Statehood:  June 20, 1863 (35^th State)

State bird: cardinal (1949)

State tree: sugar maple (1949)

State flower: rhododendron (1903)

State Animal: black bear (1973);

State Colors: blue and gold (official) (1863);

State Songs: "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home," "The West Virginia Hills," and "This Is My West Virginia" (adopted by Legislature in 1947, 1961, and 1963 as official state songs)

State fish: Brook trout

State fruit: golden delicious apple

State gem/fossil: Silicified Mississippian Fossil Coral

State Nickname: Mountain State

State Motto: "Montani semper liberi" - Mountaineers are always free

Highest Point: The highest point in West Virginia is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet above sea level..

Lowest Point: The lowest point in West Virginia is the Potomac River at 240 feet above sea level.

Largest cities: Charleston, 51,176; Huntington, 49,198; Parkersburg, 32,020; Wheeling, 29,639; Morgantown, 28,292; Weirton, 19,544; Fairmont, 19,049; Beckley, 16,936; Clarksburg, 16,439; Martinsburg, 15,996:

Famous West Virginians: George Brett baseball player, Glendale
Pearl S. Buck author, Hillsboro
Phyllis Curtin soprano, Clarksburg
Joanne Dru actress, Logan
Thomas Stonewall Jackson Confederate general, Clarksburg
John S. Knight publisher, Bluefield
Don Knotts actor, Morgantown

Population (Quick Facts): 1,818,470:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54000.html

Official State website:

http://www.wv.gov/

State Legislature:

http://www.legis.state.wv.us/

Capital of West Virginia : Charleston, West Virginia:

http://www.cityofcharleston.org/

United States Department of Agriculture:

http://www.wvagriculture.org/

Economy:

http://stats.bls.gov/eag/eag.wv.htm

Transportation:

http://www.wvdot.com/

International Trades:

http://www.wvdo.org/international/index.html

Natural Resources:

http://www.wvdnr.gov/

Maps for the state of West Virginia:

http://www.mapwv.gov/

West Virginia State Job link:

http://www.job-hunt.org/jobs/westvirginia.shtml

Tourism and Travel:

http://www.westvirginia.com/

Museums: http://www.museumsofwv.org/

State Parks:

 http://www.wvparks.com/

Public Library Service:

http://www.publiclibraries.com/westvirginia.htm

Zip Codes:

http://zipcodes.addresses.com/zip_codes_by_state/WV/A.html

State Newspapers:

Universities and Colleges in West Virginia: