near Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, subsidiary valleys are wide and there are some belts of rich soil which are extensively farmed. He was named First Team All-NBA while winning Rookie of the Year honors. The team ended up at 56-26 but once again lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals. The chief animals raised were cattle and chickens. Duncan quickly emerged as a force in the NBA during the 1997-1998 season, averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game as a power forward. Income from animals exceeded income from plants by about 7 to 1, with much of the non-animal income derived from sales of fodder. The Spurs used their pick to select Wake Forest University product and consensus All-American Tim Duncan.

As can be expected in a rugged terrain, raising animals was far more important than growing vegetative crops. With the third-worst record in the league, the Spurs won the NBA's draft lottery which gave them the top pick in the 1997 draft. This description of farming portrays an independent and self-sufficient base of small land owners, but also a significant amount of rural underemployment. Although the 1996-1997 season was not successful on the court for the Spurs, the offseason proved to be the opposite. It should be noted that the rural poverty rate in West Virginia is 20.4% and that this figure is 5 points higher than the urban poverty rate. Hill only lasted 18 games that season, eventually being replaced by Gregg Popovich, who had once been an assistant for the Spurs during Larry Brown's coaching turn. Traditionally, informal means of supplementing farm income have also been practiced, such as small-scale logging and hunting for food, and to some extent they still are practiced. After an injury that limited Robinson to six games during the season, the Spurs wound up with a 20-62 record, the worst in franchise history.

On the other hand, only 50.5% of the state's farmers considered farming to be their primary occupation, with a significant number of hours worked elsewhere each year, in such areas as factory wage employment when available. Few observers could have predicted how far the Spurs would fall during the 1996-1997 season. Family and single-owner operation worked 92.7% of the farms, and an astounding 96.9% were totally or partly owned by the operator. The Spurs finished the next season (1995-1996) under Hill at 59-23 and lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Jazz. The modal average farm size was a smallish 140 to 179 acres (567,000 to 724,000 mē), most statistics in this section are taken from the 2002 US Census of Agriculture for West Virginia, which sold less than $2,500 of crops annually. Throughout the season and particularly in the playoffs there appeared to be friction developing between Rodman and several Spurs' teammates, most notably Robinson, and Rodman was traded after the season to the Chicago Bulls. Farming is practiced throughout West Virginia, but in a form different from large extensive cash-crop agriculture elsewhere in the USA. The Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual NBA Champion Houston Rockets.

Small to medium oil and natural gas fields still exist and are scattered mostly in the Allegheny/Cumberland Plateau in an arc throughout the western part of state. Elliott returned to the team after an uneventful season with the Pistons and the team finished with the best record at 62-20 while David Robinson was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player. West Virginia was one of the first states to engage in drilling for oil. Lucas was replaced by former Pacers coach Bob Hill for the 1994-1995 season which would turn out to be the Spurs' most successful season to date. Most coal today is used by power plants to produce electricity. Prior to the season the Spurs traded fan-favorite Elliott to the Detroit Pistons in return for rebounding star Dennis Rodman. Coal is little used now for home heating either. The following season, the Spurs first in the newly built Alamodome, Lucas led the Spurs to a 55-27 record but the team suffered a loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz which led to the immediate firing of Lucas as head coach.

The railways were once one of the largest customers for coal to drive the steam locomotives, but these have been replaced by diesel locomotives. The 1992-1993 season also marked the last that the Spurs would play in Hemisfair Arena. The state has an extensive network of railroads, and much of the coal is transported by rail. His coaching propelled the team to a 39-22 finish over the rest of the regular season and the team reached the Western Conference semifinals, losing to the Phoenix Suns. Today health and safety regulations and miners pay are much improved, and mining is usually the best paying job in the coalfields. The Lucas era started out successfully. Lewis and the United Mine Workers. It was Lucas' first NBA coaching assignment although he had gained recognition in league circles for his success in helping NBA players rehab from drug abuse.

