West Virginia

A number of famous people were born in or lived in West Virginia. Injured Reserve.
. Reserves. The minor league hockey team is:. Starters. The minor league baseball teams are:. Several veterans are set to become free agents during the offseason, which will clear much salary cap space.

Listed alphabetically, the 55 counties of West Virginia are:. The series exposed many weaknesses of the Bulls, including their carelessness in ball handling. The three largest Protestant denominations in West Virginia: Baptist (29% of the total state population), Methodist (15%), Presbyterian (4%). However, the injury depleted Bulls lost to the Wizards in six games despite winning the first two. The religious affiliations of the citizens of West Virginia are:. Coincidentally, the team they faced in the first round was the Washington Wizards, the team Jordan played for when he came out of retirement for a second time. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population. The Bulls finished the regular season with the 10th best record in the NBA and clinched their first playoff berth since 1998 with a 110-97 win over the Toronto Raptors, who were elimanted from playoff contention.

5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. This season led Ben Gordon to become the first rookie ever win the NBA Sixth Man Award and the first Bull to win the award since 1996 with Toni Kukoc. The 5 largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are American (23.2%), German (17.2%), Irish (13.5%), English (12%), Italian (4.8%). With the prospect of free agency looming for Curry and Chandler, the Bulls must chose whether they will be re-signed in the offseason or let go to clear salary space for a potential run at a star player in 2007. The racial makeup of the state is:. It was the first time the Bulls were over .500 since November 2002, and the latest into the season they were over .500 since 1998. It was also last in the country in percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). The Bulls made it over .500 on January 25, 2005, going 20-19 with a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

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. After a discouraging 0-9 start to the 2004-05 season, by December the Bulls began to show the signs of improved play, relying on solid performances by their four rookies and by Hinrich, Chandler, and Curry. As of 2003, West Virginia was probably the US state least affected by immigration. Paxson also signed free agent small forward Andres Nocioni, who had recently won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the Argentinian national team. The population of West Virginia as of 2003 was 1,810,354. The picks were used to select University of Connecticut guard [[Ben Gordon], Duke small forward Luol Deng and CK small foward John Anderson in the first round, and Duke point guard Chris Duhon in the second. 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. During the 2004 off-season, Paxson traded a future draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in return for an additional pick in the 2004 draft.

Also in the Northern Panhandle, Weirton has been the site of the only tin-processing industry in the USA. This led to the contractual buy-out of swingman Eddie Robinson, the purge of Marcus Fizer, letting Crawford leave via free agency, and acquiring rugged players like Othella Harrington, Eric Piatkowski, and Jared Reiner. 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. Paxson wanted players who overachieved rather than those who relied on talent. 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. Paxson's strategy was very different from that of Krause's. 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. After struggling throughout the season, the Bulls finished with 23 wins and 59 losses, the second-worst record in the league.

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. A multiplayer trade with the Toronto Raptors brought Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams to the Bulls in exchange for top-scorer Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall in what was seen as a major shift in team strategy from winning with athleticism to winning with hard work. 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. Bill Cartwright was fired as head coach in December 2003, and replaced with former Phoenix coach Scott Skiles. One area where this practice is still significant is the gathering of wild North American ginseng, often for the Asian market. Jamal Crawford had shown increased confidence, but remained inconsistent. In traditional frontier agriculture there was much gathering of wild "greens" and forest produce to supplement the diet. Scottie Pippen's ability to influence games was impaired by knee problems, and he openly contemplated retirement.

In 2002, all of the top five counties by agricultural dollar value were located near the eastern Virginia border. Tyson Chandler was plagued by a chronic back injury, missing more than thirty games. 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. Eddy Curry showed limited development, leading to questions about his conditioning and commitment. The chief animals raised were cattle and chickens. However, the 2003-2004 season proved disappointing. Income from animals exceeded income from plants by about 7 to 1, with much of the non-animal income derived from sales of fodder. With Pippen playing, Cartwright at the sidelines, and Paxson in the front office, the Bulls hoped that some of the championship magic from before would return.

