West Virginia

I

Introduction

West Virginia, state of the eastern United States. West Virginia lies in the very heart of the Appalachian Highlands, and its predominantly mountainous terrain and picturesque scenery have led to its nickname as the Mountain State. The state’s unusually irregular boundaries, formed largely by rivers and mountains, give it the shape of a large pan with two handles, one in the north and one in the east. For this reason it is sometimes called the Panhandle State.

West Virginia is known for its magnificent scenery and its abundance of natural resources, including coal, oil, gas, and timber. It is one of the leading producers of bituminous coal among the states and is also noted for the manufacture of fine glass. West Virginia, plagued for many years by economic stagnation, has recently attempted to diversify its industrial activity. Yet the state remains one of the poorest in the United States.

West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state. It was part of Virginia until the American Civil War (1861-1865), when its inhabitants, loyal to the Union, formed a separate state after Virginia became part of the Confederacy. Charleston is West Virginia’s capital and largest city.

II

Physical Geography

West Virginia ranks 41st in size among the states, with a total area of 62,755 sq km (24,230 sq mi), including 376 sq km (145 sq mi) of inland water. The maximum distance from north to south is 380 km (236 mi); the maximum extent from east to west is 425 km (264 mi). Its mean elevation of 460 m (1,500 ft) above sea level makes West Virginia the highest state east of the Mississippi River. Elevations range from 73 m (240 ft), along the Potomac River in the northeast, to 1,482 m (4,861 ft), atop Spruce Knob in the east. Much of the land is mountainous. Flatlands are scarce, located mainly along the major river valleys.

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A

Natural Regions

West Virginia lies within the general geographic region of the eastern United States known as the Appalachian Mountain System, which extends from Vermont to Alabama. Within the state are parts of two natural regions, or physiographic provinces: the Ridge and Valley province and the Appalachian Plateau.

The Eastern Panhandle lies in the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. Here, long parallel mountain ridges, running from northeast to southwest, are separated by narrow valleys. The ridges are heavily forested and rise to between 900 and 1,200 m (3,000 and 4,000 ft). Soils of the Ridge and Valley province are rich and are used for agriculture or as grazing land for livestock. Included in the province is the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, which embraces the extreme Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. About one-sixth of West Virginia lies within this province.

Immediately to the west of the Ridge and Valley province, and including about five-sixths of the area of West Virginia, is the Appalachian Plateau. The northern part of the boundary between the Ridge and Valley province and the Appalachian Plateau is marked by the rugged mountains of the Allegheny Front. Numerous peaks in the front, which includes Spruce Knob, exceed 1,200 m (4,000 ft) in elevation. To the west of the front, elevations average more than 300 m (1,000 ft). Here is located the Kanawha section of the plateau, which rises and falls irregularly across a succession of deep V-shaped river valleys that are separated by steep-sided upland areas. This section of West Virginia contains deposits of coal, oil, gas, salt, and iron ore.

B

Rivers and Lakes

The Allegheny Front is the principal drainage divide in West Virginia. It separates rivers draining into the Ohio River and its tributaries from those draining across the Eastern Seaboard to Chesapeake Bay. East of the front the rivers form a trellislike pattern, flowing for many miles along narrow valleys before making nearly right-angled bends across ridges into adjoining valley lowlands. On the western side of the front the rivers form a dendritic system, which resembles the branches and trunk of a tree.

The most important river is the Ohio, which is navigable for its entire length along the state’s western border. Its principal West Virginia tributaries are the Monongahela, Little Kanawha, Kanawha, Guyandotte, and Big Sandy rivers. The Monongahela River drains much of north central West Virginia, and the Kanawha and Big Sandy rivers collect most of the waters in the southern half of the state. The Potomac is the most important river east of the Allegheny Front. Its principal West Virginia tributaries are the North Branch and the South Branch. The Shenandoah River drains the northeastern part of the state.

There are no large natural lakes in West Virginia. The largest reservoir is Summersville Lake, on the Gauley River. Other reservoirs, most of them built to control floods, include Bluestone Lake, on the New River; Sutton Lake, on the Elk River; Tygart Lake, on the Tygart Valley River; and East Lynn Lake, on Twelvepole Creek.

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