Nevertheles, labor organizing persisted under the leadership of John L. After Rex Hughes filled the coaching shoes for one game, NBA veteran John Lucas was named head coach. The effort of unions to organize miners is a violent chapter in the state's history; at one point the federal army had to be called in to quell a rebellion, dropping the only bombs ever dropped by the US Army against its own citizens. The Tarkanian experiment proved a flop, as the coach was fired 20 games into the 1992-1993 season with the Spurs record at 9-11. In past years the coal companies did mostly as they pleased, keeping miners in virtual servitude through credit at company stores. McCombs made national headlines during the summer of 1992 with the hiring of former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian. Higher prices for fuels may soon stimulate increased mining again. The team became a perennial playoff presence although were never able to advance further then the second round of the NBA Playoffs under Brown's tutelage. Late in the 1991-1992 season, McCombs fired Brown and replaced him with Bob Bass who finished the season as interim head coach.

Coal has been one of the state's primary economic resources, although many mines have been closed. The Spurs began the 1990's with great optimism. This process of rounding up people already spread around here and there results in the typical zig-zag, curving, and extending shape of the resulting political unit. Robinson had one of the most successful rookie seasons for a center in NBA history, finishing the season as Rookie of the Year while averaging 24.3 points and 12.0 rebounds. In West Virgina the boundaries were formed after settlement for the purpose of rounding up people with a similar socio-cultural outlook (in this case pro-Union, anti-plantation, highlanders) who were already there, just as the European boundaries round up people with similar nationalities who had been there for a long time. The Spurs eventually lost in the Western Conference semifinals after losing a seven-game series to the eventual Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers. In the USA most state boundaries were established close to the time of settlement and include long straight lines and simplfying features that aid in forming property subdivision for new settlers. Led by Robinson along with the newly added Terry Cummings and 1989 draftee Sean Elliott, the Spurs achieved the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA History, finishing with a record of 56-26.

This is because the processes that created West Virginia's eastern boundaries are more like the processes that created the boundaries of European countries. As the 1980's ended, the 1989-1990 season proved to be the rebirth of the Spurs franchise. On a map West Virginia's complex shape and irregular outline make it look more like a European country in configuration than an American state. Additionally, the 1988-1989 season featured the debut of Larry Brown as the Spurs head coach who moved to San Antonio after winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Kansas in 1988. Sea level rose and fell many times during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, giving a variety of rock strata. It was the first season of full ownership for Red McCombs, who was an original investor in the team and helped solidify local ownership for the team. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water. Although the 1988-1989 season was the worst in Spurs history at 21-61, it was notable for several reasons.

The underlying rock strata are sandstones, shales, bituminous coal beds, and limestones laid down in a near shore environment from sediments derived from mountains to the east, in a shallow inland sea on the west. Although drafted in 1987, the Spurs would have to wait until the 1989-1990 season to see Robinson actually play due to a two-year commitment he had to serve with the United States Navy. Many of the coves are rich in biodiversity and scenic beauty, a fact that is appreciated by native West Virginians, who refer to their home as almost Heaven. The Spurs used this selection on United States Naval Academy standout David Robinson. The native vegetation for most of the state was originally mixed hardwood forest of oak, chestnut, maple, beech, and white pine, with willow along the waterways. The lone bright spot during this period was the Spurs' being awarded the top pick in the 1987 NBA draft through NBA Draft Lottery. (The two plateaus are essentially the same, the difference being only the naming convention of north and south, with West Virginia happening to be in the middle.). The next four seasons were a dark time in Spurs' history, with the team having a combined record of 115-215 from 1985-1986 till 1988-1989. The losing seasons and dwindling attendance caused the Spurs to often be mentioned as a potential candidate for relocation to another city.

Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas. After the 1984-1985 season, Gervin, who arguably had been the Spurs' biggest star, was traded to the Chicago Bulls in what effectively signaled the end of the era that began when the Spurs first moved to San Antonio. About 3/4 of the state is within the Cumberland/Allegheny Plateaus region which is not true mountains but rather a dissected plateau. Despite their regular season success, the Spurs were unable to win any NBA championships, losing in the Western Conference playoffs to the Houston Rockets in 1981 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1983. The state is sometimes referred to as The Mountain State, which is a bit of a misnomer, as the only true mountains are the belt of Ridge-and-valley Appalachians along the eastern border with Virginia. For the first few seasons of the decade, the Spurs continued their success of the 1970's with records of 52-30 in 1980-1981, 48-34 in 1981-1982, and 53-29 in 1982-1983. The Ohio River and the Potomac River form parts of the boundaries. The decade of the 1980's marked both highs, then lows, and an eventual high.

