THINGS TO DO IN WEST VIRGINIA

Demographics

Statehood: June 20, 1863, the 35th state

Capital: Charleston

Total Area: 41st among states, 62,758 sq km (24,231 sq mi)

Water Area: 376 sq km (145 sq mi)

Highest Point: Spruce Knob, 1,482 m (4,861 ft)

Total Population:   37th among states
2000 census -  1,808,344
2005 estimate -  1,816,856

Population Density in 2000: 29 people per sq km (75 per sq mi)

Distribution in 1990: 36% Urban, 64% Rural

Economy:
Gross State Product - $37.2 billion (1996)
Personal income per Capita - $18,734 (1997)

Largest cities in 2000:
Charleston: 53,421
Huntington: 51,475
Parkersburg: 33,099

On July 1, 1921, West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax.
The longest block in the world is the 1500 block of Virginia Street.
The longest steel arch bridge in the world is the New River Gorge Bridge.
The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street.
West Virginia is one of the nation's leading producers of bituminous coal and is also noted for the manufacture of fine glass.
In 1859 abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a national armory at Harpers Ferry in an attempt to secure weapons for a planned slave rebellion.
Adena burial mounds are the largest example of the distinctive constructions created by Native American mound builders.
West Virginia was a part of Virginia until that state seceded from the United States in 1861; delegates from 40 counties formed their own government, and statehood was granted them two years later.
Nearly 80% of West Virginia is covered with forests.
Because of its mountains, West Virginia is sometimes referred to as "the Switzerland of the United States".
West Virginia is the second-largest coal producing state in the country.
West Virginia has long been famous for its manufacture of fine glass.
Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908.

State Facts