West Virginia
Discover West Virginia
Introduction
West Virginia is a mountainous, landlocked state carved almost entirely out of Appalachian terrain, the only U.S. state formed by seceding from a Confederate state: its western counties broke from Virginia and joined the United States in 1863, a split marked every June 20th as West Virginia Day. Charleston WV, on the Kanawha River, is the capital and largest city; the state's eastern panhandle reaches close enough to the U.S. capital to draw commuters, while the south and west feel more like Appalachian coal country. Some 1.78 million people live here across 24,230 square miles, and coal mining and the labor struggles it produced, including the largest armed uprising in the U.S. since the Civil War at Blair Mountain in 1921, shaped the state's culture and small towns alike.
The landscape is the real draw: the New River Gorge, now a national park, where the 3,030-foot New River Gorge Bridge arcs 876 feet above the water, is one of the best whitewater-rafting and rock-climbing destinations on the East Coast. Spruce Knob, at 4,863 feet, is the state's and the whole Allegheny range's highest point; Seneca Rocks draws climbers to the only peak on the East Coast reachable solely by technical climbing. Harpers Ferry, where John Brown's 1859 raid helped precipitate the Civil War, and the world's largest steerable radio telescope at Green Bank round out a state built on rivers, ridgelines and hard history. This page covers West Virginia as a whole; its six city pages hold the detail.
How many days do I need?
A long weekend covers the New River Gorge and Harpers Ferry. A week allows time to add Charleston WV, the Monongahela Highlands or the Greenbrier.
Do I need a car?
Yes. West Virginia has no significant intercity public transit, and its main attractions are spread across mountainous terrain best covered by car.
What is West Virginia known for?
The New River Gorge and its bridge, Harpers Ferry and John Brown's 1859 raid, coal-mining and labor history (the Battle of Blair Mountain), the Green Bank Telescope, and the pepperoni roll.
When is the best time to visit?
Late spring through fall (May to October) offers the most comfortable weather; October adds fall color and the annual Bridge Day event at the New River Gorge.
Is West Virginia part of the South?
It's debated even within the state: West Virginians generally identify with Appalachia rather than the South, Mid-Atlantic or Midwest specifically, reflecting the state's mountainous, borderland geography.