West Virginia

Have you ever heard the idiom, "don't make a mountain out of a molehill?" West Virginians know how to turn a mole hill into a mountain: literally. There was a small community in Ritchie County named Mole Hill but the citizens collectively decided to change the name of the community to “Mountain.” Very clever, West Virginia, very clever!

The community doesn't want the name to go back to Mole Hill. Solve the West Virginia Breakout in 45 minutes and keep the name - Mountain, West Virginia.

West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863, by a proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, making it the 35th state of the United States.

The state capital is Charleston which is also the largest city.

West Virginia is bordered by 5 other states: Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast.

The official state motto of West Virginia is in Latine, "Montani Semper Liberi." Translated into English, it means, Mountaineers are Always Free.

The pepperoni roll is a favorite food in West Virginia and some nearby regions of the Appalachian Mountains. This region reaches into Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio.

The pepperoni roll was first sold by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1927.

The roll was a great lunch for the coal miners of north-central West Virginia. The pepperoni roll did not have to refrigerated and could be eaten unheated.

About 75 percent of West Virginia is covered by forests.

The longest steel-span bridge in the Western hemisphere is the New River Gorge Bridge. It is more than 3000 feet long. The bridge is located in Fayette County.

It’s also one of the highest bridges in the country, making it a great place for BASE jumpers. BASE jumping is parachuting or wearing a wingsuit to fly from a fixed structure or cliff. Many BASE jumpers flock to the New River Gorge Bridge every third Saturday in October. This day is the only time during the year they are allowed to jump.

First Woman to Dunk!

On December 21, 1985, a 6 foot 7 inch tall, Georgeann Wells became the first woman to dunk in a college basketball game.

She played for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Because the dunk wasn’t caught on tape, many people were suspicious of the claim. So three games later, Wells did it again—this time with the cameras rolling.

Marian McQuade of Oak Hills, WV is credited for founding Grandparents Day in 1973. Many people celebrate National Grandparents Day on the first Sunday of September after Labor Day. Pictured to the left are Forget-me-nots, the official flowers of this special holiday.

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Interesting fact about the youngest and oldest governor elected in West Virginia!

In 1956, Cecil Underwood was elected the state’s youngest governor when he was 34.

Forty years later, he was elected governor for a second time in 1996. He was 74 years old.

West Virginia has Many Interesting State Symbols

Fruit

Golden Delicious Apple

Amphibian

North Red Salamander

Animal

Black Bear

Professional Theater

Greenbrier Valley

Colors

Old Gold and Blue