West Virginia

Several surveys of West Virginians' religious affiliation have been made in recent years, including in 2008 by the American Religion Identity Survey, and in 2010 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The Pew survey results admit to a 6.5% margin of error, while the ARIS survey says "estimates are subject to larger sampling errors in states with small populations." A characteristic of religion in Appalachian communities is the abundance of independent, non-affiliated churches, which "remain unnoted and uncounted in any census of church life in the United States". This sometimes leads to the belief that these communities are "unchurched".

The largest denomination as of 2010, according to Association of Religion Data Archives, was the United Methodist Church with 136,000 members in 1,200 congregations. The second-largest Protestant church was the American Baptist Churches USA, with 88,000 members and 381 congregations. The Southern Baptist church had 44,000 members and 232 congregations. The Churches of Christ had 22,000 members and 287 congregations. The Presbyterian Church (USA) had 200 congregations and 20,000 members. By the 2020 ARDA study, non-denominational Protestantism became the largest Christian group, with 152,518 adherents.

A 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center found that West Virginia was the seventh-most "highly religious" state in the nation. A 2020 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 69% of the adult population was Christian, reflecting a slight decrease since the Pew Research Center's 2015 survey. In 2020, a survey of nearly 1,900 West Virginians reported that 78.6% were Christian and 16.2% were unaffiliated. In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute estimated 67% of the state was Christian (53% Protestant, 11% Catholic, 2% Jehovah's Witness, and 1% Mormon), 28% unaffiliated, 3% New Age, and 2% Buddhist.

Economy

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2025, West Virginia's gross domestic product was $109.276 billion and its per capita personal income was $57,932. As of May 2025, the state's unemployment rate was 3.8%.

While per capita income fell 2.6% nationally in 2009, West Virginia's grew at 1.8%. Through the first half of 2010, exports from West Virginia topped $3 billion, growing 39.5% over the same period from the previous year and ahead of the national average by 15.7%. The proportion of West Virginia's adult population with a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the U.S., at 17.3%.

The net corporate income tax rate is 6.5% while business costs are 13% below the national average.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that in 2014 West Virginia's economy grew twice as fast as the next fastest-growing state east of the Mississippi River, ranking third alongside Wyoming and just behind North Dakota and Texas among the fastest-growing states. In 2025, 98.8% of businesses in West Virginia were small businesses, employing 47.4% of the state's workforce.

Tourism

thumb|[[Seneca Rocks, Pendleton County]]

Tourism contributed $4.27 billion to the state's economy and employed 44,400 people in 2010, making it one of the state's largest industries. Many tourists, especially in the eastern mountains, are drawn to the region's notable opportunities for outdoor recreation. Canaan Valley is popular for winter sports, Seneca Rocks is one of the premier rock climbing destinations in the eastern U.S., the New River Gorge/Fayetteville area draws rock climbers as well as whitewater rafting enthusiasts, and the Monongahela National Forest is popular with hikers, backpackers, hunters, and anglers.

Also drawing tourism to the state is the West Virginia State Park & State Forest system, which comprises 45 units covering 164,000 acres. In 2021, over 9 million people visited a West Virginia State Park, the highest number on record. This is partly due to a recent $151 million improvement project that has seen improvements at every park and forest.

In addition to such outdoor recreation opportunities, the state offers a number of historic and cultural attractions. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is a historic town situated at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Harpers Ferry was the site of John Brown's 1859 raid on the U.S. Armory and Arsenal. Located at the approximate midpoint of the Appalachian Trail, Harpers Ferry is the base of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The Greenbrier hotel and resort, originally built in 1778, has long been considered a premier hotel, frequented by numerous world leaders and U.S. presidents over the years.

