| West Virginia | |
 | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| State | United States of America |
|---|---|
| Region | South |
| Capital | Charleston |
| Surface | 62,755 km² |
| Inhabitants | 1.844.128 (2015 estimate), 1.852.994 (2010 census) |
| Tourism site | |
| Institutional website | |
West Virginia it is a federated state USA in the region of Southern United States of America.
To know
The state has an environment that reflects its temperate topography. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and many state parks. The Greenbrier hotel, originally built in 1778, has long been considered a luxury hotel frequented by numerous world leaders and US presidents over the years. In West Virginia is the Green Bank Radio Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The state is also home to the largest handcrafted sandstone building, second only to the Kremlin in Moscow. There are also guided tours of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, considered a National Historic Landmark.
Geographical notes
It borders the Virginia to the southeast, with the Kentucky to the southwest, with theOhio to the north-west, with the Pennsylvania to the north and with the Maryland to the north-east.
West Virginia is located entirely in the Appalachian region, and the state is almost entirely mountainous, which justifies the nickname The Mountain State ("The State of the Mountain") and the motto Montani Semper Liberi ("The mountaineers are always free"). Although the reliefs are not high, the plateau region is very rugged in many areas. The average elevation of West Virginia is about 460 meters above sea level, which is the highest value of all US states east of the Mississippi River.
When to go
West Virginia's climate is humid subtropical at some of the lower elevations, mainly in the southwestern part of the state, along with parts of the eastern panhandle east of the Appalachians, with hot, humid summers and milder winters. The rest of the state generally has a humid continental climate with warm to hot summers and cool or cold winters, which become increasingly harsh at higher elevations.
Average January temperatures range from about -4 ° C at the Cheat River to 5 ° C along parts of the Kentucky border. Average July temperatures range from 19 ° C along the north branch of the Potomac River to 24 ° C in the western part of the state. In the mountains, the climate remains cooler than in the flat parts of the state.
Background
West Virginia became a state as a result of the Wheeling Convention, in which 50 northwestern Virginia counties whose landowners owned few or no slaves, decided to separate from Virginia during the American Civil War. The new state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863 and became an important buffer state between the Union and the Confederation. West Virginia was the only state to be formed by separating from one of the Confederate States and one of the two states formed during the Civil War (the other being the Nevada, separated from the Territory of Utah).
It is one of the densest areas in the world for karst making it a privileged area for scientific research and hiking. West Virginia is also well known for a wide range of recreational opportunities, including skiing, rafting, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and hiking.
Territories and tourist destinations
Urban centers
- Charleston - Capital of the federal state of West Virginia and its cultural center.
- Beckley - Home to Tamarack ("the best of West Virginia") and a visitable coal mine.
- Bluefield - The tallest city in West Virginia, nestled in the East River Mountains.
- Charles Town - Historic town founded by George Washington's younger brother Charles.
- Harper's Ferry - A major Civil War site and one of West Virginia's most popular tourist destinations.
- Huntington - Headquarters of Marshall University.
- Morgantown - Hard core of the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
- Parkersburg - There is the Blennerhassett Island Historic State Park, located in thehomonymous island.
- Wheeling - With Victorian architecture and a renowned casino.
Other destinations
- Blackwater Falls State Park - The most photographed spot in West Virginia, crossing a gorge along the Blackwater River.
How to get
By car
West Virginia is crossed by six freeways: I-64 enters the state near White Sulfur Springs in the mountainous part to the east, and comes out towards the Kentucky to the west, at Huntington. I-77 enters from Virginia to the south at Bluefield; runs north through Parkersburg before moving intoOhio. I-64 and I-77, between Charleston and Beckley, join as a toll road known as the West Virginia Turnpike, which continues only as I-77 between Beckley and Princeton. The Turnpike was built starting in 1952 as a two lane road, but was rebuilt starting in 1974 according to highway standards, and today almost nothing remains of the original construction. The western end of I-68 is at Morgantown, and from here it continues east into Maryland; at the end of I-68 in Morgantown also joins I-79, which originates from Pennsylvania and crosses the state to its southern end near Charleston. I-70 cuts through West Virginia for a few miles, entering the northern panhandle through Wheeling, while I-470 serves as the Wheeling bypass (making Wheeling one of the smallest towns that have a bypass formed by an Interstate). I-81 also briefly traverses West Virginia via the eastern panhandle, where it passes through Martinsburg.
How to get around
Recreational transportation opportunities abound in the state, including hiking trails, green trails, all-terrain vehicles for off-roading, rivers for rafting, and two tourist railroads (Cass Scenic Railroad State Park and the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad). .
On the train
Rail lines in the state were widespread, but many of them have been shut down due to increasing car traffic. Many old railways have been converted into "greenways" for recreational use, although industrial areas still make use of rail traffic a lot. The Amtrak Cardinal runs parallel to I-64 all along the state. Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) trains serve commuters in the eastern panhandle of the state.
What see
What to do
At the table
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning West Virginia
Commons contains images or other files on West Virginia
Wikiquote contains quotes from or on West Virginia
