Proud to Be A West Virginian
Because of our mountains, we have rivers. The oldest river in the Western Hemisphere, The New River ( quite appropiately named, don't ya think) ends in West Virginia. We have the Gualey River, which confluences with the New River in a mganificent cascade to form the Kanawha River which in turn flows through the center of the state and directly through the capital city of Charleston which is the largest city in West Virginia. These rivers in addition to the Cheat, Black Water, Tygart, Monongahela, Ohio and countless others offer tremendous recreational oppertunities.
The tallest building in Charleston is barely 25 stories tall! Which if you think about it, it is a plus; how could you build a skyscraper more beautiful than a mountain?
The capital city stretches throughout the long river valley encompassing both hill and dale.
The Charleston airport, the largest in the state, sits on top of a mountain.
The crime rate in Charleston, including the entire population of the Kanawha Valley ( 200,000), reflects that of the entire state, the lowest in America. No more than a handful of murders are committed each year.
Charleston has no subway systems. But truth be known, you can get from one end of town to the other, even during rush hour in less than ten minutes.
There are three major interstate systems going through Charleston, the smallest city in America to make such a claim.
The entire state has six interstate systems, meaning that from Charleston you can reach Clevelnad, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville, or Charolette in less than four hours.
Ah, but once you leave the interstates, the drive becomes a thing of wonder. two lane roads winding up and down the mountains,offering amazing views and historic places, small towns, poor in wealth but rich in history.
West Virginia is the birth place of Mothers Day in Graffton and Fathers Day in Fairmont. Also to mention the the birth place of 4- H in Jackson Mills.
We have the oldest covered bridge still in use. we have walnut festivals, strawberry festivals, apple festivals, pumpkin festivals, buckwheat festivals, arts and crafts fairs, stern wheel regattas and ramp dinners.
We have Bridge Day at the New River Gorge Bridge, over 800 feet above the New River; the only standing structure in the United States that, only one day a year allows parachuting and bunjee jumping.
We have college basketball, minor league baseball and hockey, and just like all of America, we have Friday night football.
We have white water rafting, skiing, hiking, caves, waterfalls and camping in every direction. We have Sundays where a leisurely drive in the car can take eight hours and only cover 100 miles.
We have bed and breakfasts, resorts, golf courses, museums and the Greenbriar Hotel ( do a search on that hotel ;) ). West Virginia has more natural beauty and wonder than anyone could ever imagine.
We have all of this and yet....... our greatest asset is our people. West Virginians are great people. We care about each other. We talk to our neighbors over the backyard fence. We grow tomatoes for the whole neighborhood. We turn around in eachothers driveways and say howdy when we do. We sit on the porch on warm summer eveings listening to the crickets and watching the children catch fireflies.
We loan a hammer or a cup of sugar. We have relatives just down the street. We don't just loan someone a socket wrench, we help fix their car. We don't take two hour lunches, but we do take a few minutes each day with a cup of coffee, our feet upon the desk just shooting the breeze.
We rarely get in a hurry. We share recipes, gardening tips and our last cup of coffee. We babysit each others kids, house sit each others dogs while on vacation and we loan our cars if we have to go to the drug store. We ask each other if anything is needed as we go to the market.
We celebrate each others accomplishments and we cry over each others disappointments.
We are friendly folk. We are West Virginians. Mountaineers are always free! Free to take the time to enjoy life and hold each moment in our hearts forever.
