West Virginia is a state of the United States in the region of Appalachia, generally known as The Mountain State. West Virginia broke away from the Commonwealth of Virginia during the American Civil War and was admitted to the Union as a separate state on June 20, 1863 (an anniversary now celebrated as West Virginia Day in the state). It is the only state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War.

The Census Bureau considers West Virginia part of the South because of its location below the Mason-Dixon Line, even though the USGS designates it as a Mid-Atlantic state. Many in the state's Northern Panhandle, and North-Central region feel an affinity for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while those in the Eastern Panhandle feel a connection with the Washington, D.C. suburbs in western Maryland and Virginia and southern West Virginians often consider themselves Southerners. The state is noted for its timber and coal mining heritage and labor union organizing mine wars in particular.

Geography