| General Information |
| Official name |
West Virginia |
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| Capital |
Charleston |
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| Statehood |
June 20, 1863 |
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the 35th state |
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| State nickname |
The Mountain State |
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| Name for residents |
West Virginians |
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| State motto |
Mountaineers Are
Always Free |
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| Land |
| Total area |
62,758 sq km |
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24,231 sq mi |
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| Rank among states in total area |
41st |
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| Land area |
62,385 sq km |
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24,087 sq mi |
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| Highest point |
Spruce Knob |
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1,482 m/4,861 ft |
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| Forested land as a share of total
area |
78.5 percent
(1997) |
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| Federally owned land as a share
of land area |
7.6 percent (1999) |
| |
| People |
| Population |
1,801,916 (2001
estimate) |
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| Rank among states in population |
37th |
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| Ten-year population growth |
0.8 percent
(1990-2000) |
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| Population density |
29 persons per sq
km (2001) |
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75 persons per sq
mi (2001) |
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| Urban population |
36.1 percent
(1990) |
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| Largest cities (by
population) |
| Charleston |
53,421 (2000) |
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| Huntington |
51,475 (2000) |
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| Parkersburg |
33,099 (2000) |
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| Wheeling |
31,419 (2000) |
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| Morgantown |
26,809 (2000) |
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| Ethnic groups |
| Whites |
95 percent (2000) |
| |
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| Blacks |
3.2 percent (2000) |
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| Asians |
0.5 percent (2000) |
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| Native Americans |
0.2 percent (2000) |
| |
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| Native Hawaiians and other
Pacific Islanders |
less than 0.1
percent (2000) |
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| Mixed heritage or not
reporting |
1 percent (2000) |
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| |
| Hispanics (of any race) |
0.7 percent (2000) |
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| Health and Education |
| Life expectancy |
74.3 years
(1989-1991) |
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| Infant mortality rate |
8 deaths per 1,000
live births (1999) |
| |
| Residents per physician |
456 people (1999) |
| |
| Residents per hospital bed |
223 people (1999) |
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| Share of population not covered
by health insurance |
14.3 percent
(2000) |
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| Number of students per teacher
(K-12) |
13.8 (1999) |
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| Government spending per student
(K-12) |
$7,176 (1998-1999) |
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| Share of students attending
private school |
5.4 percent (1999) |
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| Share of people over age 25 with
high school diploma |
77.1 percent
(2000) |
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| Government |
| State government |
| Chief executive |
Governor |
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Bob Wise |
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(term ends
January, 2005) |
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| Legislature |
Senate, 34 members |
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House of
Representatives, 100 members |
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| National
representation |
| Members of the U.S. Senate |
2 |
| |
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| Members of the U.S. House of
Representatives |
3 |
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| Electoral votes |
5 |
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| Economy |
| Gross state product (GSP) |
$41 billion (1999
estimate) |
| |
| Income per capita |
$21,767 (2000
estimate) |
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| GSP by economic
sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, and
fishing |
0.6 percent (1999
estimate) |
| |
| |
| Industry |
| Construction |
4.6 percent (1999
estimate) |
| |
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| Manufacturing |
16 percent (1999
estimate) |
| |
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| Mining |
7.3 percent (1999
estimate) |
| |
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| Transportation and
utilities |
11.3 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| Services |
| Finance, insurance, and
real estate |
11.3 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| Government |
15.5 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| Retail trade |
10 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| |
| Wholesale trade |
5.5 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| Other services |
17.9 percent (1999
estimate) |
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| Employment |
| Number of workers |
833,000 (2001) |
| |
| |
| Unemployment rate |
4.9 percent (2001) |
| |
| |
| Share of workers in unions |
14.6 percent
(2001) |
| |
| |
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| Energy, Communications, and
Transportation |
| Electricity
production |
| Share from geothermal, solar,
and wind |
0 percent (2000) |
| |
| |
| Share from hydroelectric |
1.2 percent (2000) |
| |
| |
| Share from nuclear |
0 percent (2000) |
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| Share from thermal |
98.8 percent
(2000) |
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| Daily newspaper circulation per
1,000 people |
200 newspapers per
1,000 people (1999) |
| |
| Share of households with Internet
access |
34.3 percent
(2000) |
| |
| Number of library books
circulated per resident |
4.8 books per
person (1999) |
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| Length of highways |
59,992 km (2000) |
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37,277 mi (2000) |
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| Length of interstate highways |
884 km (2000) |
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549 mi (2000) |
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| Length of railroad tracks |
3,906 km (2000) |
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2,427 mi (2000) |
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| Airports |
65 (1997) |
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| Sources |
| The Association of American
Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov),
Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov),
Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal
Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway
Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us),
General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural
Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for
Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health
Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov). |
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General Knowledge :: West Virginia Facts and Figures