Virginia, West of West Virginia

West Virginia split from Virginia in 1863 during the height of the Civil War. It elected to remain with the Union while the rest of the Commonwealth remained firmly entrenched within the Confederacy. Tensions based on divergent economies, cultures and geography simmered between the western and eastern portions of Virginia for decades leading up to the war. As a result, hostilities drove a wedge down the Appalachian ridges and created a political fault. The founders of this new state elected to name it West Virginia to commemorate their location and their heritage.

But West Virginia isn’t fully west of Virginia, it’s actually, generally northwest. This presents an interesting anomaly with one chunk of Virginia further west than any spot in West Virginia.

Notice the red line on the map running down the right side of the map. It shows the furthest point of western longitude for West Virginia. The shaded triangle to the left of the line marks the area of Virginia that is completely west of West Virginia.

KYTNVA Tripoint. Photo by howderfamily.com; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
This spot in Virginia at Cumberland Gap is farther west than any spot in West Virginia

This includes the entirety of Lee County and portions of Wise and Scott Counties. Thus, in spite of West Virginia’s name, its eastern cousin actually extends further west.


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One response to “Virginia, West of West Virginia”

  1. […] some mistake. No mistake, just the way things are in some places. A better explanation is provided here if you’re interested…something about the Civil […]

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