Map of West Virginia
West Virginia is a first-level division of United States. Its largest mapped city is Charleston, with about 123,799 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on West Virginia, and the tables list its 8 mapped cities along with the mountains nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 8
- Largest City
- Charleston
- Country
- United States
- Highest Point Mapped
- 1,436 m
Interactive Map of West Virginia
About West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous, 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 1,778,373 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston, with 49,055 residents.
West Virginia is dominated by mountainous terrain, shaped by the Allegheny and Cumberland ranges and cut by the Ohio, Kanawha, and Potomac river valleys. This geography isolated the region from the rest of Virginia. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, some of its western counties refused to follow while others supported it; the resulting split led to West Virginia's admission into the Union on June 20, 1863, as a slave state and a key border state during the American Civil War. It was one of two states admitted during the war, along with Nevada, and the only state formed by separating from a Confederate state. Railroad expansion later opened the state's southern and northern coalfields to large-scale development, and by the early 20th century West Virginia had become one of the nation's leading coal producers.
West Virginia's northern panhandle sits between Pennsylvania and Ohio, forming a tri-state area; Wheeling, Weirton, and Morgantown lie just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Huntington, in the southwest, is close to Ohio and Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry, in the eastern panhandle between Maryland and Virginia, are considered part of the Washington metropolitan area. West Virginia is often included in several U.S. geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland South, and the Southeastern United States. It is the only state entirely within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, an area commonly defined as "Appalachia".
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: West Virginia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
West Virginia in Depth
History
Many ancient manmade earthen mounds from various prehistoric mound builder cultures survive in West Virginia, especially in the areas of present-day Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. Artifacts uncovered in these give evidence of village societies with a tribal trade system culture that crafted cold-worked copper pieces.
In the 1670s, during the Beaver Wars, the powerful Haudenosaunee, five allied nations based in present-day New York and Pennsylvania, drove out other Native American tribes from the region to reserve the upper Ohio Valley as a hunting ground. Siouan language tribes like the Moneton had previously been among the earliest recorded in the area.
Geography
Located in the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia covers an area of 24,229.76 square miles (62,754.8 km2), with 24,077.73 square miles (62,361.0 km2) of land and 152.03 square miles (393.8 km2) of water, making it the 41st-largest state in the United States. West Virginia borders Pennsylvania and Maryland in the northeast, Virginia in the southeast, Ohio in the northwest, and Kentucky in the southwest. Its longest border is with Virginia at 381 miles (613 km), followed by Ohio at 243 miles (391 km), Maryland at 174 miles (280 km), Pennsylvania at 118 miles (190 km), and Kentucky at 79 miles (127 km).
Economy
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2025, West Virginia's gross domestic product was $109.276 billion and its per capita personal income was $57,932. As of May 2025, the state's unemployment rate was 3.8%.
While per capita income fell 2.6% nationally in 2009, West Virginia's grew at 1.8%. Through the first half of 2010, exports from West Virginia topped $3 billion, growing 39.5% over the same period from the previous year and ahead of the national average by 15.7%.
Forbes ranked Morgantown as the 10th-best small city in the nation to conduct business in 2010. The city is also home to West Virginia University, the 95th-best public university, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2011.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, West Virginia's population was 1,793,716, a 3.2% decrease from the 2010 United States census. West Virginia's center of population is in Gassaway.
According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 1,375 homeless people in West Virginia.
As of 2019, West Virginia has an estimated population of 1,792,147, which is a decrease of 10,025 (0.55%) from the prior year and a decrease of 47,162 (2.55%) since the previous census. This includes a natural decrease of 3,296 (108,292 births minus 111,588 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 14,209 into the state. West Virginia is the least populous southeastern state.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: West Virginia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
West Virginia: Key Facts
| Population | 1,793,716 (2020) |
|---|---|
| Area | 62,755 km² |
| Capital | Charleston |
| Head of government | Patrick Morrisey |
| Highest point | Spruce Knob |
| Established | 20 June 1863 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1371 (CC0).
History of West Virginia: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of West Virginia, from Haudenosaunee in 1659 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Haudenosaunee | 1659–1701 CE |
| British Colonial Empire | 1769–1774 CE |
| The British Empire | 1769–1774 CE |
| United States of America | 1776–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of West Virginia
West Virginia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It's often called the "Mountain State", being the only state in the USA to lie completely within a mountain range (the Appalachians), and having the highest mean elevation of any state in the east. With its small cities and tiny towns tucked among endless forested mountains and hills, beautiful West Virginia is wonderful for outdoor lovers.
The residents of the counties that became West Virginia split from the State of Virginia in part due to a disagreement over the issues of slavery and secession. These counties elected to remain with the Union during the American Civil War, and the new state was born on June 20, 1863. The population of the state today is around 1.8 million people. The capital city is Charleston, and the state motto is "Mountaineers are always free."
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: West Virginia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in West Virginia
8 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston | 123,799 | West Virginia | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Huntington | 85,396 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 3 | Parkersburg | 61,935 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 4 | Morgantown | 58,808 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 5 | Wheeling | 52,492 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 6 | Beckley | 37,836 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 7 | Clarksburg | 28,773 | West Virginia | Populated place |
| 8 | White Sulphur Springs | 2,407 | West Virginia | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in West Virginia
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balsam Beartown Mountain | 1,436 m | 4,711 ft | North America |
West Virginia: Quick Answers
- Where is West Virginia?
- West Virginia is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 38.8234° N, 81.0175° W.
- What is the largest city in West Virginia?
- Charleston is the largest city mapped in West Virginia, with a metropolitan population of about 123,799.
- How many cities are in West Virginia?
- YearMaps maps 8 cities and towns in West Virginia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 451,446. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in West Virginia?
- The highest summit mapped in West Virginia is Balsam Beartown Mountain at 1,436 m.
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