West Virginia

NickName: The Mountain State
Named after England's Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen"

Capital City: Charleston
Location: 38.350N, 081.630W
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Brief overview
The 35th state has one thing to cheer up – its cost of living is lower than national average. Other factors are all negatively ranked. The times lifestyle found that lesser people believe that others are honest and/or trustworthy; also a lower proportion of residents attend the town meetings and school functions.

In the new economy index – the state ranks least. Again the state is ranked as the least livable in the nation by Morgan Quinto Press, an independent research firm. The health care costs are more, as are the taxes and pollution. The educational attainments are not encouraging in the areas of SAT scores.

All the dampening factors are due to the lack of urbanization pace in the state. Almost two thirds live in rural areas. For majority of the settlers, the mountains spread over millions of acres are the major attraction. Also, two national parks, 36 state parks, two national forests, nine state forests, and 47 wildlife-management areas, the Greenbrier and Berkeley Springs resorts, the scenic railroad at Cass, and the historic homes in the Eastern Panhandle add to the spice of living.
15 Vital Statistics Affecting Your Relocation WV USA  
1. Belief: "Most People are Honest" (6-level agree/disagree) 3.76 4
2. Belief: "Most People Can be Trusted" 0.3 0
3. Attended Meetings in Town or School Affairs (percent) 0.11 0
4. Overall State Ranking - New Economy Index 50th
5. Cost of Living Index 72.91 100
6. Average Apartment Rent 622.0000 617
7. Average Home Price 226153.0000 223400
8. Average Total Energy Cost 99.4900 126.75
9. Average Phone Bill 28.1600 16.85
10. Gasoline/Gallon 1.5400 1.5
11. Hospital Room/Day 378.2500 334.33
12. Doctor Visit 71.6700 66.7
13. Average Auto Insurance Premium, 2000 841.08 792.91
14. % of Days That are Sunny 48 56.88
15. Crime Index 279.4 416
Contents
 West Virginia Info For You  More West Virginia
 Even More West Virginia  State Information with Links
 Finances and Taxes  New Economy Index (1=Highest, 50=Lowest)
 Crime  Pollution
 Demographics  From the 2000 Census Reports
 Education  Quality Of Life: Child Well - Being - 1998
 Financial & Governmental Comparisons  Map Of West Virginia With Border States
West Virginia Info for you
Driving licenses DMV
License Plates West Virginia
State Official Website http://www.state.wv.us/
Department of Education Department-Education
Current events West Virginia News Headlines
Courts Judicial System
Constitution 35th State
Libraries West Virginia
Senators and Representatives US House
US Senate
West Virginia Delagates: Members
West Virginia Senate: Members
Locating post office addresses http://www.mapsonus.com/db/USPS/
Golf courses http://www.golfcourse.com/search/simpleq.cfm
Banks http://www3.fdic.gov/idasp/main.asp
More West Virginia ...
Area 24231 sq.mi, 41st   Land 24087 sq. mi., 41st   Water 145 sq.mi., 50th
Admission to Statehood June 20, 1863
Motto Montani semper liberi
Capital Charleston
Largest cities and links Charleston
Huntington
Parkersburg
Wheeling
Morgantown
Weirton
Fairmont
Beckley
Clarksburg
Martinsburg
Climate West Virginia
Weather Charleston, Yeager Airport
Average Temperatures WV USA
Winter 44.63 42.79
Spring 64.78 64.36
Summer 83.6 83.95
Fall 67.08 65.89
Precipitation(Rain Fall) 44.3 39.41
% of Days That are Sunny 66.54 103.29
Even more West Virginia
Titbits
Nickname including its origin The Mountain State ,Named after England's Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen"
Symbols flower: rhododendron (1903)
tree: sugar maple (1949)
bird: cardinal (1949)
animal: black bear (1973)
