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West Virginia
The Mountain State, entirely within Appalachia
West Virginia is the only state that lies entirely within the Appalachian Mountains, and it shows in every direction — there is scarcely a flat acre in it. The land is a jumble of forested ridges, deep hollows, and twisting river valleys, with the highest average elevation of any state east of the Mississippi. Its odd shape, with two narrow panhandles reaching north and east, traces the mountain ridges and river valleys that set it apart from Virginia when it broke away during the Civil War.
The mountains made the state and its hardships. Beneath the ridges lie the coal seams that drove its economy and history — above them, the New River Gorge — paradoxically among the oldest rivers on the continent — cuts a dramatic canyon now protected as a national park. Spruce Knob, the high point at 4,863 feet (1,482 m), rises in the cool eastern highlands. Whitewater rivers, dense hardwood forest, and rugged terrain define a thinly populated state where the Appalachians are not a feature but the whole of it.
Economy
West Virginia's economy was long defined by coal, and although coal has declined, energy remains central, now led by abundant natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales, along with chemicals. Healthcare, tourism built on whitewater rivers and the New River Gorge, and some manufacturing are growing parts of one of the lower-income state economies.
Politics
West Virginia carries 4 electoral votes. Once a solidly Democratic, union and coal stronghold, it has swung to become one of the most Republican states in presidential elections since 2000, by some of the widest margins in the country.