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West Virginia Log Homes & WV Log Cabins

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: The state was originally the western part of Virginia. NICKNAME: The Mountain State. CAPITAL: Charleston. ENTERED UNION: 20 June 1863 (35th). SONGS: "The West Virginia Hills," "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home," and "This Is My West Virginia." MOTTO: Montani semper liberi (Mountaineers are always free). COAT OF ARMS: A farmer stands to the right and a miner to the left of a large ivy-draped rock bearing the date of the state's admission to the Union. In front of the rock are two hunters' rifles upon which rests a cap of liberty. The state motto is beneath and the words "State of West Virginia" above. FLAG: The flag has a white field bordered by a strip of blue, with the coat of arms in the center, wreathed by rhododendron leaves; across the top of the coat of arms are the words "State of West Virginia." OFFICIAL SEAL: The same as the coat of arms. ANIMAL: Black bear. BIRD: Cardinal. FISH: Brook trout. FLOWER: Rhododendron. TREE: Sugar maple. FRUIT: Apple. COLORS: Old gold and blue. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Lincoln's Birthday, 12 February; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; West Virginia Day, 20 June; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

West Virginia has a humid continental climate, with hot summers and cool to cold winters. The climate of the eastern panhandle is influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic slope and is similar to that of nearby coastal areas. Mean annual temperatures vary from 56°F (13°C) in the southwest to 48°F (9°C) at higher elevations. The yearly average is 53°F (12°C). The highest recorded temperature, 112°F (44°C), was at Martinsburg on 10 July 1936; the lowest, –37°F (–38°C), at Lewisburg on 30 December 1917.

In 2002, West Virginia had an estimated 852,165 housing units, 719,655 of which were occupied; 74.1% were owner-occupied. About 70% of all units were single-family, detached homes; 16.9% were mobile homes. Utility gas and electricity were the most common energy sources for heating. It was estimated that 29,823 units lacked telephone service, 4,310 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 3,175 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.44 people.

In 2002, 4,890 new privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $81,695, one of the lowest in the country. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $762. Renters paid a median of $448 per month. During 2002, West Virginia received over $45 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

West Virginia ranked 37th in population in the US with an estimated total of 1,801,873 in 2002, an increase of 0.4% since 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, West Virginia's population grew from 1,793,477 to 1,808,344, an increase of 0.8%. The population is projected to reach 1,849,000 by 2005 and 1.8 million by 2025. The population density in 2000 was 75.1 persons per sq mi.

West Virginia is a relatively old state. In 2000 the median age was 38.9, compared to the US average of 35.3. Persons under 18 years old accounted for 22.3% of the population (the national average was 25.7%) while 15.3% were age 65 or older (national average 12.4%).

In 2002, West Virginia had four-fifths, or 12.1 million acres (4.9 million hectares), of its land area in forestland and, of this, 11.9 million acres (4.8 million hectares) are classified as timberland.

In 1997, West Virginia's timber resource was the largest and of the highest quality of any time in the past 75 or more years, with 64% of its timberland being sawtimber size. Sawtimber volumes average 6,500 board feet per acre. About 92% of West Virginia forest species are hardwoods, with approximately 77% of the timberland being of the oak-hickory forest type. In all, West Virginia's forests contain more than 100 species of trees.

No major league professional teams are based in West Virginia, but there are minor league baseball teams in Charleston, Bluefield, and Princeton, and there is minor league hockey in Wheeling. West Virginia University's basketball team won a National Invitation Tournament championship in 1942 and was NCAA Division 1 runner-up in 1959. In football, West Virginia produced a string of national contenders in the late 1980s and early 1990s. West Virginia won the Peach Bowl in 1981 and played for the national championship in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, which they lost to Notre Dame. Marshall University has also risen to the elite among college football teams, having secured a string of several Mid-American Conference champions and having won five straight bowl game appearances from 1998 to 2002.

Horse-racing tracks operate in Chester and Charles Town. Greyhound races are run in Wheeling and Charleston. Other popular sports are skiing and white-water rafting.