West Virginia is the site of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which features the Green Bank Telescope. For the 1963 Centennial of the State, it hosted two high school graduate delegates from each of the 50 States at the National Youth Science Camp near Bartow, and has continued this tradition ever since. The main building of Weston State Hospital is the largest hand-cut sandstone building in the western hemisphere, second worldwide only to the Kremlin in Moscow. Tours of the building, which is a National Historic Landmark and part of the National Civil War Trail, are offered seasonally and by appointment year-round. West Virginia has numerous popular festivals throughout the year.

Energy

right|thumb|[[Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia]]

One of the major resources in West Virginia's economy is coal. According to the Energy Information Administration, West Virginia is a top coal producer in the United States, second only to Wyoming. West Virginia is located in the heart of the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Bed, which stretches from Tennessee north to New York in the middle of Appalachia.

As of 2017, the coal industry accounted for 2% of state employment. Nearly all the electricity generated in West Virginia is from coal-fired power plants. West Virginia produces a surplus of electricity and leads the nation in net interstate electricity exports. Farming is also practiced in West Virginia, but on a limited basis because of the mountainous terrain over much of the state.

An assessment from 2012 estimated that West Virginia had the potential to generate 8,627 GWh/year from 2,772 MW of 100-meter wind turbines, and 60,000 GWh from 40,000 MW of photovoltaics, including 3,810 MW of rooftop photovoltaics. This was based on then-existing technologies and apparently was based on some assumed requirements for the economic performance of the respective resources.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"

|+ West Virginia Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh)

! style="background:#cfb;"| Year

! style="background:#cfb;"| Capacity<br />(MW)

! style="background:#cfb;"| Total

! style="background:#cfb;"| Jan

! style="background:#cfb;"| Feb

! style="background:#cfb;"| Mar

! style="background:#cfb;"| Apr

! style="background:#cfb;"| May

! style="background:#cfb;"| Jun

! style="background:#cfb;"| Jul

! style="background:#cfb;"| Aug

! style="background:#cfb;"| Sept

! style="background:#cfb;"| Oct

! style="background:#cfb;"| Nov

! style="background:#cfb;"| Dec

|- align=right

| 2009 || 330 || 742 || 86 || 86 || 69 || 71 || 31 || 49 || 49 || 32 || 46 || 71 || 68 || 86

|- align=right

| 2010 || 431 || 939 || 92 || 79 || 85 || 86 || 66 || 69 || 49 || 33 || 66 || 114 || 89 || 112

|- align=right

| 2011 || 564 || 1099 || 102 || 113 || 112 || 114 || 49 || 62 || 45 || 68 || 60 || 122 || 124 || 132

|- align=right

| 2012 || 583 || 1286 || 201 || 147 || 136 || 130 || 59 || 90 || 85 || 41 || 65 || 98 || 100 || 133

|- align=right

| 2013 || 583 || 1387 || 175 || 154 || 174 || 140 || 134 || 78 || 55 || 58 || 52 || 58 || 159 || 152

|- align=right

| 2014 || 583 || 1451 || 166 || 146 || 167 || 143 || 100 || 62 || 76 || 64 || 67 || 154 || 157 || 149

|- align=right

| 2015 || 583 || 1376 || 158 || 137 || 181 || 137 || 75 || 103 || 65 || 44 || 71 || 122 || 147 || 136

|- align=right

| 2016 || 686 || 1432 || 166 || 164 || 134 || 120 || 74 || 92 || 69 || 57 || 67 || 130 || 135 || 222

|- align=right

| 2017 || 686 || 1682 || 124 || 123 || 171 || 174 || 152 || 140 || 112 || 52 || 70 || 116 || 167 || 211

|- align=right

| 2018 || 686 || 1779 || 191 || 181 || 183 || 180 || 138 || 132 || 97 || 108 || 106 || 144 || 160 || 160

|- align=right

| 2019 || || || 160 || 131 || 144 || 185 || 152 || 162 || || || || || ||

Taxes

West Virginia personal income tax is based on federal adjusted gross income (not taxable income), as modified by specific items in West Virginia law. Citizens are taxed within five income brackets, which range from 3.0% to 6.5%. The state's consumer sales tax is levied at 6% on most products except for non-prepared foods.

