facts about West Virginia

1. West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast.
2. Total Area: 41st among states, 62,758 sq km (24,231 sq mi).
3. The capital and largest city is Charleston.
4. The longest block in the world is the 1500 block of Virginia Street.
5. West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions, breaking away from Virginia during the American Civil War.
6. On July 1, 1921, West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax.
7. West Virginia was the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state, and was one of only two states formed during the American Civil War (the other one being Nevada, which separated from Utah Territory).
   
8. The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street.
9. The state is noted for its mountains and diverse topography, its historically-significant logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history.
10. The longest steel arch bridge in the world is the New River Gorge Bridge.
11. It is one of the most densely karstic areas in the world, making it a choice area for recreational caving and scientific research.
12. The karst lands contribute to much of the state's cool trout waters.
13. 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.
14. West Virginia is also known for a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities, including skiing, whitewater rafting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and hunting.
15. West Virginia is one of the nation's leading producers of bituminous coal and is also noted for the manufacture of fine glass.
16. 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.
17. Adena burial mounds are the largest example of the distinctive constructions created by Native American mound builders.
18. Because of its mountains, West Virginia is sometimes referred to as "the Switzerland of the United States".
19. Nearly 80% of West Virginia is covered with forests.
20. Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908.