Post by Gaidin on Apr 18, 2016 20:26:54 GMT -5
A fantastic Board Member who is an ALJ in WV has sent me a PM to share with you guys about wild, wonderful West Virginia.
WEST VIRGINIA
The 3 W.Va. ODARs are in Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown. All three towns have vibrant downtowns on major rivers. But first, some background on the 35th state: West Virginia entered the Union mid-Civil War, 1863, when it seceded from Virginia over slavery (primary) and taxes. Even though most of the State is below the Mason-Dixon Line, and sometimes is classified as part of the South, truly it is not - it is a central state. (Nothing at all wrong with the South or Virginia, but W.Va. is distinct from both in its own identity. For example, please do not refer to Virginia and West Virginia as "the Virginias." :-)) It is the only state with two panhandles, one which extends north of Pittsburgh and the other which at its easternmost point is a 90-minute train ride from Washington DC. It boasts great scenery and outdoor recreation, including whitewater rafting & skiing. The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the largest single-span arch suspension bridges in the world. And, Mother's Day was recognized as a national holiday in 1914 due to the work of Anna Jarvis of Grafton. The FBI's largest segment, the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, is located in Clarksburg. Traditional industries beyond tourism: energy, logging, glass. Although West Virginia claims the nickname "Almost Heaven" and has embraced John Denver's "Country Roads," ironically the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River barely touch the State! More correctly, it is a state of the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio, Kanawha, Monongahela & New Rivers.
Here's West Virginia's own Brad Paisley, performing the tune at a West Virginia University football game:
Morgantown, in the north-central and 1.5 hours south of Pittsburgh, is home to WVU. Check out this NBC Nightly News feature - even though it's from 2009, it's still an accurate portrayal. Don Knotts - Barney Fife himself - was a Morgantown native and WVU grad. City population (without students): 35,000. Joni Mitchell lived in Morgantown for a while in the 1960s and was inspired - check out
Charleston, the state capital in the south-central, features a gold-leaf domed Capitol building designed by Supreme Court architect Cass Gilbert & reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol. Actress Jennifer Garner proudly calls the city and state home. Population: 50,000. National Public Radio's popular Mountain Stage is produced here. The following is a clip of a Mountain Stage performance by Charleston-area native Kathy Mattea:
Huntington, to the south-west and near the borders of Ohio & Kentucky, is 50 miles due west of Charleston. It is home to the State's other major public university, Marshall, which was featured in this 2006 movie:
Population (sans students): 50,000.
West Virginia is an incredibly diverse state. To be sure, it has stereotypical rural mountain folk (Jesco White, Hatfields of Hatfield-McCoy fame), scientists (Chuck Yeager, Patch Adams, John Nash), entertainers (Michael W. Smith, "America's Got Talent" winner & Landau Eugene Murphy are natives; Lady Gaga spent summers here with her grandmother; Channing Tatum & Billy Crystal attended college here), athletes (Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, NBA great Jerry "The Logo" West, and public officials (current Cabinet member/DHHS Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell). It has four full seasons and especially is noted for its breathtaking fall colors.
West Virginia's official slogan is Montain Semper Liberi, "mountaineers are always free." Natives pride themselves not only on being free, but also friendly and helpful, as reflected by this song by yet another native son, Bill Withers:
WEST VIRGINIA
The 3 W.Va. ODARs are in Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown. All three towns have vibrant downtowns on major rivers. But first, some background on the 35th state: West Virginia entered the Union mid-Civil War, 1863, when it seceded from Virginia over slavery (primary) and taxes. Even though most of the State is below the Mason-Dixon Line, and sometimes is classified as part of the South, truly it is not - it is a central state. (Nothing at all wrong with the South or Virginia, but W.Va. is distinct from both in its own identity. For example, please do not refer to Virginia and West Virginia as "the Virginias." :-)) It is the only state with two panhandles, one which extends north of Pittsburgh and the other which at its easternmost point is a 90-minute train ride from Washington DC. It boasts great scenery and outdoor recreation, including whitewater rafting & skiing. The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the largest single-span arch suspension bridges in the world. And, Mother's Day was recognized as a national holiday in 1914 due to the work of Anna Jarvis of Grafton. The FBI's largest segment, the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, is located in Clarksburg. Traditional industries beyond tourism: energy, logging, glass. Although West Virginia claims the nickname "Almost Heaven" and has embraced John Denver's "Country Roads," ironically the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River barely touch the State! More correctly, it is a state of the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio, Kanawha, Monongahela & New Rivers.
Here's West Virginia's own Brad Paisley, performing the tune at a West Virginia University football game:
Morgantown, in the north-central and 1.5 hours south of Pittsburgh, is home to WVU. Check out this NBC Nightly News feature - even though it's from 2009, it's still an accurate portrayal. Don Knotts - Barney Fife himself - was a Morgantown native and WVU grad. City population (without students): 35,000. Joni Mitchell lived in Morgantown for a while in the 1960s and was inspired - check out
Charleston, the state capital in the south-central, features a gold-leaf domed Capitol building designed by Supreme Court architect Cass Gilbert & reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol. Actress Jennifer Garner proudly calls the city and state home. Population: 50,000. National Public Radio's popular Mountain Stage is produced here. The following is a clip of a Mountain Stage performance by Charleston-area native Kathy Mattea:
Huntington, to the south-west and near the borders of Ohio & Kentucky, is 50 miles due west of Charleston. It is home to the State's other major public university, Marshall, which was featured in this 2006 movie:
Population (sans students): 50,000.
West Virginia is an incredibly diverse state. To be sure, it has stereotypical rural mountain folk (Jesco White, Hatfields of Hatfield-McCoy fame), scientists (Chuck Yeager, Patch Adams, John Nash), entertainers (Michael W. Smith, "America's Got Talent" winner & Landau Eugene Murphy are natives; Lady Gaga spent summers here with her grandmother; Channing Tatum & Billy Crystal attended college here), athletes (Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, NBA great Jerry "The Logo" West, and public officials (current Cabinet member/DHHS Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell). It has four full seasons and especially is noted for its breathtaking fall colors.
West Virginia's official slogan is Montain Semper Liberi, "mountaineers are always free." Natives pride themselves not only on being free, but also friendly and helpful, as reflected by this song by yet another native son, Bill Withers:
, I might be able to shed some insight on these offices, the general area of each, cost of living, school system, etc., for anyone considering them. Please feel free to PM me here with any questions.