West Virginia counties administer and collect property taxes, although property tax rates reflect levies for state government, county governments, county boards of education and municipalities. Counties may also impose a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places not located within the city limits of any municipality that levies such a tax. Municipalities may levy license and gross receipts taxes on businesses located within the city limits and a hotel occupancy tax on lodging places in the city. Although the Department of Tax and Revenue plays a major role in the administration of this tax, less than half of one percent of the property tax collected goes to state government.

The primary beneficiaries of the property tax are county boards of education. Property taxes are paid to the sheriff of each of the state's 55 counties. Each county and municipality can impose its own rates of property taxation within the limits set by the West Virginia Constitution. The West Virginia legislature sets the rate of tax of county boards of education. This rate is used by all county boards of education statewide. However, the total tax rate for county boards of education may differ from county to county because of excess levies. The Department of Tax and Revenue supervises and otherwise assists counties and municipalities in their work of assessment and tax rate determination. The total tax rate is a combination of the tax levies from four state taxing authorities: state, county, schools and municipal. This total tax rate varies for each of the four classes of property, which consists of personal, real and intangible properties. Property is assessed according to its use, location and value as of July 1. WV Assessments has a free searchable database of West Virginia real estate tax assessments, covering current and past years. All property is reappraised every three years; annual adjustments are made to assessments for property with a change of value. West Virginia does not impose an inheritance tax. Because of the phase-out of the federal estate tax credit, West Virginia's estate tax is not imposed on estates of persons who died on or after January 1, 2005.

Largest private employers

{| class="wikitable"

|+ The largest private employers in West Virginia, as of March 2019, were:

! Rank

! Company

| 1

| WVU Medicine

| 2

| Walmart

| 3

| CAMC Health System

| 4

| Mountain Health Network

| 5

| Kroger

| 6

| Lowe's Home Centers

| 7

| Contura Energy

| 8

| Wheeling Hospital, Inc.

| 9

| Mylan Pharmaceuticals

| 10

| Murray American Energy

| 11

| ResCare

| 12

| Mon Health

| 13

| Macy's Corporate Services

| 14

| American Electric Power

| 15

| West Virginia's Choice, Inc.

| 16

| FirstEnergy Corp

| 17

| Dolgencorp, LLC (Dollar General Stores)

| 18

| Thomas Health Systems

| 19

| Pilgrim's Pride Corporation of West Virginia

| 20

| Frontier West Virginia

| 21

| Blackhawk Mining, LLC

| 22

| Darden Restaurants (GMRI, Inc.)

| 23

| Arch Coal, Inc.

| 24

| Walgreens

| 25

| DowDuPont, Inc.

Quality of life

thumb|right|[[Bluefield, West Virginia|Bluefield, a major center for coal mining, in 2014]]

thumb|upright=1.0|Percent of Americans living below the [[Poverty threshold#United States|poverty line in each U.S. state, and the District of Columbia. West Virginia has one of the highest poverty rates.]]

Economy

West Virginia coal exports declined 40% in 2013—a loss of $2.9 billion and overall total exports declined 26%. West Virginia ranked last in the Gallup Economic Index for the fourth year running. West Virginia's score was −44, or a full 17 points lower than the average of −27 for the other states in the bottom ten. West Virginia ranked 48th in the CNBC "Top States for Business 2013" based on measures of competitiveness such as economy, workforce and cost of living—ranking among the bottom five states for the last six years running. West Virginia ranked 49th in the 2014 State New Economy Index and has ranked in the bottom three states since 1999. West Virginia ranked last or next-to-last in critical indicators such as Workforce Education, Entrepreneurial Activity, High-Tech Jobs, and Scientists and Engineers.

Employment

In 2012, West Virginia's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.3%. The state issued a report highlighting the state's GDP as indicating a fast-growing economy, but did not address employment indicators. In 2009–2013, the U.S. real GDP increased 9.6% and total employment increased 3.9%. In West Virginia during the same time period, its real GDP increased about 11%, while total employment decreased by 1,000 jobs from 746,000 to 745,000.

In 2013, West Virginia ranked last in the nation with an employment-to-population ratio of only 50%, compared to the national average of 59%. The state lost 5,600 jobs in its labor force in four critical economic sectors: construction (1,900), manufacturing (1,100), retail (1,800), and education (800), while gaining just 400 in mining and logging. The state's Civilian Labor Force dropped by 15,100.

Wages and poverty

Personal income growth in West Virginia during 2013 was only 1.5%—the lowest in the nation—and about half the national average (2.6%). Overall income growth in West Virginia in the last thirty years has been only 13%—about a third of the national average (37%). Wages of the impoverished bottom 1% income earners decreased by 3%, compared to the national average, which increased 19%.

West Virginia's poverty rate is one of the highest in the nation. 2017 estimates indicate that 19% of the state's population lives in poverty, exceeding the national average of 13%.

Population

United Van Lines 37th Annual Migration Study showed in 2013 that 60% more people moved out of West Virginia than moved in. West Virginia's population is expected to decline by more than 19,000 residents by 2030, and West Virginia lost one of its three seats in the United States House of Representatives in the 2020 census. West Virginia is the only state where death rates exceed birth rates. During 2010–2013, about 21,000 babies per year were born in West Virginia, but over these three years West Virginia had 3,000 more deaths than births.

Family

Gallup-Healthways annual "State of American Well-Being" rankings reports that 1,261 concerned West Virginians rated themselves as "suffering" in categories such as Quality of Life, Physical Health, and Access to Basic Needs. Overall, West Virginia citizens rated themselves as being more miserable than people in all other states—for five years running. In addition, the Gallup Well-Being Index for 2013 ranked Charleston, the state capital, and Huntington last and next-to-last out of 189 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's National Index of Children's Progress ranked West Virginia 43rd in the nation for all kids, and last for white kids. The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2013 KIDS COUNT Data Book also ranked West Virginia's education system 47th in the nation for the second straight year. Charleston, West Virginia has the worst divorce rate among 100 cities in the nation. Stephen Smith, the executive director of the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, said poor employment prospects are to blame: "The pressure to make a good living puts strain on a marriage, and right now it is infinitely harder to make a living here than it was 40 years ago."

Health

thumb|[[United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time|Overdose death rates in the United States]]

United Health Foundation's "America's Health Rankings" for 2013 found that Americans are making considerable progress in key health measures. West Virginia, however, ranked either last or second-to-last in twenty categories, including cancer, child immunization, diabetes, disabilities, drug deaths, teeth loss, low birth weight, missed work days due to health, prescription drug overdose, preventable hospitalizations, and senior clinical care. Wisconsin Population Health Institute annual "Health Rankings" for 2012 showed West Virginia spends $9,671 per capita on health care annually. El Salvador spends just $467, yet both have the same life expectancy. In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, West Virginia was the only state where death rates exceed birth rates. During 2010–2013, about 21,000 babies per year were born in West Virginia, but there were 24,000 deaths.

The National Center for Health Statistics says national birth rates for teenagers are at historic lows—during 2007–2010, teen birth rates fell 17% nationally. West Virginia, however, ranked last with a 3% increase in birth rates for teenagers. A study by West Virginia's Marshall University showed that 19% of babies born in the state have evidence of drug or alcohol exposure. This is several times the national rate, where studies show that about 5.9% of pregnant women in the U.S. use illicit drugs, and about 8.5% consume any alcohol. An Institute for Health Policy Research study determined that mortality rates in Appalachia are correlated with coal production. In twenty West Virginia coal counties mining more than a million tons of coal per year and having a total population of 850,000, there are about 10,100 deaths per year, with 1,400 of those statistically attributed to deaths from heart, respiratory and kidney disease from living in an Appalachian coal county.

