Today, West Virginia celebrates its 160th Birthday. She looks pretty good for her age and the struggles she’s seen throughout the years. When the state of Virginia voted to secede from the United States during the Civil War (1861-65), the people of the mountain regions of the state opposed the decision and organized to form their own state, West Virginia, in support of the Union. Congress granted statehood to West Virginia on June 20, 1863.
Today, West Virginia is a major coal-producing state, supplying 15 percent of the nation’s coal. The State is filled with natural treasures but the greatest of all are its people.
Date of Statehood: June 20, 1863
Capital: Charleston
Population: 1,793,716
Size: 24,230 square miles
Nickname(s): Mountain State
Motto: Montani Semper Liberi (“Mountaineers Are Always Free”)
Tree: Sugar Maple
Flower: Rhododendron
Bird: Cardinal
