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West Virginia (WV), USA

West Virginia (WV)

West Virginia Counties Page


History

The Crown considered the area of West Virginia part of the British Virginia Colony from 1607 to 1776. The United States considered this area the western part of the state of Virginia (commonly called Trans-Allegheny Virginia) from 1776 to 1863, before West Virginia's formation. Its residents were discontented for years with their position in Virginia, as the government was dominated by the planter elite of the Tidewater and Piedmont areas. The legislature had electoral malapportionment, based on the counting of slaves toward regional populations, and western white residents were underrepresented in the state legislature. More subsistence and yeoman farmers lived in the west, and they were generally less supportive of slavery, although many counties were divided on their support. Residents of that area became more sharply divided after the planter elite of eastern Virginia voted to secede from the Union during the Civil War.

Residents of the western and northern counties set up a separate government under Francis Pierpont in 1861, which they called the Restored Government. Most voted to separate from Virginia, and the new state was admitted to the Union in 1863. In 1864 a state constitutional convention drafted a constitution, which was ratified by the legislature without putting it to popular vote. West Virginia abolished slavery by a gradual process and temporarily disenfranchised men who had held Confederate office or fought for the Confederacy.

West Virginia's history has been profoundly affected by its mountainous terrain, numerous and vast river valleys, and rich natural resources. These were all factors driving its economy and the lifestyles of its residents, who tended to live in many small, relatively isolated communities in the mountain valleys.
Source: Wikipedia

Maps

Modern day county map https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/general_ref/stco_outline/cen2k_pgsz/stco_WV.pdf

Modern Day Adjacent States

West Virginia is bordered by Virginia to the south east, Kentucky to the south west and Ohio to the west. Pennsylvania and Maryland are to the north.

County Information

See Wikipedia for modern day county information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_West_Virginia


Gleanings From


Contributors to this page: MartinB. .
Page last modified on Wednesday 23 of November, 2022 04:23:56 CST by MartinB..