WVWest Virginia
Mountain State · Capital: Charleston · South (Upland South)
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Capital
Charleston
Largest city
Charleston
Population
1–5 million
Area rank
#41 of 50
Admitted
1863
Time zone
Eastern Time
Region
South
Letters
12
Bordering states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland.
4 fun facts about West Virginia
- West Virginia split from Virginia in 1863 to remain in the Union during the Civil War — making it the only state created by seceding from another state.
- The state is completely within the Appalachian Mountains — every county is mountainous.
- "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (John Denver, 1971) immortalized the state forever — even though Denver had never lived there.
- The New River Gorge Bridge is the longest single-arch steel bridge in the western hemisphere.
Learn more
→ How to learn the 50 states (full guide)