Dear Members, I received this email and it makes me wonder why my grandparents left WV with 9 children and moved to PA. I find that some of the nicest people I have ever met live there. I have always been proud to say I am an AMERICAN with WV ROOTS. Figured I better get this on here before the guidelines. Jim Cottrill in Pittsburgh, PA only 100 miles from Clarksburg, WV by way of Interstate 79 > Montani Semper Liberi. Mountaineers Are Always Free. > > These words adorn the state flag of the Great State of West Virginia. > > Yes, 'that' state, the one that continually comes in last in every statistic > kept by the federal government. We're last (or next to last) in just about > every failing of humankind -- obesity, tobacco use, high school graduation > rate, teen pregnancy. > > You name it, we're number one - or number fifty, depending upon your > perspective. > > West Virginia is one of the poorest states in America. Our median income > wouldn't buy a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke in New York City. Our elected > politicians are, by and large, good ol' boys. We're the butt of many a joke > around the country. > > The largest employer in the state IS the state. > > The largest single city in West Virginia barely has 50,000 people. > > We're mostly known for coal mining, yet the lion's share of dollars from > mining leaves the state, and ends up in the hands of the land barons living > elsewhere. > > No United States Presidents were born in West Virginia. I don't even > believe any Vice Presidents were born here; but we are the home of Senator > Robert C. Byrd and Senator Jay Rockefeller -- although neither was born > here. > > West Virginia doesn't have a professional sports team. We're not big > enough. We don't have any major TV markets that would be attractive to > any owners. We don't have any national monuments. No Grand Canyon, or > Mount Rushmore, or even a Disney World; no NASCAR tracks, no Great Lakes, no > international airports, no Opryland, no sky needles, no > eight lane highways, no beaches, no Ivy League colleges. > > We don't have any rodeos, or any skyscrapers, or world famous vacations > spots, or motion picture studios, or amber waves of grain; no subways, > no Emmy Awards, no Mardi Gras, and no Rose Bowl Parade. > > With all of the things West Virginia doesn't have, why would anyone > bother living here, you ask? > > Well, West Virginia has some things that a person doesn't realize they > wanted until they were here. > > West Virginia has mountains. > > The Appalachian Mountains extend from New York to Georgia, but in no state > are they more majestic, or part of the renown, than in West Virginia. The > highest point in West Virginia is Spruce Knob, one mile above sea level. > > Yes, there are higher points in America, but none more breathtaking. > > Because of our mountains, we have rivers. The oldest river in the > western hemisphere, the New River (quite appropriately named, don't you > think?), ends in West Virginia. We have the Gauley River which, along with > the New, offers tremendous recreational opportunities. We have the Kanawha > River, formed from the Gauley and the New Rivers in a magnificent cascade, > which flows through the center of the state, and directly through the > capital city of Charleston, the largest city in West Virginia. > > The tallest building in Charleston is barely 25 floors tall, which, if > you think about it, is a plus; how could you possibly build a skyscraper > more beautiful than a mountain? The capital city stretches throughout the > long river valley, encompassing both hill and dale. Our 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 (around 200,000), > reflects that of the entire state. The lowest in America. No more than a > handful of murders are committed each year, and about half of those are of > the so-called Interstate variety - people passing through. > > Charleston has no subway systems, but, truth be known, you can get from > one end of town to the other, even in rush hour traffic, 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 different interstate systems, meaning, from > Charleston, you can reach Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, > Louisville or Charlotte in four hours or less. Washington, DC, Richmond, > Atlanta, and Knoxville, TN, takes about six hours. > > Ah, but, once you leave the interstates, the drive becomes a thing of > wonder. Two lane roads, winding up and down the mountains, offer amazing > views and historic places. Small towns, poor in wealth but rich in history > and pride. > > West Virginia is the birthplace of Mother's Day -- in Grafton. We have > the oldest covered bridge still in use. We have walnut festivals and > strawberry festivals and apple festivals and pumpkin festivals and bass > fishing festivals and arts and crafts fairs and stern wheel regattas and > ramp dinners. > > We have Bridge Day, on the New River Gorge bridge, over 800 feet above the > New River; the only standing structure in the United States that, > one day a year, allows parachuting and bungee jumping. We have college > basketball, and minor league baseball and hockey, Top 20 athletic teams, > and, just like all of America, Friday night high school football. > > We have white water rafting, and skiing, and hiking, and caves, and > 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, and resorts, and golf courses, and museums, > and the Greenbrier - one of North America's few five star resorts. > > West Virginia has more natural beauty and wonder than any person could > ever imagine. > > We have all of this, and yet, our greatest asset is our people. > > West Virginians are good people. We care about each other. We talk to > our neighbors over the backyard fence. We grow tomatoes for the entire > neighborhood. We turn around in each other's driveways, and yell howdy when > we do. > > We sit on the porch on warm summer evenings, listening to crickets, and > watching kids catch fireflies. We loan a hammer, or a cup of sugar. We don't > take two hour lunches, but we do spend a few minutes each day with a cup of > coffee, our feet up on our desk, shooting the breeze. > > We rarely get in a hurry. > > We have relatives just down the street. > > We don't just loan someone a socket wrench, we help them fix their car. We > share recipes, and gardening tips, and our last beer. We baby sit each > other's kids, we house-sit for each other's dogs while we're on vacation, > and we loan each other our cars if we have to get to the drug store. > > We ask each other if we need anything as we're going to the store. We > celebrate each other's accomplishments, and we cry over each other's > disappointments. > > We are a friendly folk. > > We are West Virginians. > > > > > A Native West Virginian > >