I'm from West Virginia which is a place a lot of people don't know much about. In fact, I've met several people that have asked me "What part of western Virginia are you from?" It's pretty crazy to be from a state that some people don't even realize exists. So I thought I would round up some cool facts about West Virginia that you might not know. 1. Are you a fan of the NBA? Did you know the white silhouette in the NBA logo is Jerry West, who is from West Virginia? He is from Kanawha County.
2. If you enjoy Mother's Day you should know that the very first Mother's Day was held in Grafton, WV in 1908. Unfortunately, the woman that created the holiday, Anna Jarvis, died in a Pennsylvania sanatarium. She actually regretted starting the holiday because she felt it had become too commercialized.
3, The city of Huntington is named after Collins P. Huntington, a man that eventually became one of the most despised railroad men in the whole county. One book even states that he came to symbolize the corruption and greed of business.
4. In 1923, West Virginia was the first state to begin a statewide sales tax.
5. Coal has traditionally been one of our state's best ways to make money. But today we have less than 12,000 coal miners. Ten years ago there were about 41,000.
6. The town of Bolivar in Jefferson County was named after a South American Revolutionary named Simon Bolivar. He helped several countries establish independence including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.
7. The small town of Beckley is a popular spot among politicians campaigning for President. A few visitors include John Kerry, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, and George W. Bush.
8. We also have the smallest church in the contiguous United States. It's called Our Lady of the Pines and it's in Preston County off of Route 50.
9. There is a burial mound, also called the Criel Mound, in Charleston. It was created by the Adena people who lived along the Kanawha River between 1,000 and 200 B.C.
10. Our capital is the largest city in the state and has over 50,000 people and our smallest incorporated town is Aurora which only has 201 residents.
11. The New River Gorge Bridge was the longest single arch bridge in the world when it was built in 1977. Now it's the third largest in the world. We still celebrate bridge day every October and people come from all over the world to parachute off of the bridge. The oldest person to ever jump was Donald Cripps. He was 84 years old when he jumped in 2013.
12. One of the coolest (literally and figuratively) places in the state is a rock formation called Ice Mountain. In the past, due to its unique structure, you could find ice there until September. Today you can only find ice up until June, but the air remains cool all summer long.
13. Actor Don Knotts worked at Morgantown's Warner Theater while he was a student at West Virginia University.
14. Speaking of Universities, Marshall University accepted "IOU's" and potatoes for tuition payments during the Great Depression.
15. Our famous Greenbrier Resort once had a secret bunker that would keep the members of the United States Congress safe in the event of a nuclear attack. It was decommissioned in the 1990s.
16. If you enjoy pepperoni rolls you should know that they were invented right here in West Virginia in 1927 by a man named Giuseppe Argiro.
17. Country singer Hank Williams died in 1953 in Oak Hill, WV. He was only 29 years old and was in route to a performance.
18. Actor Bob Denver, who played Gilligan on "Gilligan's Island" spent his last years living in Mercer County. In fact, his foundation continues to operate a radio station that he had started called "Little Buddy Radio".
19. A critically-endangered fish called the Diamond Darter lives in the Elk River.
West Virginia may not be the most glamorous place in the country, but we are rich with unique places and history. It's also an ideal place to visit if you enjoy spending time outdoors. We have beautiful areas that are great for biking, hiking, rock climbing, and rafting.
References:
50states.com. West Virginia Facts and Trivia. Accessed at https://www.50states.com/facts/west-virginia.htm on February 9, 2018.
You may have just convinced me to come and visit! Been lucky enough to experience several American states and you make West Virginia sound pretty cool. Will be visiting from the other side of the pond soon!
You may have just convinced me to come and visit! Been lucky enough to experience several American states and you make West Virginia sound pretty cool. Will be visiting from the other side of the pond soon!