West Virginia

West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the thirty-fifth state. Located in the South Atlantic region of the eastern United States, West Virginia is surrounded by Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia , and Kentucky .

Historians believe the first white settlement in West Virginia was established at Bunker Hill in 1731. At the time, West Virginia was still part of Virginia. After the War of 1812 (1812–15), Virginia was divided by conflict over slavery . Eastern Virginia supported slavery because it was a region of plantations (large farms that grow one primary crop) that relied heavily on slave labor. Western Virginia, comprised of small farms and industries still in their infancy, opposed slavery.

In 1861 Virginia seceded from the Union even though the western counties remained loyal to the Union. Virginia agreed to let those counties split from the state, and those counties became the state of West Virginia in 1863.

West Virginia suffered mightily, as did many states, throughout the economic depression of the 1930s. Both World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939–45) changed the state's economy by stimulating the chemical, steel, and textile industries. West Virginia was once a state that relied on its natural resources like coal, oil, and natural gas for revenue. After World War II, many residents left as their jobs were replaced by mechanization. By 1960, West Virginia had one of the most depressed economies in the United States. Manufacturing and mining continued to shrink throughout the next several decades.

West Virginia was home to slightly more than 1.8 million people in 2006, with a predominantly (95 percent) white population. Of the remaining 5 percent, 3.1 percent were African American. The largest percentage (29 percent) of West Virginians were between the ages of forty-five and sixty-four.

While other regions of the United States profited heartily from the high technology boom of the 1990s, West Virginia did not. Its primary industries in the early twenty-first century were chemicals, metals, lumber, and wood. Millions of tourists visit West Virginia to enjoy its thirty-seven state parks and forests. The Appalachian Mountains provide challenging ski slopes for skiers and snowboarders.