In 2015, McDowell County had the highest rate of drug-induced deaths of any county in the United States, with a rate of 141 deaths per 100,000 people. Four of the five counties with the highest rates of drug-induced deaths are in West Virginia (McDowell, Wyoming, Cabell and Raleigh Counties). In 2022, West Virginia had the highest drug overdose death rate of any US state, at 80.9 per 100,000 people.

American environmental attorney Robert Bilott exposed how DuPont had been knowingly polluting water with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Parkersburg, West Virginia, since the 1980s. This battle with DuPont is depicted in the film Dark Waters.

Life expectancy

The residents of West Virginia have a lower life expectancy than the national average. In 2014 life expectancy for both sexes in the state was 76.0 years compared to 79.1 years for the United States as a whole. In 2014, males in West Virginia lived an average of 73.6 years compared to a national average of 76.7 years and females lived an average of 77.5 years compared to a national average of 81.5 years. Male life expectancy in West Virginia between 1980 and 2014 increased by 4.7 years, compared to a national average of a 6.7-year increase. Life expectancy for females in West Virginia between 1980 and 2014 increased by 1.7 years, compared to a national average of a 4.0-year increase. Life expectancy for both sexes is among the lowest of all states.

Life expectancies in 2014 for both sexes in West Virginia counties ranged from a low of 70.3 years in McDowell County to a high of 79.3 years in Pendleton County. McDowell and several other West Virginia counties are among the counties in the U.S. with the lowest life expectancies.

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Total voters

! Percentage

| Republican

| align=center | 502,332

| align=center | 42.24%

| Democratic

| align=center | 334,054

| align=center | 28.09%

| Unaffiliated

| align=center | 300,320

| align=center | 25.25%

|Minor parties

| align=center | 52,567

| align=center | 4.42%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align=center | 1,189,273

! align=center | 100.00%

West Virginia is regarded as a heavily Republican, "deep red" state at the federal level. Since 2000, West Virginians have supported the Republican candidate in every presidential election, nearly always by increasing margins.

The 2008 presidential election was the last to date in which the Democratic nominee won any of the state's counties. In every election since 2008, West Virginia has voted Republican and Virginia has voted Democratic.

In the 2024 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump won all of the state's counties and 69.97% of the vote, the highest percentage any party has won in the state's history. Meanwhile, Virginia voted for a Democratic nominee who lost the popular vote, with the two states differing by 48 percentage points in margin. West Virginia was Trump's best performance in 2016.

At the state level, West Virginia's politics were largely dominated by the Democratic Party from the Great Depression through the 2000s. This was a legacy of West Virginia's very strong tradition of union membership. After the 2014 midterm elections Democrats controlled the governorship, the majority of statewide offices, and one U.S. Senate seat, while Republicans held one U.S. Senate seat, all three of the state's U.S. House seats, and a majority in both houses of the West Virginia Legislature. In the 2016 elections, the Republicans held on to their seats and made gains in the State Senate and gained three statewide offices.

Evangelical Christians comprised 52% of the state's voters in 2008. A poll in 2005 showed that 53% of West Virginia voters are anti-abortion, the seventh highest in the country. A 2014 poll by Pew Research found that 35% of West Virginians supported legal abortion in "all or most cases" while 58% wanted it to be banned "in all or most cases".

A September 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 19% of West Virginia voters thought same-sex marriage should be legal, while 71% thought it should be illegal and 10% were not sure. A separate question on the same survey found that 43% of West Virginia voters supported the legal recognition of same-sex couples, with 17% supporting same-sex marriage, 26% supporting civil unions but not marriage, 54% favoring no legal recognition and 3% not sure. In 2008, 58% favored troop withdrawal from Iraq while just 32% wanted troops to remain. On fiscal policy in 2008, 52% said raising taxes on the wealthier individuals would benefit the economy, while 45% disagreed.

