Celebrate West Virginia Day with These 10 Random Fun Facts

With West Virginia Day occurring this Saturday, the External Affairs office thought it would be fun to collect some random facts about the Mountain State as we celebrate its 163rd birthday. For newcomers and long-time residents alike, here are 10 random things to know about West Virginia:

West Virginia Is the Only U.S. State Created by Presidential Proclamation

During the first few days of the Civil War in 1861, Virginia voted to secede from the Union. But its western counties didn’t agree with Richmond. Delegates met in Wheeling (shown above) and formed what they called the Restored Government of Virginia, one that would remain loyal to the United States. Over the next two years, a movement for statehood ensued, and on June 20, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation declaring West Virginia the 35th state. Congress had passed such legislation several months earlier, but Lincoln’s signature made it official.

The Mountain State is the 3rd Most Forested State in the U.S.

With almost 80 percent of it covered by forest—the Monongahela National Forest alone includes almost one million acres of forest across 10 counties—West Virginia ranks only behind Maine and New Hampshire when it comes to the percentage of its land covered by forest canopy.

Don’t Be Confused by This River’s Name—WV is Home to One of the Oldest on Earth

The New River, now “on the map” largely due to it flowing through the newest U.S. national park (New River Gorge), is one of the oldest rivers in the world and predates the Appalachian range. It also goes against the grain compared to most U.S. rivers, as it flows from south to north.

West Virginia’s State Capitol Has a Taller Dome than the U.S. Capitol

Visit the historic Capitol District, and you feel as if you’re in a city much larger than Charleston’s population of 46,000. Much of that vibe is because of the West Virginia State Capitol’s dome, which at 292 feet tall, stands about four feet taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Panhandle Bragging Rights

Sorry Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas: You all have distinct panhandles, but the Mountain State has two of them. The Northern Panhandle is wedged between Ohio and Pennsylvania, while the Eastern Panhandle separates parts of Maryland and Virginia (with Pennsylvania not being far!).

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Both Have Roots in WV

Grafton is home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine, which was St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church from 1873 to 1966. Anna Jarvis organized the first recorded Mother’s Day service in May 1908 in memory of her own mother, who lost eight of her 12 children and then dedicated her life’s work to eradicating childhood diseases.

Two months later in July 1908, a Methodist Church in Fairmont, WV held a service to honor the more than 360 men who perished in the Monongah mining disaster in December 1907. While the Fairmont commemoration did not receive press attention on the scale of the Mother’s Day service in Grafton, most historical records verify that this was the first such Father’s Day service in the U.S.

The First Rural U.S. Mail Service Launched in West Virginia

Drive across West Virginia, and it’s easy to notice that the local post office anchors the small towns, hamlets, and hollers across the Mountain State. This dates back to October 1896, when the U.S. Post Office began what was then called the Rural Free Delivery service in Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla.

For decades, rural families often had to make day- or days-long trips to a distant post office to send and collect mail or pay out of pocket for a private delivery service. Postmaster General William Lyne Wilson, a West Virginian, sought the same convenient service that residents in cities had taken for granted since the 1860s. The pilot program in the Charles Town area was popular, and it became a standard service across the U.S. in 1902.

Only One U.S. City Stretches Across a State and Shares Borders with Two States — and It’s in WV

Granted, West Virginia’s curious borders make this possible, but trivia lovers may want to know that only one U.S. city spans across the width of its state and borders two others: Weirton, located in the Northern Panhandle. Weirton’s western edge touches the Ohio River and thereby the namesake state, while its eastern boundary reaches the Pennsylvania state line. Drive (or take an ambitious walk) across Weirton, and you won’t venture into another West Virginia municipality.

The Largest “Quiet Zone” in the U.S. Is in West Virginia

More than 13,000 square miles, from Virginia to Maryland with most of it in West Virginia, is officially known as the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), which surrounds the Green Bank Observatory (and the smaller Sugar Grove Station). Radio transmissions are heavily regulated and restricted to allow for scientific research and the gathering of military intelligence. Within 10 miles of these stations, the rules are even more strict: If you’re visiting anyone who lives in this area, don’t bother asking for a WiFi password or if you can microwave a bag of popcorn: Restrictions on such devices are in place to prevent their use, though some recent news accounts suggest that any such enforcement may be in decline.

West Virginia Has the Most Towns Named After Foreign Cities

Rattle off the name of a U.S. town or city, and chances are there’s a town, village, or unincorporated place in West Virginia that shares the same name. The same goes for foreign cities. In fact, we’re pretty sure West Virginia leads on this. If you don’t believe us, open your maps app on your cellphone, and look up driving directions for Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva, London, Rome, Shanghai, and Vienna.

Image of West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling, WV, courtesy of Leon Kaye.