Welcome to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia by Linda (Angeleyes)

Yes, you read it right.  Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.  So many times when asked “Where are you from?  West Virginian’s hear “oh Western Virginia?”  No, not Western Virginia.  Noted for its mountains and rich terrain, West Virginia became the 35^th state of the union on June 20, 1863.

With a population of only 1,816,856 in 24,231 miles 75% of the state is covered with forest, giving reason to the nickname “The Mountain State”.   Myself, I’m a transplant to this great state.  I came here almost 26 years ago and fell in love with the mountains, the trees, the wildlife.  Much different than the concrete jungle where I grew up.  One of my favorite things to do is just jump in the car and go for a ride.  The state is absolutely beautiful no matter what time of year.  And it is such a diverse state that there truly is something for everyone.   Small towns with warmth and charm, larger cities, camping, biking, hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, spelunking, and some of the best white water rafting in the country.   Whatever you’re looking for you can find it here.  Another neat aspect of West Virginia is its history which is filled with as many twists and turns as our famed country roads. Here you’ll find Native American burial mounds, re-creations of frontier forts, sites that recognize the heritage of our early presidents and in many of the small towns it’s like stepping back in time with general stores, outhouses, antique tools and appliances.

West Virginia is not a leading agricultural state because its rugged terrain and mountainous landscape have made farming difficult. The state relies on its rich mineral deposits and natural resources, oil, natural gas, timber, clay, limestone, salt and sand. Chemical production is West Virginia’s most important industry.  Coal deposits can be found under about two-thirds of West Virginia’s land, making it one of the leading producers of soft coal in the country.

If you like college football, West Virginia is the place to be.  WVU and Marshall University football are what bring this state together. And tear it apart.  Everywhere you go, no matter what time of year, you’ll see the blue and gold of WVU or the green of Marshall proudly displayed.  And once a year the day the two stare each other down on the field is an unofficial holiday.  Pick your team, get a cold drink and a good seat because you are in for a great show.  Go Mountaineers !  Go Thundering Herd !  (as you can see I’m sitting on the fence for this one.)

And there can be no discussion of West Virginia without mentioning the Hatfields and McCoys.  Most of us remember the story from our childhood.  Two families feuding across state lines: the Hatfields in WV and the McCoys in Kentucky.  The feud has entered the American folklore lexicon as a metaphor for any bitterly feuding rival parties. More than a century later, the story of the feud has become a modern allegory on the perils of family honor, justice and vengeance.

If you ever get a chance plan a trip to West Virginia.  I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it just like I did.

Did You Know:

• The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street, between Kanawha and Virginia Streets.
• The first organized golf club in America was formed in West Virginia.
• The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on October 6, 1896, and then spread throughout the United States.
• Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908.
• The New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville is the second highest steel arch bridge in the United States. The bridge is also the longest steel arch bridge (1,700 feet) in the world. Every October on Bridge Day, the road is closed and individuals parachute and bungee cord jump 876 feet off the bridge. Its West Virginia’s largest single day event and attracts about 100,000 people each year.
• The first free school for African Americans in the entire south opened in Parkersburg in 1862.
• Fairmont native Mary Lou Retton became the first woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics at the Los Angeles Olympics. She also took home two silver medals, two bronze medals and went on to become an official spokesperson for Wheaties, appearing on several breakfast cereal packages.
• Outdoor advertising had its origin in Wheeling about 1908 when the Block Brothers Tobacco Company painted bridges and barns with the wording: “Treat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch.” – so yes you can blame all those billboards you see on WV. It’s our fault. : )
• The favorite karaoke song sung in the state is “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver.
• The first state sales tax in the United States went into effect in West Virginia on July 1, 1921

Literary West Virginia

Pearl S. Buck – Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winning author was born in Hillsboro WV

The Good Earth: Pearl S. Buck

Homer H. Hickam, Jr. – Author of Rocket Boys: A Memoir, the story of his life in the little town of Coalwood, WV that Inspired the #1 Bestseller and Award-Winning Movie October Sky.