As can be expected in a rugged terrain, raising animals was far more important than growing vegetative crops. Paxson selected point guard Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick in the draft, and signed veteran free agent and former franchise player Scottie Pippen. This description of farming portrays an independent and self-sufficient base of small land owners, but also a significant amount of rural underemployment. Jay Williams, coming off a promising rookie campaign, was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident; Williams was eventually released by the Bulls in February 2004 and has yet to return to the game. 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. Long-time GM Jerry Krause retired, and former player and announcer John Paxson was tabbed as his successor. 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. During the summer of 2003, the Bulls were faced with many changes, both positive and negative.

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. Curry led the league in field goal percentage becoming the first Bull since Jordan to lead the league in a major statistical category while Rose finished in the top 10 in scoring. Family and single-owner operation worked 92.7% of the farms, and an astounding 96.9% were totally or partly owned by the operator. Rose and Williams teamed with Crawford, Fizer, newcomer Donyell Marshall, Curry, Chandler, and guard Trenton Hassell to form a young and exciting nucleus which improved to 30-52 in Bill Cartwright's first full season as head coach. 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. Still led by Rose, they had picked up college phenom Jay Williams with the second pick in the draft. Farming is practiced throughout West Virginia, but in a form different from large extensive cash-crop agriculture elsewhere in the USA. For the 2002-2003 season, the Bulls came to play with much optimism.

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. Led by Cartwright and Rose, and Bulls improved from 15 to 21 wins, though they still tied for last in the league. West Virginia was one of the first states to engage in drilling for oil. There was also a change in coaching, with Floyd being dismissed in favor of assistant coach and former Bulls co-captain Bill Cartwright following a series of arguments with players and management. Most coal today is used by power plants to produce electricity. This trade essentially created more playing time for the two teenagers while Rose would provide a go to scorer whom the Bulls desperately needed. Coal is little used now for home heating either. Rose was the most versatile and best player the Bulls had had since Jordan and Pippen.

The railways were once one of the largest customers for coal to drive the steam locomotives, but these have been replaced by diesel locomotives. At mid-season, the Bulls traded their top three scorers - Mercer, Artest, and Miller - to the Indiana Pacers for guard Jalen Rose. The state has an extensive network of railroads, and much of the coal is transported by rail. Having been burned by major stars during the previous offseason, the Bulls decided to grow their own stars. Today health and safety regulations and miners pay are much improved, and mining is usually the best paying job in the coalfields. Since both Chandler and Curry came straight out of high school, neither were expected to make much of a contribution for several years but they were seen as potential franchise players in the future with Curry in the mold of a young Shaquille O'Neal and Chandler providing a big athletic wing player like Kevin Garnett. Lewis and the United Mine Workers. He also selected Eddy Curry with the fourth pick.

Nevertheles, labor organizing persisted under the leadership of John L. Krause and Floyd soon realized that building around Brand and free agency would not work so they took a gamble and shocked Bulls fans on draft day when he traded franchise player Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers for second pick in the draft, Tyson Chandler. 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. However, the team was still very weak, finishing at the worst record in team history at 15-67. In past years the coal companies did mostly as they pleased, keeping miners in virtual servitude through credit at company stores. Marcus Fizer was named to the all-rookie second team. Higher prices for fuels may soon stimulate increased mining again. Brad Miller started at center, while point guard duties were split between Bryce Drew and rookies Crawford and Khalid El-Amin.

Coal has been one of the state's primary economic resources, although many mines have been closed. Brand again led the team in scoring and rebounds with another 20-10 season, while Mercer and Artest finished second and third in scoring, respectively. 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. He signed free agent center Brad Miller and shooting guard Ron Mercer, and picked up power forward Marcus Fizer and center Chris Mihm with the fourth and seventh picks in the draft, then traded Mihm for eighth pick guard Jamal Crawford. 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. After a summer in which the Bulls witnessed major free agents Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, Eddie Jones, Tracy McGrady, and even Tim Thomas spur them, Krause tried to build around Brand with youth, acquiring several draft picks. 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. However, the team was still just led by rookies, and finished with the worst Bulls record at that time, at 17-65, worst in the league.