colors: blue and gold (official) (1863)
Song West Virginia HillsClick Here for Song
Demographics WV USA
Median Age 2000 40.1 37.8
% Change in Population 2000 to 2001 0 1
Poverty Rate, 2000 15.6 11.14
% Public Aid Recipients 2000 6 3.79
% Births to Unmarried Women in 2000 32.5 32.92
Health WV USA
Health Care Cost Relative to U.S. average, 2002 1.1 0.99
Infant Mortality /1000 Live Births, 1998 7.6 7.14
Nonfederal Physicians, 1999 242 266.54
Death Rate by Accident, 1998 817 1988.92
Estimated Rate of New Cancer Cases, 2001 627.1 479.19
Obesity - % of Indiv. 30lbs over Weight or Greater (2001) 24.6 20.46
State Links
Capitol Tour Capitol-Tour
Area Code 304
Constitution 35th State
County Profile 55 Counties
Agriculture Cattle, dairy products, poultry, apples.
Industry Chemical products, mining, primary metals, stone, clay, and glass products, tourism.
Editorial Cartoons Cartoonists Index
Flower Rhododendron
Geographic Center Braxton, 4 miles east of Sutton
Governor Bob Wise (D)
Highest Point Spruce knob
Highway Markers West Virginia
History Historical
Library West Virginia
Lottery  
Lowest Point Potomac River; 240 feet, 31st
Media Radio
Museums The Virtual Library
National Forest West Virginia
Pen Pals Penpalworld.com
Permanent Residents Find A Grave
No. of State Legislators, 2003 181
Road Side America West Virginia
Soil West Virginia - Monongahela
State Parks West Virginia
Tree Sugar Maple
Unclaimed Funds West Virginia
Veteran Affairs West Virginia VA
Fatalities Caused by Tornadoes:
1950 to 2001		 2
Finances and Taxes
 WV
 USA
Purchase Price of a building 152489.8 175806.29
Car Insurance 2196.69 1698.53
Corporate Income Tax % 9 6.64
Top Personal Income Tax 6.5 5.2
Sales Tax & Use Tax 6 4.66
Professional Services Tax N
Top Capital Gains Tax 6.5 4.75
Motor Fuel Tax, 02 0.254 0.23
Real Estate: % of income per $100
On Land & Buildings 2.17 N/A
On Inventory Y
On Personal Property Y
State Tax Rate 5.3 7.13
Local Tax Rate 11 7.13
Unemployment Insurance Tax/ Per Employee 2.7 2.36
Internet Access Tax N
New Economy Index (1=Highest, 50=Lowest) WV
Overall State Ranking 50th
Knowledge Jobs 47th
Globalization 37th
Economic Dynamism 48th
Digital Economy 48th
Innovation Capacity 45th
High Tech Jobs 45th
Venture Capital 47th
Internet Access-1998 (%) 40.7
R & D Expenditures-1998 (Millions) 421.0000
Number of New Patents (1998) 161
Crime WV USA
Index Offences Total 785.73 3326.73
Violent Crime Total 89.84 385.32
Murders 1.67 3.95
Forcible Rape 7.26 28.03
Assault 69.3 261.06
Property Crimes 695.9 2941.4
Burglary 181.75 678.55
Larceny, Theft 452.67 1942.89
Motor Vehicle Thefts 61.48 320.72
Index Offences Rate 1651.95 2735.58
Murders Rate 3.59 3.02
Forcible Rape Rate 14.08 25.16
Robbery Rate 25.32 52.25
Aggravated Assault Rate 149.62 195.86
Property Crime Rate 1459.31 2459.29
Burglary Rate 360.42 585.46
Larceny, Thefts Rate 981.52 1660.47
Motor Vehicle Thefts Rate 117.36 213.85
Pollution
 WV
 USA
Ozone in air (more Ozone = more Pollution) 96.19 82.19
Pollution Released, 1999 (Pounds) 17529931 45901994.34
Toxic Waste Received in State, 1999(Pounds) 12818450 31524509.36
From the 2000 Census Reports WV USA
Population 653723 203400320
Average Family Size in 2000 3.28 3.1
% of Eligible Voters Reported Registered, 2000 0.691 0.81
Median age 40.1 37.8
Males per 100 Females 85.41 94.67
Percentage Unemployed 8.97 5.97
Use Public Transport 0.55 1.12
Travel Time 26.31 24.55
Median Value of a House 57988.87 92201.9
Monthly Owner Cost with Mortgage 619.67 845.87
Monthly Owner Cost without Mortgage 215.47 283.44
Contract Monthly Rent 272.77 390.93
Gross Rent 351.82 463.96
% of Household Total 65.46 69.46
% of Families Household Total 49.19 54.65
Avg Population per Household 2.31 2.55
Avg Population per Family 2.86 3.06
% of Non Families Household Total 34.54 30.54
Monthly Income-Household 26884.01 38521.16