Rocket Boys: Homer K Hickam Jr.

John Forbes Nash Jr. – 1994 Nobel Prize winning mathematician who was the subject of the 1998 biography and 2002 film “A Beautiful Mind.” Born and raised in Bluefield WV

A Beautiful Mind The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash: Sylvia Nasar

Carlene Thompson – Author of numerous books set in WV.  Born and lives in Point Pleasant, WV

You Can Run: Carlene Thompson

The Coffin Quilt: The Feud Between the Hatfields and the McCoys: Ann Rinaldi

by Brenna B. (demiducky25)

Lately the first thing that people tend to think of when they hear the words “New Jersey” is the MTV show Jersey Shore.  Personally, I’ve never seen more than 5 seconds of the show so I cannot attest to the accuracy of how they present life in the Garden State (heck, I’m not a beach person and I’ve only been “down the shore,” as we say, a handful of times so I really cannot speak to life along the actual Jersey Shore at all).  Whether you love or loathe Jersey Shore, I hope that reading my entry about my home state will give you new insight and perhaps bring new images to mind besides Snooki going crazy. 🙂

In terms of size, New Jersey can be described a number of ways.  It is one of the smallest states in terms of land area (only Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware are smaller).  In terms of total population, New Jersey is currently the 11^th most populous state, and for as long as I can remember it is the most densely populated state (my 4th grade social studies textbook had a map of the United States showing the size of each state in terms of population density, and I recall being amazed at how little NJ was suddenly the largest one on that type of map projection).  Yet what it lacks in size, New Jersey makes up for with presence and style!

Nicknamed “The Garden State,” New Jersey has had a very interesting and colorful history.  Prior to the American Revolution, the area that would later become New Jersey was originally a Dutch colony and was later acquired by the British, making it one of the original 13 colonies.  As with New York and Pennsylvania, the colony of New Jersey became a popular location for immigrants, making it a fairly ethnically and religiously diverse colony.  During the Revolutionary War, New Jersey was the site of several battles and winter encampments, earning it the nickname “The Crossroads of the Revolution.”  In fact, the commemorative state quarter for NJ showcases George Washington crossing the Delaware River to surprise the Hessian soldiers at the Battle of Trenton (though the image on the quarter, as well as the original painting, isn’t exactly accurate, but that’s a story for another time).

Fast-forward past the Revolutionary War and New Jersey kept its pulse on the changing landscape of American culture.  Despite the “Garden State” moniker, NJ became a booming center of factories and production during the Industrial Revolution and beyond.  Although the silk mills are no more, I grew up hearing stories about them and how nearby Paterson was once one of the biggest silk producers in the world.

As with the Industrial Revolution, modern New Jersey is still doing its best to keep up with the times.  The educational systems in New Jersey, from K-12 all the way to our many colleges and universities, are top-notch, thus preparing young minds for the future challenges our country will face.  Other ways New Jersey stays current with the times is in terms of entertainment.   Perhaps that has a bit to do with Thomas Edison (originally from Ohio, but I think NJ claims him anyway due to his work being done in Menlo Park, NJ) and his entertainment contributions of the motion picture projector and the phonograph (and of course the light bulb which would make our form of entertainment, reading, a bit more challenging without it).  In terms of professional sports, New Jersey has the Devils (hockey), the Nets (basketball, but I’ve heard that they might be moving to New York), and both the New York Giants and the New York Jets football teams actually play in New Jersey even though they are considered New York teams (personally I never really considered that fair, but that’s just me).   We also have a number of minor league baseball teams as well.  Besides sports, New Jersey is also home to other forms of entertainment.   There have been a number of entertainers, past and present, who have been proud to call NJ home (in fact, some of them appear on the list at the end of this piece).  How different the world would be without the impact of some of these great performers!  New Jersey has also been the setting, filming location, or both for many TV shows and movies: The Sopranos, Ed, Jersey Shore, House, Cake Boss, and The Adventures of Pete & Pete are just a few shows that fall into those categories.  Movies like Lean on Me, In & Out, Be Kind Rewind, Coneheads, and pretty much anything by Kevin Smith were all either about NJ, filmed scenes in NJ, or both.  I’m sorry if the movie list consisted of films mostly about or filmed in northern NJ, but those are the ones I’m familiar with.

