West Virginia is a landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,793,716 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.
Raleigh County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,591. Its county seat is Beckley. The county was founded in 1850 and is named for Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh County is included in the Beckley, West Virginia, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Beckley metropolitan area of Southern West Virginia, home to 115,079 residents in 2020. Beckley was founded on April 4, 1838, and was long known for its ties to the coal mining industry. It is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, as well as an annex of Concord University and the University of Charleston.
West Virginia's 3rd congressional district is an obsolete U.S. congressional district in southern West Virginia. At various times the district covered different parts of the state, but in its final form included the state's second-largest city, Huntington; included Bluefield, Princeton, and Beckley; and has a long history of coal mining, forestry, and farming.
Transport in the U.S. state of West Virginia is handled by the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) which employs more than 6,000 in West Virginia.
Woodrow Wilson High School is a high school in Beckley, West Virginia, teaching grades nine through twelve. It is one of four secondary schools in the Raleigh County Public School District. The school's colors are maroon and white, and the mascot is a Flying Eagle. The school's principal is Ryan Stafford. Feeder schools are Park Middle School and Beckley Stratton Middle School. In 1967, it moved from its original location to its current location at 400 Stanaford Road.
The New River Coalfield is located in northeastern Raleigh County and southern Fayette County, West Virginia. Commercial mining of coal began in the 1870s and thrived into the 20th century. The coal in this field is a low volatile coal, known as "smokeless" coals. The seams of coal that have been mined include Sewell, Fire Creek, and Beckley. This is very high quality bituminous coal rated at approximately 15,000 BTU (16,000 kJ). The New River coalfield is named after the north flowing New River. Over 60 coal towns were once located there, supported by independent commercial districts at Beckley, Oak Hill, Mount Hope, and Fayetteville. By the 21st century many coal camps had partially or completely returned to nature. These company towns were located along Dunloup (Loup) Creek, Laurel Creek, White Oak Creek, lower Piney Creek, and, of course, the New River. The mainline of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway ran right through the center of this coalfield, with spurs branching off in many directions, and rail yards were maintained at Quinnimont, Raleigh, and Thurmond, WV. The Virginian Railway's main line also passed through the western side of the field as well. Companies such as the New River Company, New River & Pocahontas Consolidated Coal Co., and Mary Frances Coal Co. were the largest operators in the New River Coalfield, but there were many smaller ones as well. These companies recruited native born whites, immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, and African-Americans from the South to work in their coal mines and railroads. The mines began to close down after World War II and today there are very few active coal mines in the field. The New River Gorge is now the domain of the National Park Service as the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and they have done what their budget allows to preserve the coal heritage of the area.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit.
New River Community and Technical College is a public community college in Beaver, West Virginia. It was founded in 2003 and is West Virginia's newest college. The college was independently accredited in 2005 by the Higher Learning Commission. Although newly founded and named, the college's origins span more than one hundred thirty years of service to West Virginia through its two parent institutions, Bluefield State College and Glenville State College.
James Howard Harless, better known as Buck Harless, was an American coal and timber operator and philanthropist, who was renowned in the area of his hometown of Gilbert, West Virginia, for his extensive contributions to schools, churches, healthcare and education programs.
West Virginia Community and Technical College System is a statewide system of nine regional community colleges serving the state of West Virginia. It was created to bring uniformity to the state's system of community colleges. Previously some area had schools that were a part of large universities, others a part of small colleges, and others were stand alone. There also was a great overlap between different community colleges and between the community colleges and the state universities in the same areas. The system tries to define the programmatic distinctions between the community college and the state universities, and the geographic service area of each community college.
The 2000 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 2000, as part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 5 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The WVSSAC Super Six Football Championships was a series of high school football games, typically held on the first weekend of December, that determined the high school champions of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The tournaments that lead to the championship games, as well as regular-season competition, are governed by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC). The games were named "Super Six" because six teams played in the state's three championship games. However, beginning in 2024, the WVSSAC began dividing football into four classes, and no new name other than "State Football Championships" has yet benn announced. The Championship games were held at Wheeling Island Stadium in Wheeling, a two-day affair, with one game on Friday and two on Saturday, but they will return to Laidley Field in Charleston beginning in 2024 through at least 2026. The WVSSAC chose Charleston over bids from Wheeling, Bluefield, and a joint bid to split the four games between Marshall University and West Virginia University.
The 1984 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 6, 1984. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1984 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose 6 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States. West Virginia was won by incumbent United States President Ronald Reagan of California, who was running against former Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota. Reagan ran for a second time with incumbent Vice President and former C.I.A. Director George H. W. Bush of Texas, and Mondale ran with Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York, the first major female candidate for the vice presidency.
Otis Kermit Rice was an American academic historian specializing in West Virginia history. His career was mostly at the West Virginia Institute of Technology (1957–87) at Montgomery where he was chairman of the history department and dean of the School of Human Studies. In 2003 he became West Virginia’s first Historian Laureate.
Armistead Abraham "Cousin Abe" Lilly was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson in the U.S. state of West Virginia. A Republican, Lilly served as the 16th Attorney General of West Virginia from March 4, 1913, until March 3, 1917.