It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, by Ohio and Kentucky to the west, and by Virginia to the east. The Spurs would go on to capture 5 division titles in their first 7 years in the NBA and became a perennial playoff participant. See: List of West Virginia counties. Although there was some initial skepticism in league circles regarding the potential success and talent levels of the incoming ABA teams, the Spurs would prove worthy of NBA inclusion during the 1975-1976 season with a record of 44-38, good for a tie for fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference. The current governor, inaugurated in 2005, is Democrat Joe Manchin. The NBA however decided to admit four ABA teams into the league, with the Spurs being one of them along with the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets. The governor is elected every four years, on the same day as the president, sworn in during January. Even though playoff success would elude the team in the ABA, the Spurs had suddenly found themselves among the top teams in the ABA. In 1976, the ABA folded, threatening the future of San Antonio's sole professional sports franchise.

The remainder of the year sees legislators gathering periodically for interim meetings to discuss issues which will see debate during the next regular session. The early Spurs were led by ABA veteran James Silas and bolstered by the acquisition in early-1974 of future NBA Hall-of-Famer George Gervin from the Virginia Squires. Typically, the legislature is in session between January and early April. The team quickly made themselves at home at San Antonio's HemisFair Arena playing to increasingly large and raucous crowds. Consequently, the legislators hold a full-time job in their community of residence, which stands in stark contrast to the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chapparrals to the now familiar silver and black motif of the Spurs. Legislators are not full-time, but part-time. The team was acquired by a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Angelo Drossos and Red McCombs who actually leased the team from the original Dallas ownership group, relocated the team to San Antonio, Texas and renamed them the Spurs.

The legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and a Senate. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in 1972-1973, the team was put up for sale. The capital is Charleston, in the south west area of the state. In fact, during the 1970-1971 season, the name "Dallas" was dropped in favor of "Texas" and an attempt was made to make the team a regional one, playing games in Fort Worth, Texas as well as Lubbock, Texas but this proved a failure and the team returned full-time to Dallas in time for the 1971-1972 season. See: List of Governors of West Virginia. The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939. The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the original version of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967.

The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. The San Antonio Spurs are a National Basketball Association team based in San Antonio, Texas. For several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the Virginian government's debt. 50 - David Robinson. Following the war, Virginia had hoped for at least partial reunification with West Virginia; however, West Virginia remained as an independent state within the Union. 44 - George Gervin. See Wheeling Convention. 32 - Sean Elliott.

Vote records for the remaining 9 counties were lost during the war.[4] (http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/vasecesh.htm) This new state was admitted to the union in 1863, following Abraham Lincoln's signing of an act on December 31, 1862 that authorized this. 13 - James Silas. 18 West Virginia counties voted in favor of secession, 20 voted against secession, and one resulted in a tie. 00 - Johnny Moore. Though the new state's government was avowedly unionist, the counties it contained were divided in their secession votes. Chuck "The Rifleman" Person. Eventually, the state of Kanawha was renamed West Virginia. Malik Rose.

This reformed government authorized the creation of the state of Kanawha, consisting of the 55 counties that now make up West Virginia. Terry Cummings. Upon the secession of Virginia from the union on April 27, 1861, anti-secessionist legislators convened a rump legislature and formed a pro-Union reformed government based in Wheeling which claimed to represent all of Virginia. Steve Kerr. Western Virginia contained several anti-secessionist pockets, particularly around the Wheeling region, and the only three counties in Virginia to vote for Abraham Lincoln. Avery "The Little General" Johnson. However, the American Civil War allowed western Virginia to form its own state. Sean "Ninja" Elliott.

Under the United States constitution, state boundaries could not be redrawn without the consent of the state in question. Willie Anderson. Considerable disagreements existed between those in the western part of Virginia and plantation owners in the plains and tidewater regions. Alvin Robertson. It was originally the western part of the state of Virginia. Johnny Moore. West Virginia is the only American state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War. Artis "The A-Train" Gilmore.

The US Navy has named a series of ships USS West Virginia in honor of this state. James "Captain Late" Silas. It is also home to the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. David "The Admiral" Robinson. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge (where on Bridge Day (http://www.wvbridgeday.com/) the federal government, which controls the landing site, allows BASE jumping [3] (http://www.wvbridgeday.com/bridge-day-BASE-jumping.php) from the bridge), as well as many national and state parks. Moses Malone - 2001. The state has a rich, stark beauty reflecting its topography. George "The Iceman" Gervin - 1996.

The state is noted for its coal mining heritage, and union organizing mine wars in particular. G-#11 Mike Wilks (Rice). West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War. G-#14 Beno Udrih (Slovenia). suburbs in western Maryland and Virginia. F-#3 Glenn Robinson (Purdue). While many consider it part of the South, many in the state's Northern Panhandle feel a greater affinity for Pittsburgh, while those in the Eastern Panhandle feel a greater connection with Washington D.C. C-#8 Radoslav "Rasho" Nesterovic (Slovenia).

West Virginia is a culturally Southern state of the United States, known as The Mountain State.. F/C-#34 Tony Massenburg (Maryland). The three largest Protestant denominations in West Virginia: Baptist (29% of the total state population), Methodist (15%), Presbyterian (4%). F/C-#4 Sean Marks (California). The religious affiliations of the citizens of West Virginia are:. F-#43 Linton Johnson III (Tulane). Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population. F/C-#5 Robert Horry (Alabama).

5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. G-#23 Devin Brown (Texas-San Antonio). The 5 largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are American (23.2%), German (17.2%), Irish (13.5%), English (12%), Italian (4.8%). G-#17 Brent Barry (Oregon State). The racial makeup of the state is:. PG-#9 Tony Parker (France). It was also last in the country in percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). SG-#20 Emanuel "Manu" Ginobili (Argentina).

Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in that statistic. C-#2 Nazr Mohammed (Kentucky). As of 2003, West Virginia was probably the US state least affected by immigration. SF-#12 Bruce Bowen (Cal State-Fullerton). The population of West Virginia as of 2003 was 1,810,354. PF-#21 Tim Duncan (Wake Forest). Given the unsettled present condition of the US steel industry, continuation of metal-working industries in the Northern Panhandle cannot be assured. In all aspects of heavy industry there is a perception that the electorate favors creation of factory jobs more than implementation of strict environmental controls; this is probably correct, but how much this outlook actually contributed to the choice of location in West Virginia is hard to determine.

Also in the Northern Panhandle, Weirton has been the site of the only tin-processing industry in the USA. Metallurgy, especially steel, has been predominant in the Northern Panhandle due to a spill-over effect from the traditional center of the US steel industry in Pittsburgh. In the Kanawha River Valley near Charleston and along the southern Ohio River Valley near Huntington chemicals predominate, attracted by a readily available labor force and access by barge carriers. Along the western edges of the state the large rivers of the mid-continent erode a distance into the hills and it is here, in the west, that some dense pockets of heavy industry appear.

Other wild greens, such as sour dock, lambs quarters, and wild leek (or "ramps") are also still gathered by many for table use, although today more on the basis of avocation or keeping up traditions than out of necessity. Wild gathered ginseng contributed about $ 2 million in 2000 to the West Virginia economy, a figure larger than many conventional cultivated vegetable and fruit crops. One area where this practice is still significant is the gathering of wild North American ginseng, often for the Asian market. In traditional frontier agriculture there was much gathering of wild "greens" and forest produce to supplement the diet.

In 2002, all of the top five counties by agricultural dollar value were located near the eastern Virginia border. In the ridge and valley area along the eastern border near Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, subsidiary valleys are wide and there are some belts of rich soil which are extensively farmed. The chief animals raised were cattle and chickens. Income from animals exceeded income from plants by about 7 to 1, with much of the non-animal income derived from sales of fodder.