That last sentence about northern NJ reminds me of something else that seems fairly unique to New Jersey.  Ever since I can remember, there has always been this strange rivalry between North NJ, South NJ, and the possible existence of Central NJ (some people argue that there is no Central NJ and that there is a clear dividing line between North and South, others see Central NJ as its own entity separate from North and South NJ).  I never really thought much about it until college when I lived with roommates from other parts of the state.  Apparently we all had a different dividing line depending on where we lived, and we also had different words for certain terms depending on where we lived.  The two biggest  examples are the night before Halloween (Goosey Night,  Mischief Night, and Cabbage Night seemed to be the top ones, though I never knew it as anything other than Goosey Night.  Our international roommate always found this argument hysterical because she never called the night before Halloween anything at all).  Also for a very long sandwich the terms “sub,” “hoagie,” and “hero” were deemed equally acceptable depending on which part of the state you were from (as someone from north NJ I went to elementary school where we had “hoagie days” then moved a few towns over and suddenly they were “subs” so that might not even be a “North vs South” thing).  For such a small state it is certainly strange that New Jersey has a number of different terms for the same thing!

One final set of quirks that I couldn’t seem to fit anywhere else (and I really can’t prove this one), but I feel like there are more malls (and sizable ones) and dinners (especially 24 hour ones or what is the point, hehe) in at least my little patch of New Jersey than anywhere else!  From where I sit now, I could get into my car and drive to at least 3 different malls in 5 minutes, and there are two 24 hour dinners walking distance from my house.  My international roommate, who has since moved back to her home country, has stated on Facebook before that the diners are probably one of the things she misses the most about New Jersey.

And that’s what New Jersey is to me, a wonderfully strange yet cozy and comforting nook in the world.  I don’t pretend to be a traditional “Jersey Girl,” whatever that really is, but I am certainly proud of my home state.  It’s hard for me to imagine living anywhere else.  I’m sure I’m forgetting some other tidbits that should have been noted, but I did my best, and I hope you liked hearing about my corner of the universe, and feel free to check out some of the books below (I hope the links worked this time, it was giving me some difficulties so be warned):

Notable New Jerseyeans

Grover Cleveland (1837-1908)- only US president to serve non-consecutive terms (he was #22 and #24)

Thomas Edison (1847-1831)- inventor (from Ohio but did much of his world changing work in Menlo Park, NJ)

Bud Abbott (1895-1974)- actor/comedian

Lou Costello (1906-1959)- actor/comedian

Frank Sinatra (1915–1998)- singer/ actor

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (born 1930)- NASA, astronaut

Jack Nicholson (born 1937)- actor (born in New York City, grew up in Neptune City, NJ)

Debbie Harry (born 1945), singer/actress (born in Florida but raised in NJ)

Bruce Springsteen (born 1949), musician

Anthony Bourdain (born 1956) chef, author and television personality (born in New York City, grew up in Leonia, New Jersey)

Jon Bon Jovi (born 1962), musician

Kevin Smith (born 1970)- filmmaker

Lauryn Hill (born 1975), singer/rapper/songwriter

The Jonas Brothers (birth years vary depending on the brother)- boy band

Books!

1776 by David McCullough (provides a very detailed look at the American Revolution and highlights many of the events happening in NJ at that time)

It Came from New Jersey! My Life as an Artist by Tim Jacobus (the artist responsible for the covers of the Goosebumps books)

The Houseguest by Agnes Rossi (a novel about 1930s NJ)

The Lost Legends of New Jersey by Frederick Reiken (a novel about 1980s NJ)

Weird NJ:  Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Mark Moran, Mark Sceurman (highlights the wonderful and strange of the Garden State)