Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock, West Virginia photo credit to free photo pixabay.com
This post is part of the #StateChallenge that is run by @Denise_Barlock @Kwiksatik and @jayasimha78 which was originally initiated by @Kwiksatik and @Denise_Barlock
This is part of the study guide for the West Virginia State Challenge that is going to schedule for Saturday, August 27th at 11:30 am EST. I hope to see everyone next Saturday!
At this event, I have the privilege to introduce West Virginia. Never had a chance to explore the state in detail but we went through the State many times. We would love to visit this state during fall color.
According to Wikipedia: "Geographically, West Virginia sits in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern regions, along the eastern seaboard of the United States. “The Mountain State” nickname is coming from their Appalachian region, rolling mountains, hills, and valleys which means about 75% of the area is covered in forests. As a fact, the Monongahela National Forest covers nearly a million acres of land and spans 10 counties. It is the 10th-smallest State by area, 12th-least populous, and the 3rd most forested.
Bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and east, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. It is the only state completely within the Appalachian mountain range."
Is West Virginia in Virginia? No. in 1861 the western part of Virginia split due to a massive division over slavery that lead to the American Civil war (1861-1865).
Capital City: Charleston (was originally Wheeling)
First governor: Arthur Boreman
State’s fruit: Golden Delicious Apple
Stata’s flower: Rhododendron
Famous People: Hal Greer (basket payer), Randy Moss (professional football player), Jennifer Garner (actress), Brad Paisley (country singer and songwriter), Steve Harvey
Major industries: mining
So many interesting facts about West Virginia as stated below from onlyinyourstate:
Interesting Facts:
- "Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade, is named for its tannin-darkened water caused by fallen hemlock and red spruce needles the most photographed venues in the state.
- The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a National Historic Landmark, is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America and second in the world to the Kremlin
- The eastern part is the location of the nation’s largest “quiet zone” it was enacted to reduce radio wave interference for the Green Bank Telescope, 500 feet tall and 17 million pounds in weight. The Green Bank Telescope picks up a radio transmission from outer space no cell phones and no wi-fi in this area.
- Clay County is the native home of the Golden Delicious Apple it was discovered in 1912 by Anderson Mullins. The Golder Delicious Apple become the 2nd major horticultural contribution to the commercial apple industry.
- A declassified bunker at the Greenbrier Resort can house 535 members of Congress during the Eisenhower era but it is always ready in case of emergency.
- You do not need to travel to Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva, and Shanghai West Virginia holds the record for having the towns named after them.
- The tax base for services is lower in this state than in any other part of the country due to the population centers are relatively small
- If you love rain, West Virginia is a place to live
- It is illegal to marry your first cousin in this state, but it is legal to do so in New York and California. Cousins do not get married in West Virginia
- You will find some of the freshest produce ever tasted with live music, cooking demonstration, and get a gourmet meal for a great price in the farmer’s market
- West Virginians take hot dogs very seriously and serve them with sauce and (probably) slaw.
- John Denver’s description of West Virginia in his song “take me home, country roads”
- First rural free mail delivery
- First federal prison for women
- First Mother’s Day
Strange habits in West Virginia:
- Don’t slow down much for snow, just about everyone has a 4-wheel drive
- Put coleslaw on hot dogs
- In the annual Bridge Day Festival, you can jump off a bridge or at least watch the jumpers
- Celebrate the festival of Mothman, the monster. The legendary infamous Mothman status can be seen in Point Pleasant
- Go ghost hunting in the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
- Enjoy a road kill cookoff at the annual Road Kill Cookoff
Why West Virginia feels like home:
- It is almost impossible to find a good pepperoni roll anywhere else or a Giovanni sandwich with Oliverio Peppers in Sauce
- With so many trees and colors everywhere, fall is really beautiful
- Wonderful outdoors activities: hiking, fishing, whitewater rafting, swimming holes, etc.
- No need to go to the supermarket when so many opportunities to go right to the source
- Always correct with nature, it is just a short drive to a state park, waterfall, cave, or forest
- West Virginia has some of the darkest skies in the country to have sparkling stars
Good to know:
- Do not ask if they live near Virginia Beach, it is an entirely different state
- Be on the wrong side of the Slaw Line, which side is the wrong side depends on which part of the state you are from, the southern part of the state can’t live without their slaw and the northern part thinks it ruins a good hot dog
- Say no one needs a gun, the gun is what puts dinner on the table
- Do not insult a coal miner, just about everyone in the state knows someone who made a living from coal
- Golden Horseshoe program teaches West Virginians about their own state history
- Do not make redneck jokes, many coal miners wore their red bandanas and the redneck label proudly as they fought and died for the safe and fair conditions in the mines
- Do not ask if they are married to their cousins. Cousins’ marriage is illegal in West Virginia.
- Do not ask if they wear shoes, they love to feel the grass between their toes on a warm summer day but generally, they wear shoes as often as anyone else.
Mountain State might have ruined you:
- Never be as impressed with a mountain sunset as with the ones you get to see in West Virginia
- Spoiled by all the beautiful state parks and forests
- You will not find anywhere that is as peaceful as West Virginia
- The views in fall don’t get any better than in West Virginia
- Always crave pepperoni rolls."
Are you ready to learn about their strangest and weirdest law, please find below quoted from linerlaw.
Strangest and weirdest law from West Virginia:
- "Do not fly a black and or reg flag
- You may be fined for wearing a hat in a theater
- 1% tax on every 16 and 9 ounces of soft drinks sold in a store
- You can be fined a dollar for swearing in public
- Participating in a duel disqualifies you for public office
- You could be jailed for 6 months for taunting someone who does not want to participate in a duel
- It’s illegal for firemen to flirt
- Unmarried couples who live together and lewdly associate can be jailed for 6 months or more than 12 months"
References: Wikipedia, onlyinyourstate, linerlaw