As can be expected in a rugged terrain, raising animals was far more important than growing vegetative crops. This description of farming portrays an independent and self-sufficient base of small land owners, but also a significant amount of rural underemployment. It should be noted that the rural poverty rate in West Virginia is 20.4% and that this figure is 5 points higher than the urban poverty rate. Traditionally, informal means of supplementing farm income have also been practiced, such as small-scale logging and hunting for food, and to some extent they still are practiced.

On the other hand, only 50.5% of the state's farmers considered farming to be their primary occupation, with a significant number of hours worked elsewhere each year, in such areas as factory wage employment when available. Family and single-owner operation worked 92.7% of the farms, and an astounding 96.9% were totally or partly owned by the operator. The modal average farm size was a smallish 140 to 179 acres (567,000 to 724,000 mē), most statistics in this section are taken from the 2002 US Census of Agriculture for West Virginia, which sold less than $2,500 of crops annually. Farming is practiced throughout West Virginia, but in a form different from large extensive cash-crop agriculture elsewhere in the USA.

Small to medium oil and natural gas fields still exist and are scattered mostly in the Allegheny/Cumberland Plateau in an arc throughout the western part of state. West Virginia was one of the first states to engage in drilling for oil. Most coal today is used by power plants to produce electricity. Coal is little used now for home heating either.

The railways were once one of the largest customers for coal to drive the steam locomotives, but these have been replaced by diesel locomotives. The state has an extensive network of railroads, and much of the coal is transported by rail. Today health and safety regulations and miners pay are much improved, and mining is usually the best paying job in the coalfields. Lewis and the United Mine Workers.

Nevertheles, labor organizing persisted under the leadership of John L. The effort of unions to organize miners is a violent chapter in the state's history; at one point the federal army had to be called in to quell a rebellion, dropping the only bombs ever dropped by the US Army against its own citizens. In past years the coal companies did mostly as they pleased, keeping miners in virtual servitude through credit at company stores. Higher prices for fuels may soon stimulate increased mining again.

Coal has been one of the state's primary economic resources, although many mines have been closed. This process of rounding up people already spread around here and there results in the typical zig-zag, curving, and extending shape of the resulting political unit. In West Virgina the boundaries were formed after settlement for the purpose of rounding up people with a similar socio-cultural outlook (in this case pro-Union, anti-plantation, highlanders) who were already there, just as the European boundaries round up people with similar nationalities who had been there for a long time. In the USA most state boundaries were established close to the time of settlement and include long straight lines and simplfying features that aid in forming property subdivision for new settlers.

This is because the processes that created West Virginia's eastern boundaries are more like the processes that created the boundaries of European countries. On a map West Virginia's complex shape and irregular outline make it look more like a European country in configuration than an American state. Sea level rose and fell many times during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, giving a variety of rock strata. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water.

The underlying rock strata are sandstones, shales, bituminous coal beds, and limestones laid down in a near shore environment from sediments derived from mountains to the east, in a shallow inland sea on the west. Many of the coves are rich in biodiversity and scenic beauty, a fact that is appreciated by native West Virginians, who refer to their home as almost Heaven. The native vegetation for most of the state was originally mixed hardwood forest of oak, chestnut, maple, beech, and white pine, with willow along the waterways. (The two plateaus are essentially the same, the difference being only the naming convention of north and south, with West Virginia happening to be in the middle.).

Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas. About 3/4 of the state is within the Cumberland/Allegheny Plateaus region which is not true mountains but rather a dissected plateau. The state is sometimes referred to as The Mountain State, which is a bit of a misnomer, as the only true mountains are the belt of Ridge-and-valley Appalachians along the eastern border with Virginia. The Ohio River and the Potomac River form parts of the boundaries.

It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, by Ohio and Kentucky to the west, and by Virginia to the east. See: List of West Virginia counties. The current governor, inaugurated in 2005, is Democrat Joe Manchin. The governor is elected every four years, on the same day as the president, sworn in during January.

The remainder of the year sees legislators gathering periodically for interim meetings to discuss issues which will see debate during the next regular session. Typically, the legislature is in session between January and early April. Consequently, the legislators hold a full-time job in their community of residence, which stands in stark contrast to the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Legislators are not full-time, but part-time.

The legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and a Senate. The capital is Charleston, in the south west area of the state. See: List of Governors of West Virginia. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939.

