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West Virginia, as well as Virginia, got their names from a suggestion to honor Queen Elizabeth I. She was known as the Virgin Queen, and the name Virginia is derived from the word virgin.
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West Virginia's state nickname is the 'Mountain State'.
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The state motto for West Virginia is 'Montani semper liberi' which means 'Mountaineers are Always Free'.
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West Virginia's state songs include 'This Is My West Virginia', 'The West Virginia Hills', and 'West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home'.
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The state flag for West Virginia was officially adopted in 1929, and features the date West Virginia separated from Virginia in 1863, a farmer, a miner, riffles, a liberty cap and the state motto.
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West Virginia residents are referred to as West Virginians.
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West Virginia's capital city and its largest city are both Charleston.
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West Virginia's state bird is the cardinal and the state butterfly is the Monarch butterfly.
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West Virginia's state animal is the black bear and the state fish is the brook trout.
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The state flower for West Virginia is the big laurel (rhododendron) and the state tree is the sugar maple.
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Major rivers in West Virginia include the Greenbrier River, Guyandotte River and the Ohio River.
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Major lakes in West Virginia include Bluestone Lake and Tygart Lake.
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Major agriculture in West Virginia includes cattle, eggs, dairy, and turkeys.
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Major industry in West Virginia includes coal mining, chemicals, glass products, aluminum, and tourism.
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West Virginia is the second leading coal producing state in the U.S.
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West Virginia has 9 state forests, 37 state parks, and 55 counties.
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West Virginia is considered to be both the most northern of the southern states and the most southern of the northern states.
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The largest sycamore tree in the world is located in West Virginia, on the Back Fork of Elk River in Webster Springs.
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The first United States federal prison for women was opened in 1926 in West Virginia.
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One of the United States' largest and oldest Indian burial grounds is in Moundsville, West Virginia.
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Almost three-quarters of West Virginia is forest.
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The first state to charge sales tax was West Virginia in 1921.
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Mother's Day originated in West Virginia, having been first celebrated in 1908 at Andrews Church in Grafton.
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Actress Jennifer Garner and actors John Corbett, and Don Knotts were born in West Virginia.
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