In a 2020 study, West Virginia was ranked as the 16th hardest state for citizens to vote in.

Transportation

thumb|The iconic [[New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville]]

thumb|[[Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit]]

Highways form the backbone of transportation systems in West Virginia, with over of public roads in the state. Airports, railroads, and rivers complete the commercial transportation modes for West Virginia. Commercial air travel is facilitated by airports in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Beckley, Lewisburg, Clarksburg, and Parkersburg. All but Charleston and Huntington are subsidized by the federal Department of Transportation's Essential Air Service program. The cities of Charleston, Huntington, Beckley, Wheeling, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Parkersburg and Fairmont have bus-based public transit systems.

West Virginia University in Morgantown boasts the PRT (personal rapid transit) system, the state's only single-rail public transit system. Developed by Boeing, the WVU School of Engineering and the Department of Transportation, it was a model for low-capacity light transport designed for smaller cities. Recreational transportation opportunities abound in West Virginia, including hiking trails, rail trails, ATV off-road trails, white water rafting rivers, and two tourist railroads, the Cass Scenic Railroad and the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad.

Rail lines in the state used to be more prevalent, but many lines have been discontinued because of increased automobile traffic. Many old tracks have been converted to rail trails for recreational use, although the coal-producing areas still have railroads running at near capacity. Amtrak's Cardinal roughly parallels I-64's path through the state. MARC trains serve commuters to Washington, D.C. in the eastern panhandle. In 2006 Norfolk Southern along with the West Virginia and U.S. Government approved a plan to modify many of the rail tunnels in West Virginia, especially in the southern half of the state, to allow for double-stacked cars (see inter-modal freight). This is expected to also help bring economic growth to the southern half of the state. An Intermodal Freight Facility is located at Prichard, just south of Huntington.

Because of the mountainous nature of the entire state, West Virginia has several notable tunnels and bridges. The most famous of these is the New River Gorge Bridge, which was at a time the longest steel single-arch bridge in the world with a 3,031-foot (924 m) span. The bridge is also pictured on the West Virginia State quarter. The Fort Steuben Bridge (Weirton-Steubenville Bridge) was at the time of its construction one of only three cable-stayed steel girder trusses in the United States. "The Veterans Memorial Bridge was designed to handle traffic from the Fort Steuben Bridge as well as its own traffic load", to quote the Weirton Daily Times newspaper. The 80-year-old Fort Steuben Bridge (Weirton-Steubenville Bridge) was permanently closed on January 8, 2009. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was the first bridge built across the Ohio River in 1849 and for a time was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It is still the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the United States still in use.

Roads

thumb|right|The [[Veterans Memorial Bridge (Steubenville, Ohio)|Veterans Memorial Bridge carries US 22 from Weirton into Ohio.]]

West Virginia is crossed by seven Interstate Highways. I-64 enters the state near White Sulphur Springs in the mountainous east, and exits for Kentucky in the west, near Huntington. I-77 enters from Virginia in the south, near Bluefield. It runs north past Parkersburg before it crosses into Ohio. I-64 and I-77 between Charleston and Beckley are merged as toll road known as the West Virginia Turnpike, which continues as I-77 alone from Beckley to Princeton. It was constructed beginning in 1952 as a two-lane road, but rebuilt beginning in 1974 to Interstate standards. Today almost nothing of the original construction remains. I-68's western terminus is in Morgantown. From there it runs east into Maryland. At the I-68 terminus in Morgantown, it meets I-79, which enters from Pennsylvania and runs through the state to its southern terminus in Charleston. I-70 briefly runs through West Virginia, crossing the northern panhandle through Wheeling, while I-470 is a bypass of Wheeling (making Wheeling among the smallest cities with an interstate bypass). I-81 also briefly runs in West Virginia through the eastern panhandle where it goes through Martinsburg.