This is because the processes that created West Virginia's eastern boundaries are more like the processes that created the boundaries of European countries. For his efforts Brand was named 1999-2000 co-rookie of the year with Houston's Steve Francis, and to the all-rookie first team, while Artest was named to the all-rookie second team. 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. He led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and minutes, while Artest led all rookies in steals and finished second on the team in scoring. Sea level rose and fell many times during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, giving a variety of rock strata. Brand recorded the first 20-10 average for the Bulls since the days of Artis Gilmore. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water. Since the team lost Harper, Brown, Wennington and Barry in the offseason, Brand and fellow rookie Ron Artest led the team througout the year, especially after Kukoc was traded early in the season.

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. The previous year's dismal finish came with one highlight: the team won the draft lottery and the rights to power forward Elton Brand. 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. Kukoc led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, but with little help the team crashed and burned, winning 13 of 50 games in the lockout-shortened season. 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. He hired a new collegiate coach Tim Floyd who ran a successful program at Iowa State University and promptly gave him a starting lineup of point guard Randy Brown, shooting guard Ron Harper, newcomer Brent Barry at small forward, power forward Toni Kukoc, and center Bill Wennington. (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.). Krause also declined to resign Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr, and traded Luc Longley.

Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas. Krause traded Scottie Pippen after having failed trading him the previous offseason when his trade was vetoed by owner Jerry Reinsdorf and did not re-sign Phil Jackson, prompting Michael Jordan to retire for the second time. About 3/4 of the state is within the Cumberland/Allegheny Plateaus region which is not true mountains but rather a dissected plateau. The plan was to sink the team and acquire high draft picks while clearing salary cap space to make a run at several promising free agents. 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. He decided that it was time to rebuild rather than endure a slow decline. The Ohio River and the Potomac River form parts of the boundaries. Krause had realized during previous years that the Bulls were on the decline and it would only be a matter of time before they were old and unable to compete.

It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, by Ohio and Kentucky to the west, and by Virginia to the east. The summer of 1998 marked the most dramatic dismantling of a world championship team ever, as Jerry Krause completely revamped the roster for the worse. See: List of West Virginia counties. In the sixth and final game of the championship series, after a controversial "no-call" for pushing off on Bryon Russell, Jordan stepped back and buried a game winning jumpshot with seconds left on the clock. The current governor, inaugurated in 2005, is Democrat Joe Manchin. Rodman earned his record seventh straight rebounding title, as the Bulls upended the Jazz for the second straight year. The governor is elected every four years, on the same day as the president, sworn in during January. Jordan bagged his third straight scoring title and tenth overall, and his second triple crown with his fifth MVP award, third all-star game MVP, and sixth Finals MVP award.

The remainder of the year sees legislators gathering periodically for interim meetings to discuss issues which will see debate during the next regular session. They achieved the repeat three-peat by winning 62 regular season games and the 1998 NBA Finals. Typically, the legislature is in session between January and early April. Jordan earned his second straight scoring title and ninth overall, while Rodman earned his sixth straight rebounding title. 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 Bulls repeated their excellence in 1996-97 by tying the second best record in league history at 69-13 and winning their fifth world championship over John Stockton, Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. Legislators are not full-time, but part-time. The team triumped over Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and the Seattle SuperSonics for their fourth title.

The legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and a Senate. Both Pippen and Jordan made the all-NBA first team, and Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman made the all-defensive first team. The capital is Charleston, in the south west area of the state. Krause won executive of the year, Jackson coach of the year, and Kukoc was the sixth man of the year. See: List of Governors of West Virginia. Jordan garnered the elusive triple-crown with the regular season MVP, all-star game MVP, and Finals MVP. The final installment of this sum was paid off in 1939. Jordan won his eighth scoring title, and Rodman his fifth straight rebounding title, while Kerr led the league in three-point shooting.