The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. For several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the Virginian government's debt. Following the war, Virginia had hoped for at least partial reunification with West Virginia; however, West Virginia remained as an independent state within the Union. See Wheeling Convention.

Vote records for the remaining 9 counties were lost during the war.[2] (http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/vasecesh.htm) This new state was admitted to the union in 1863, following Abraham Lincoln's signing of an act on December 31, 1862 that authorized this. 18 West Virginia counties voted in favor of secession, 20 voted against secession, and one resulted in a tie. Though the new state's government was avowedly unionist, the counties it contained were divided in their secession votes. Eventually, the state of Kanawha was renamed West Virginia.

This reformed government authorized the creation of the state of Kanawha, consisting of the 55 counties that now make up West Virginia. Upon the secession of Virginia from the union on April 27, 1861, anti-secessionist legislators convened a rump legislature and formed a pro-Union reformed government based in Wheeling which claimed to represent all of Virginia. Western Virginia contained several anti-secessionist pockets, particularly around the Wheeling region, and the only three counties in Virginia to vote for Abraham Lincoln. However, the American Civil War allowed western Virginia to form its own state.

Under the United States constitution, state boundaries could not be redrawn without the consent of the state in question. Considerable disagreements existed between those in the western part of Virginia and plantation owners in the plains and tidewater regions. It was originally the western part of the state of Virginia. West Virginia is the only American state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War.

The US Navy has named a series of ships USS West Virginia in honor of this state. It is also home to the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge (where on Bridge Day (http://www.wvbridgeday.com/) the federal government, which controls the landing site, allows BASE jumping [1] (http://www.wvbridgeday.com/bridge-day-BASE-jumping.php) from the bridge), as well as many national and state parks. The state has a rich, stark beauty reflecting its topography.

The state is noted for its coal mining heritage, and union organizing mine wars in particular. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War. suburbs in western Maryland and Virginia. While many consider it part of the South, many in the state's Northern Panhandle feel a greater affinity for Pittsburgh, while those in the Eastern Panhandle feel a greater connection with Washington D.C.

West Virginia is a culturally Southern state of the United States, known as The Mountain State.. Lost Counties, Cities and Towns of Virginia. Charles Elwood Yeager. Woodson.

Carter G. Jerry West. Washington. Booker T.

Dr. Vance. Cyrus R. Sir John William David Swan.

General Adam Stephen. Ellsworth Milton Statler. Morgan Spurlock. Red Sovine.

Sam Snead. Smith. Michael W. Harry F. Sinclair.

Alex Schoenbaum. Soupy Sales. Nick Saban. Jack Rollins.

"Jay" Rockefeller IV. John D. Cal Ripken, Jr. Mary Lou Retton.

Walter Philip Reuther. Ed Rabel. Page. William N.

Nick Nolte. John Forbes Nash, Jr. Randy Moss. Kathy Mattea.

"Pistol Pete" Pete Maravich. MacCorkle. William A. Jessica Lynch.

Pfc. Chief Logan. Matt Lauer. John Kruk.

John Knowles. Don Knotts. Knight. John S.

Grandpa Jones. Johnnie Johnson (musician). Stonewall Jackson (born and raised before partition of Virginia; died in the year of partition). Julia Neale Jackson.

Hot Rod Hundley. Sam Huff. Lou Holtz. Homer Hickam.

John Henry. Devil Anse Hatfield. Hall. Tom T.

Hal Greer. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Jennifer Garner. Bob Evans.

General John Echols. Brig. General Isaac H. Duval. Brig.

Duncan. Donald F. Brad Dourif. Paul Dooley.

Joyce DeWitt. Bob Denver. Mike D'Antoni. Ted Cassidy.

Johnson N. Camden. Harry Flood Byrd. Byrd. Robert C.

Selva Lewis "Lew" Burdette. Mark Bulger. Pearl Buck. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Dr. State Quarter design: . State motto: Montani semper liberi ("Mountaineers Are Always Free"). De facto state anthem: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver (most famously performed by Denver).

State songs: "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home," "The West Virginia Hills," and "This Is My West Virginia"