The interstates are supplemented by roads constructed under the Appalachian Corridor system. Four Corridors are complete. Corridor D, carrying US 50, runs from the Ohio River, and I-77, at Parkersburg to I-79 at Clarksburg. Corridor G, carrying US 119, runs from Charleston to the Kentucky border at Williamson. Corridor L, carrying US 19, runs from the Turnpike at Beckley to I-79 near Sutton (and provides a shortcut of about and bypasses Charleston's urban traffic for travelers heading to and from Florida). Corridor Q, carrying US 460, runs through Mercer County, entering the state from Giles County, Virginia and then reentering Virginia at Tazewell County.

Work continues on the long-delayed Corridor H, which will carry US 48 from Weston to the Virginia line near Wardensville. As of 2018, a section from Weston to Kerens just past Elkins, and another section from Wardensville to Davis are complete. Other projects under development are a four-lane upgrade of WV 10 from Logan to Man and then of WV 80 from Man to Gilbert, which is about half completed; and four-lane upgrades to US 52 from Bluefield to Williamson, known as the "King Coal Highway" and from Williamson to Huntington, known as the "Tolsia Highway" which are many years from completion. A project known as the "Coalfields Expressway" is also ongoing, and will carry US 121 from Beckley west across Raleigh, Wyoming, and McDowell counties, entering Virginia near Bishop.

Education

West Virginia is one of the lowest-scoring U.S. states for education, and has one of the lowest levels of educational attainment of any state. As of 2022, just 10% of adults over the age of 25 had a postgraduate degree and 24% had a bachelor's degree, compared to 17% and 35% nationally. In Virginia it was 18% and 42%, respectively.

According to The National Assessment of Educational Progress, it is significantly below the national average in mathematics, reading, writing, and science. The surrounding states of Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania score higher than or equal to the national average.

Colleges and universities

American Public University System
Appalachian Bible College
Bethany College
Bluefield State University
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
BridgeValley Community and Technical College
Concord University
Davis and Elkins College
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Fairmont State University
Future Generations Graduate School
Glenville State University
Marshall University
Mountwest Community and Technical College
New River Community and Technical College
Pierpont Community and Technical College
Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Salem International University
Shepherd University
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
University of Charleston
West Liberty University
West Virginia Northern Community College
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
West Virginia State University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Wheeling University

Culture

West "by God" Virginia

West Virginia is often called "West 'by God' Virginia." The term first appeared in online-accessible publications in 1926, when students at the University of Virginia wrote an article in the Virginia Spectator claiming that West "by God" Virginia women could consume corn liquor on its own, without having to mix it with other liquids. A 1939 academic article by Harold Wentworth of the WVU History department had a footnote claiming that the term originated from when a native West Virginian, annoyed at being called a Virginian, claimed that he instead hailed from "West 'by God' Virginia."

Sports

West Virginia is home to college sports teams from two schools—West Virginia and Marshall—that play in NCAA DivisionI. West Virginia is also home to several professional minor league baseball, football, hockey, and other sports teams.

{| class="wikitable"