The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. With a lineup of Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Longley, and perhaps the league's best bench in Kerr, Myers, Kukoc, Wennington and guard Randy Brown, the Bulls posted one of the best single-season improvements in league history and the best single-season record, moving from 47-35 to 72-10. For several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the Virginian government's debt. Armstrong in the expansion draft, but Krause pulled off a masterful deal by trading Will Perdue to the San Antonio Spurs for ballistic rebounder Dennis Rodman, who had won the past four rebounding titles. 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. In the offseason, the Bulls lost B.J. See Wheeling Convention. However, Jordan was too rusty, and the Bulls still not strong enough to overcome the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, which included Horace Grant.

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. He was soon among the best in the league again, scoring 55 points against the Knicks in only his fifth game back, and led the Bulls to the fifth seed in the playoffs, where they upset the Charlotte Hornets. 18 West Virginia counties voted in favor of secession, 20 voted against secession, and one resulted in a tie. However, they were slumping during the season, when on March 17, 1995, they received the best possible news: Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement. Though the new state's government was avowedly unionist, the counties it contained were divided in their secession votes. They also had sharpshooter Steve Kerr, Myers, and centers Luc Longley and Bill Wennington. Eventually, the state of Kanawha was renamed West Virginia. The Bulls sported the look of Armstrong and Harper in the backcourt, Pippen and Kukoc at the forward spots, and Perdue at center.

This reformed government authorized the creation of the state of Kanawha, consisting of the 55 counties that now make up West Virginia. In 1995, the Bulls lost Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright to free agency, but picked up all-star shooting guard Ron Harper. 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. Despite the Bulls' amazing run during the regular season, where they won 55 games, they were beaten in seven games by the Knicks in the second round, after a controversial foul call by referee Hue Hollins in game 5 of that series. Western Virginia contained several anti-secessionist pockets, particularly around the Wheeling region, and the only three counties in Virginia to vote for Abraham Lincoln. Armstrong, who were named to their first all-star games, where Pippen won the MVP award. The three were assisted by Cartwright, Perdue, shooting guard Pete Myers, and Croatian rookie forward Toni Kukoc. However, the American Civil War allowed western Virginia to form its own state. He received help from Horace Grant and B.J.

Under the United States constitution, state boundaries could not be redrawn without the consent of the state in question. The Bulls were led by Scottie Pippen, who had established himself as one of the top players in the league. Considerable disagreements existed between those in the western part of Virginia and plantation owners in the plains and tidewater regions. During the summer, Jordan shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement, only months after learning of his father's murder. It was originally the western part of the state of Virginia. He also tied Wilt Chamberlain by winning his seventh straight scoring title. West Virginia is the only American state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War. Jordan was once again the Finals MVP after setting a Finals record for points per game.

The US Navy has named a series of ships USS West Virginia in honor of this state. In 1992-93 the Bulls did what no team had done since the legendary Celtics of the 60's by chalking up the three-peat over regular season MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, with John Paxson's historic shot heard around the world that gave them a 99-98 victory in Game six at Phoenix. It is also home to the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Jordan won regular season MVP and Finals MVP once again, to go with his sixth straight scoring title. 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. They prevailed over the Portland Trail Blazers and Clyde Drexler in six games. The state has a rich, stark beauty reflecting its topography. The Bulls won their second straight title in 1991-92 after racking up another franchise record for wins with 67.

The state is noted for its coal mining heritage, and union organizing mine wars in particular. Michael Jordan won regular season MVP and Finals MVP to go with his fifth straight scoring title. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War. They recorded a franchise record 61 wins, and romped through the playoffs, where they swept the Pistons in the conference finals and won the Finals in five over the Magic Johnson-led Lakers on June 12, 1991. suburbs in western Maryland and Virginia. By the 1990-91 season, the Bulls had run out of excuses, and charged through the year with a mission. 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. With these additional pieces and the previous year's starting five, the Bulls again made it to the Conference Finals, and pushed the Pistons to seven games before being edged out for the third straight year by Detroit.

West Virginia is a culturally Southern state of the United States, known as The Mountain State.. Armstrong in the 1989 draft. The three largest Protestant denominations in West Virginia: Baptist (29% of the total state population), Methodist (15%), Presbyterian (4%). The Bulls also picked up rookie center Stacey King and rookie point guard B.J. The religious affiliations of the citizens of West Virginia are:. There was also a major change on the sidelines, where Doug Collins was replaced by assistant Phil Jackson, a specialist in the triangle offense. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population. In 1989-90, Jordan led the league in scoring for the fourth straight season, and was joined on the all-star squad for the first time by Scottie Pippen.

