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 landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Mountainous, 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 propertied 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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Interstate 81 (I-81) in the US state of West Virginia crosses the Eastern Panhandle region, linking Virginia to Maryland. The Interstate Highway, completed in 1966, spans 26 miles (42 km) through Berkeley County, paralleling U.S. Route 11 (US 11) for its entire length. I-81 enters the state near Ridgeway, travels northeast, bypassing the city of Martinsburg, and leaves the state at the Potomac River, which serves as the state line. The first solicitations for the construction of I-81 were published in 1959, with the first six miles (9.7 km) of freeway being opened in 1963, and the full length was completed by 1966. On average, between 45,000 and 60,000 vehicles use the freeway through the panhandle per day. (Full article...)

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Watoga Lake

Watoga State Park is a state park located near Seebert in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The largest of West Virginia's state parks, it covers slightly over 10,100 acres (41 km²). Nearby parks include the Greenbrier River Trail, which is adjacent to the park, Beartown State Park, and Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. Also immediately adjacent to the park is the 9,482-acre Calvin Price State Forest. It is one of the darkest night skies of all of West Virginia State Parks. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 2State of Westsylvania proposed to the U.S. Congress (from West Virginia)
Image 3Escaped slave broadside, Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1845 (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 5Shaded relief map of the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge-and-valley Appalachians (from West Virginia)
Image 6Turnout by county in the October 24, 1861, West Virginia statehood vote (from History of West Virginia)
Image 71751 Fry-Jefferson map showing early ferries and established colonial borders before the French And Indian War (from History of West Virginia)
Image 8Harpers 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 9The iconic New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville (from West Virginia)
Image 10Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, changed hands a dozen times during the American Civil War. (from History of West Virginia)
Image 11Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from History of West Virginia)
Image 12The Linsly Institute building in Wheeling, West Virginia 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 13Child laborer photographed by Lewis Hine in the coal mines of West Virginia, 1908 (from West Virginia)
Image 14Seneca Rocks, Pendleton County (from West Virginia)
Image 151715 Nicolas de Fer map showing the Native American areas known as Tionontatacaga and Calicuas (from History of West Virginia)
Image 16The Veterans Memorial Bridge carries US 22 from Weirton into Ohio. (from West Virginia)
Image 17Packed circles diagram showing estimates of the ethnic origins of people in West Virginia in 2021. (from West Virginia)
Image 18Köppen climate types of West Virginia, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from West Virginia)
Image 19Bluefield, a major center for coal mining, in 2014 (from West Virginia)
Image 20The West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston is home to the West Virginia Legislature. (from West Virginia)
Image 21Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 22West Virginia Independence Hall, site of the Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 23West Virginia population density 2020 (from West Virginia)
Image 24Saturday afternoon street scene, Welch, McDowell County, 1946 (from West Virginia)
Image 25A slave woman tending to a white baby in West Virginia, 1865 (from West Virginia)
Image 26Votes by county in the October 1861 statehood vote (from West Virginia)
Image 27Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (from West Virginia)
Image 28Map 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 29Counties (in blue) approving Virginia's secession from the U.S. in order to join the Confederacy. (from History of West Virginia)
Image 30Spruce Knob (in the distance) is the highest point in West Virginia and the Allegheny Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 31Poster by Albert M. Bender, produced by the Illinois WPA Art Project Chicago in 1935 for the CCC (from History of West Virginia)
Image 32West Virginia is situated in the Appalachian Mountains, bounded by Allegheny Mountains, Ohio and Big Sandy rivers, and the Cumberland Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 33John S. Carlile, a leader during the First Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 34A view of the New River in West Virginia, the world's third-oldest river geologically (from History of West Virginia)

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... that the Vulcan Bridge, a bridge in Vulcan, West Virginia, was constructed after the mayor requested financial aid from the Soviet Union?
... that John F. Kennedy's pollster found many West Virginia voters concerned that a Pope in the White House would arrive by transatlantic tunnel?
... that Babydog is "a fixture in West Virginia politics"?
... 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?
... 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?

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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: 2025-12-08 20:44 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.

Martha Yeager Walker (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Thilio (talk · contribs · new pages (19)) started on 2025-12-08, score: 80
Steve Hunsicker (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Shunsicker (talk · contribs · new pages (3)) started on 2025-12-07, score: 30

2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by ARandomShyGuy (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-12-07, score: 40
Dimitri Tito (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Astrandolpia (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-12-06, score: 36

Roger W. Tompkins II (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by HalfRunner (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-12-06, score: 25

1990 West Virginia State Treasurer special election (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Emfri1188 (talk · contribs · new pages (6)) started on 2025-11-21, score: 40

Gabby Hollar (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Das osmnezz (talk · contribs · new pages (47)) started on 2025-11-29, score: 20

Matt Fraizer (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Stonecold415 (talk · contribs · new pages (20)) started on 2025-11-28, score: 30
2025 Washington, D.C., National Guard shooting (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Thriley (talk · contribs · new pages (76)) started on 2025-11-26, score: 40

West Virginia-Pennsylvania Sinclair Cornerstone (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-11-27, score: 32
Dunbar Recreation Center (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-11-27, score: 40
2025 Washington, D.C. National Guard shooting (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Thriley (talk · contribs · new pages (76)) started on 2025-11-26, score: 38

National Bank of Davis (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JECWV (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2025-11-25, score: 40

Ezekiel Rose (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by WikiOriginal-9 (talk · contribs · new pages (1445)) started on 2025-11-24, score: 36
Paspalum pubiflorum (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Abductive (talk · contribs · new pages (13)) started on 2025-11-24, score: 26
Vinay Badhwar (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by ~2025-34793-53 (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-11-24, score: 20

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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]