!Club

!Sport

!League

|West Virginia Mountaineers

|Football / Basketball

|Big 12 Conference

|Marshall Thundering Herd

|Football / Basketball

|Sun Belt Conference

|Bluefield Ridge Runners

|Baseball

|Appalachian League

|Charleston Dirty Birds

|Baseball

|Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

|Tri-State Coal Cats

|Baseball

|Appalachian League

|West Virginia Miners

|Baseball

|Prospect League

|West Virginia Black Bears

|Baseball

|MLB Draft League

|Wheeling Nailers

|Ice hockey

|ECHL

|West Virginia Lightning

|Football

|Elite Mid-Continental Football League

|West Virginia United

|Soccer

|USL League Two

|West Virginia Bruisers

|Football

|Women's Football Alliance

Music

Appalachian music

West Virginia's folk heritage is a part of the Appalachian folk music tradition, and includes styles of fiddling, ballad singing, and other styles that draw on Scots-Irish music. Camp Washington-Carver, a Mountain Cultural Arts Center located at Clifftop in Fayette County, hosts an annual Appalachian String Band Festival. The Capitol Complex in Charleston hosts The Vandalia Gathering, where traditional Appalachian musicians compete in contests and play in impromptu jam sessions and evening concerts over the weekend. The Augusta Heritage Center sponsored by Davis & Elkins College in Elkins in Randolph County produces the annual Augusta Heritage Festival, which includes intensive week-long workshops in the summer that help preserve Appalachian heritage and traditions.

Classical music

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1939, as the Charleston Civic Orchestra, before becoming the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1943. The first conductor was William R. Wiant, followed by the conductor Antonio Modarelli, who was written about in the November 7, 1949 Time Magazine for his composition of the River Saga, a six-section program piece about the Kanawha River according to the Charleston Gazettes November 6, 1999, photo essay, "Snapshots of the 20th Century". Before coming to Charleston, Modarelli had conducted the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, according to the orchestra's website.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning 20th-century composer George Crumb was born in Charleston and earned his bachelor's degree there before moving outside the state. There had also been a series of operatic-style concerts performed in Wheeling during mid-century as well.

Musical innovation

The West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston is home to the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, which helps underwrite and coordinate a large number of musical activities. The center is also home to Mountain Stage, an internationally broadcast live-performance music radio program established in 1983 which is carried by many affiliates of National Public Radio. The program also travels to other venues in the state such as the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in Morgantown.

The center hosts concerts sponsored by the Friends of Old Time Music and Dance, which brings an assortment of acoustic roots music to West Virginians. The center also hosts the West Virginia Dance Festival, which features classical and modern dance.

Huntington's historic Keith-Albee Theatre, built by brothers A.B. and S.J. Hyman, was originally opened to the public on May 7, 1928, and hosts a variety of performing arts and music attractions. The theatre was eventually gifted to Marshall University and is currently going through renovation to restore it to its original splendor.

Every summer Elkins hosts the Augusta Heritage Festival, which brings folk musicians from around the world. The town of Glenville has long been home to the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival.

The Mountaineer Opera House in Milton hosts a variety of musical acts.

John Denver's hit song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" describes the experience of driving through West Virginia. The song mentions the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains, both features traversing the easternmost extremity of the state's "eastern panhandle", in Jefferson County. On March 8, 2014, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed House Concurrent Resolution 40 naming "Take Me Home, Country Roads" the fourth official state song of West Virginia.

Symphony Sunday is an annual event hosted by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra held in June. It is a day full of music by community groups, food, and family fun, culminating in a free performance by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra with a fireworks display following. The event began in 1982 and is held on the front lawn of the University of Charleston.

The Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is West Virginia's longest-running music festival. It is for the eight public high schools in Kanawha County. The festival began in 1947. It is held at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in downtown Charleston.

References

Informational notes

Citations

External links

State government

State of West Virginia government website
West Virginia Department of Commerce
West Virginia State Guide, from the Library of Congress
West Virginia Legislature website
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia website
Constitution of West Virginia
West Virginia Code

U.S. government

Energy Profile for West Virginia—Economic, environmental, and energy data
USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of West Virginia
West Virginia State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Other

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's website
West Virginia Division of Tourism
Visiting West Virginia
West Virginia Archives and History
West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia Explorer
West Virginia Encyclopedia

Economy

Tourism

Energy

Taxes

Largest private employers

Quality of life

Economy

Employment

Wages and poverty

Population

Family

Health

Life expectancy

Transportation

Roads

Education

Colleges and universities

Culture

West "by God" Virginia

Sports

Music

Appalachian music

Classical music

Musical innovation

See also

References

Informational notes

Citations

Further reading

External links

State government

U.S. government

Other