5.6% of West Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 22.3% under 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. The new starting lineup of Paxson, Jordan, Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright took some time to mesh, winning fewer games than the previous season, but making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were subdued in six games by the eventual NBA champion Pistons. The 5 largest ancestry groups in West Virginia are American (23.2%), German (17.2%), Irish (13.5%), English (12%), Italian (4.8%). Popular power forward Charles Oakley, who had led the league in total rebounds in both '87 and '88, was traded to the New York Knicks for center Bill Cartwright and a draft pick which they used on center Will Perdue. The racial makeup of the state is:. The 1988-89 season marked a second straight year of major off-season moves. It was also last in the country in percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). However, for his efforts Jordan was named NBA Most Valuable Player, the first of five such awards.

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. With Paxson and Jordan in the backcourt, Brad Sellers and Oakley at the forward spots, Corzine anchoring center, and rookies Pippen and Grant coming off the bench, the Bulls made major noise, winning 50 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were beaten by the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons in five games. As of 2003, West Virginia was probably the US state least affected by immigration. In 1987-88 Krause selected center Olden Polynice 8th overall and power forward Horace Grant 10th overall in the NBA draft, then sent Polynice to Seattle in a draft-day trade for the 5th selection, small forward Scottie Pippen. The population of West Virginia as of 2003 was 1,810,354. However, the Bulls were again swept by the Celtics in the playoffs. 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. In 1986-87 Jordan continued his assault on the record books, leading the league in scoring with 37.1 points per game and being the first Bull named to the all-NBA first team.

Also in the Northern Panhandle, Weirton has been the site of the only tin-processing industry in the USA. Though the Bulls were swept, Jordan recorded a playoff single-game record 63 points in Game 2, prompting Bird to call him 'God disguised as Michael Jordan.'. 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. Jordan returned for the playoffs, and took the 8th-place Bulls up against the 67-15 Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird. 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. After Jordan suffered a broken foot early in the season, the team also acquired NBA legend George Gervin to help with scoring, which he did, finishing second on the team to Woolridge in scoring. 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. Along with Jordan and center Dave Corzine, they provided much of the Bulls' offense for the next two years.

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. In the offseason, the team acquired point guard John Paxson and drafted power forward Charles Oakley. 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 team, with new management in owner Jerry Reinsdorf and General Manager Jerry Krause, decided to rebuild around Jordan. Jordan set franchise records during his rookie campaign for scoring (3rd in the league) and steals (4th in the league), and led the Bulls back to the playoffs, for which he was rewarded with a berth on the All-NBA second team and Rookie of the Year. One area where this practice is still significant is the gathering of wild North American ginseng, often for the Asian market. Jordan would go on to redefine the game and rewrite its record books, establishing himself as arguably the greatest player ever. In traditional frontier agriculture there was much gathering of wild "greens" and forest produce to supplement the diet. After the Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon and the Blazers jumped on Sam Bowie, the Bulls grabbed shooting guard Michael Jordan.

In 2002, all of the top five counties by agricultural dollar value were located near the eastern Virginia border. In the summer of 1984 the team's fortunes changed for good when it received the third pick of the NBA draft, after Houston and Portland. 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. However, with continued dismal results, the Bulls decided to change directions, trading Theus during the 1983-84 season. The chief animals raised were cattle and chickens. After Gilmore was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for center Dave Corzine, the Bulls employed a high-powered offense centered around Theus, and which soon included guards Quentin Daly and Ennis Whatley. Income from animals exceeded income from plants by about 7 to 1, with much of the non-animal income derived from sales of fodder. Artis Gilmore, acquired in the ABA dispersal-draft in 1976, led a Bulls squad which included guard Reggie Theus, forward David Greenwood, and forward Orlando Woolridge.

As can be expected in a rugged terrain, raising animals was far more important than growing vegetative crops. By the late 1970s and early 80s, the team had hit the cellar of the league. This description of farming portrays an independent and self-sufficient base of small land owners, but also a significant amount of rural underemployment. Nevertheless, the team only won one division title, and never made it to the Finals. 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. During the 1970s, the Bulls were known as a tough, defensive-minded team, built around hard-nosed defender Jerry Sloan, forwards Bob Love and Chet Walker, point guard Norm Van Lier, and center Tom Boerwinkle. 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. Over the next few years, the Bulls assembled the pieces to be competitive, though they never quite reached the top.

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. The team began play for the 1966-67 season, and immediately posted the best record by an expansion team in NBA history, qualifying for the playoffs. 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 Chicago Bulls are actually the third NBA team in Chicago, after the Packers/Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) and the Stags (1946-1950). 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. The Chicago Bulls are a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago, Illinois. Farming is practiced throughout West Virginia, but in a form different from large extensive cash-crop agriculture elsewhere in the USA. Bulls.Blogspot.com - Chicago Bulls Weblog (http://bulls.blogspot.com/).

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. AmIAnnoying.com - Chicago Bulls (http://www.amiannoying.com/view.aspx?id=11503). West Virginia was one of the first states to engage in drilling for oil. Official Chicago Bulls Summer Pro League web site (http://www.summerproleague.com/). Most coal today is used by power plants to produce electricity. Chicago Bulls official web site (http://www.nba.com/bulls/). Coal is little used now for home heating either. G-F - #9 Luol Deng (Duke).

The railways were once one of the largest customers for coal to drive the steam locomotives, but these have been replaced by diesel locomotives. C - #2 Eddy Curry (Thornwood HS, Calumet City, Illinois). The state has an extensive network of railroads, and much of the coal is transported by rail. G - #30 Frank Williams (Illinois). Today health and safety regulations and miners pay are much improved, and mining is usually the best paying job in the coalfields. C - #35 Jared Reiner (Iowa). Lewis and the United Mine Workers. SG - #52 Eric Piatkowski (Nebraska).

Nevertheles, labor organizing persisted under the leadership of John L. G - #15 Jannero Pargo (Arkansas). 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. SF - #44 Adrian Griffin (Seton Hall). In past years the coal companies did mostly as they pleased, keeping miners in virtual servitude through credit at company stores. PG - #7 Ben Gordon (UConn). Higher prices for fuels may soon stimulate increased mining again. PF - #51 Lawrence Funderburke (Ohio State).

Coal has been one of the state's primary economic resources, although many mines have been closed. C - #3 Tyson Chandler (Dominguez HS, Compton, California). 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. PG - #21 Chris Duhon (Duke). 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. SG - #12 Kirk Hinrich (Kansas). 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. C - #34 Antonio Davis (UTEP).

This is because the processes that created West Virginia's eastern boundaries are more like the processes that created the boundaries of European countries. PF - #36 Othella Harrington (Georgetown). 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. SF - #5 Andres Nocioni (Argentina). Sea level rose and fell many times during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, giving a variety of rock strata. GM Jerry Krause. Some beds illustrate a coastal swamp environment, some river delta, some shallow water. COACH Phil Jackson.

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. 23 Michael Jordan. 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. 10 Bob Love. 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. 4 Jerry Sloan. (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.). Bill Wennington.

Though the relief is not high, the plateau region is extremely rugged in most areas. Chet Walker. About 3/4 of the state is within the Cumberland/Allegheny Plateaus region which is not true mountains but rather a dissected plateau. Norm Van Lier. 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. Jerry Sloan. The Ohio River and the Potomac River form parts of the boundaries. Dennis Rodman.

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

The remainder of the year sees legislators gathering periodically for interim meetings to discuss issues which will see debate during the next regular session. Steve Kerr. Typically, the legislature is in session between January and early April. Johnny Kerr. 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. Michael Jordan. Legislators are not full-time, but part-time. Ron Harper.

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

The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. B.J. For several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the Virginian government's debt. Robert Parish. 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. Nate Thurmond. See Wheeling Convention. George Gervin.

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"