The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Indians known as the Adena, or Mound Builders, whose mounds are still prominent archaeological landmarks at several sites in the state. The Mound Builders were succeeded by the Fort Ancient people, who were in turn succeeded in the 17th century by the Iroquois and the Cherokee. The first permanent white settlers entered the area in the 1730s, and the English won control of the region over the French in the 1750s and '60s. After the American Revolution the older settled parts of the area began to fill up. West Virginia was originally part of Virginia, but its largely non-slaveholding population voted against secession in 1861 and split away from Virginia. In 1863 West Virginia was admitted into the Union as a newly constituted state.

All of West Virginia's terrain belongs to the Appalachian Mountain system. The western two-thirds of the state belongs specifically to the Allegheny Plateau; this region is severely dissected by streams into a maze of irregular hills and valleys. Its drainage runs westward and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The eastern third of the state is largely occupied by a chain of mountains running northeast to southwest, and its rivers ultimately drain into the Atlantic Ocean. The maximum elevation in West Virginia is 4,861 feet (1,482 m) at Spruce Knob in the east. The lowest elevation is 247 feet (75 m) at Harpers Ferry, near the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Virtually all of the state's land is rugged, ranging from hilly to mountainous, and there are no extensive expanses of level land.

The state has distinct seasons of about equal duration. Mean annual temperatures reflecting latitude and elevation range from about 56º F (13º C) in the south to 52º F (11º C) in the north and 48º F (9º C) in the most mountainous regions. January is the coldest month, with a statewide average of 33º F (1º C), and July is the warmest, with an average of 73º F (23º C).

Forests cover approximately three-fourths of the state. The plateau forests consist of hardwoods of red and white oak, hickory, and beech, as well as yellow poplar, sugar and red maple, basswood, black cherry, and yellow birch. Coniferous softwoods of loblolly pine, shortleaf and white pine, spruce, and hemlock cover the high mountain slopes, deep gorges, and other scattered areas. The eastern section is predominantly an oak and pine woodland. Other species such as sycamore, locust, elm, and dogwood are common. The white-tailed deer, rabbit, squirrel, gray fox, opossum, skunk, raccoon, and groundhog are common in West Virginia, and the black bear thrives in high country. Mountain streams support trout, bass, pike, and muskellunge, while the improving water quality of the larger rivers accommodates increasing numbers of perch, bluegill, catfish, and other species.

The broad, level tops of ridges and the fertile valley bottoms are usually used for agriculture and housing. Rural dwellings are distributed as ribbons of settlement along the highways or near other transportation systems. Many rural inhabitants commute to cities and towns for employment because of the decline of the state's agriculture and the increasing mechanization of the coal-mining industry, which was for a long time the dominant employer in the state. West Virginia has a number of cities with populations of more than 20,000. Of these, Huntington, Wheeling, Parkersburg, and Weirton are situated on the Ohio River. Most urban and industrial growth extends along other streams, as in the Kanawha and Monongahela river valleys. The larger cities, with their industrial concentrations, their political importance, and the cultural centres in their colleges and universities, dominate the state's activities.

West Virginia has an abundance of natural resources, mostly mineral and energy-producing ones. Bituminous coal, the state's most valuable mineral, is found in almost every section of the state and is produced from underground and open-pit mines. West Virginia was the nation's leading producer of coal for much of the 20th century. Labour strife has periodically marked the coal mining industry, particularly between 1912 and 1921, when the National Guard and the U.S. Army were repeatedly required to quell violence, but since the right to organize unions was obtained during the 1930s, the industry has been basically peaceful. West Virginia produces significant quantities of natural gas and petroleum, and it ranks among the leading states in its production of thermal electric power. The state also has virtually unlimited quantities of limestone, as well as abundant rock-salt beds. West Virginia has developed a concern for environmental quality and resource conservation, and limits have been placed on the expansion of and the techniques used in the strip mining of its coal. Although the state has traditionally been relatively poor compared to other states, there has been considerable progress in the postwar decades in the encouragement of manufacturing and in the demand for the state's coal and minerals.

The higher education system includes West Virginia University at Morgantown (1867), Marshall University at Huntington (1837), and several other state-supported educational institutions. The early isolation of mountainous West Virginia resulted in the development and transmittal of a local cultural heritage that was largely unaffected by those of neighbouring regions or of the nation as a whole. Locally produced handicrafts, musical instruments, ballad-singing, and other remnants of the past persist in the rural regions. Tourism and recreation have developed as thriving industries based upon the historical site of Harpers Ferry, the unique rural culture, and the more scenic spots in the mountain areas. Area 24,232 square miles (62,760 square km). Pop. (1990) 1,793,477.