Monthly Income Family 33695.54 45249.75
Per Capita Income 15464.27 18724.65
Earning per Male 29506.72 33331.99
Earning per Female 19872.27 23722.78
% Families Below Poverty Line 16.14 9.88
People speaking Less than fluent English 0.68 3.53
Persons Holding High School Certificate or More 72.94 78.68
Bachelor Degree Holders 13.05 17.11
Density 1208.25 1175.8
% of one Race 2639.57 8737.95
% of Black & Others 148.25 1231.39
% of American Indians 4.99 70.5
% of Asians 19.29 393.43
% of Hawaii 0.6 13.87
% of Others 5.91 600.04
% of Two or more Races 28.69 245.37
% of Hispanic or Latino 19.6 1345.63
Education WV USA
Verbal SAT Score, 2000 526 532.6
Math SAT Score, 2000 511 536.06
Public Elementary/Secondary Expenditures per pupil, 1999 (thousands) 7401 6623.8
% of Students Taking Exam, 2000 19 35.76
% of Population Over 25 with HS Diploma, 2000 75.7 83.32
% of Population Over 25 With Bachelor's Degree, 2000 15.4 24.62
Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in 2000 19.6 15.52
Average Teacher Salary, 1999 36751 41505.06
Books in Public Library Per Capita, 1997 2.7 3.12
College Degree - Graduating Institutions, 1997 34 82.12
Quality of Life: Child Well - Being - 1998 WV USA
% Low Birth-Weight Babies 8 7.51
Infant Mortality Rates (deaths per 1,000 live births) 7.6 7.14
Child Death Rates (deaths per 100,000 children ages 1-14) 24 24.84
Rate of Teen Deaths Rate by Accident, Homicide, and Suicide
(deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15-19)		 60 58.2
Teen Birth Rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-17) 26 28.1
% of Teens Who Are High School Dropouts (ages 16-19) 8 9.16
% of Teens Not Attending School and Not Working (ages 16-19) 10 8.16
% of Children Living With Parents
Who Do Not Have Full-Time, Year- Round Employment		 37 24.02
% of Children in Poverty (date reflect poverty in pervious year) 25 17.29
% of Families with Children Headed by Single Parent 27 24.92
Financial & Government Comparison WV USA
State Government Tax Revenue, 2000 3422875000.0000 11195307960
Per Capita State Government Tax Revenue, 2000 1901.0000 1949.8
State Government Debt Outstanding, 1999 3730325000.0000 10937316480
Per Capita State Government Debt Outstanding, 1999 2064.0000 2259.96
Gross State Product, 1998 (Millions) 39938.0000 173820.7
State Government Bond Rating (S&P, 1999) AA-
Cost of Living Index , Selected Metro, Second Quarter, 2000 0.916 1.06
Number of Bureaucrats per 100 Population, 2002 5.36 5.64
Song: West Virginia Hills

Words by Mrs. Ellen King,
Music by H. E. Engle

Oh, the West Virginia hills! How majestic and how grand,
With their summits bathed in glory, Like our Prince Immanuel' Land!
Is it any wonder then, That my heart with rapture thrills,
As I stand once more with loved ones On those West Virginia hills?

CHORUS:

Oh, the hills, beautiful hills, How I love those West Virginia hills!
If o&apoer sea o&apoer land I roam, Still I&apoll think of happy home,
And my friends among the West Virginia hills.

Oh, the West Virginia hills! Where my childhood hours were passed,
Where I often wandered lonely, And the future tried to cast;
Many are our visions bright, Which the future ne&apoer fulfills;
But how sunny were my daydreams On those West Virginia hills!

CHORUS

Oh, the West Virginia hills! How unchang&apod they seem to stand,
With their summits pointed skyward To the Great Almighty' Land!
Many changes I can see, Which my heart with sadness fills;
But no changes can be noticed In those West Virginia hills.

CHORUS

Oh, the West Virginia hills! I must bid you now adieu.
In my home beyond the mountains I shall ever dream of you;
In the evening time of life, If my Father only wills,
I shall still behold the vision Of those West Virginia hills.

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