Virginia and West Virginia
Or The Old Dominion and The Mountain State
Two bordering Southeastern states in these United States that uh...used to be one state!
Yeah, let’s go ahead and dig into some history and look at why that is.
Humans have lived in the modern-day Virginias for thousands of years.
Before European arrival, eastern modern-day Virginia was dominated by the Powhatan Confederacy.
However, several other American Indian tribes are native to the area, including the Tutelo
and Saponi, Catawba, and Cherokee.
Meanwhile, modern-day West Virginia was home to various Shawnee and Ohio Valley tribes,
but also the Tutelo and Saponi and Cherokee.
In 1607, the English came over.
Wait a second, is that why I’m speaking English to you right now?
Anyway, the London Company established the Colony of Virginia, named after Queen Elizabeth
the First of England, who was known as the Virgin Queen.
Get it?
The Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English colony in the Americas, which is why
Old Dominion is the state nickname today by the way.
After a rough start, the settlement of Jamestown, located on the north bank of the James River,
eventually thrived as the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
They first settled the area for gold, but never found any.
No worries, they soon figured out how to grow tobacco, which might as well have been gold
since it became so valuable.
That was mostly thanks to this dude, John Rolfe, who also famously made peace with the
Powhatan Confederacy by marrying Chief Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas.
There was later a crappy Disney movie about Pocahontas.
Anyway, European settlement steadily increased after tobacco became a cash crop.
In August 1619, the first recorded slaves from Africa arrived near Jamestown and worked
in tobacco fields.
Over the following decades, more and more Africans would be forced to migrate to Virginia
to become slaves.
What’s weird is that in those early years some slaves could wander freely, get married,
buy land and other property, or even buy their own freedom.
Yep, that means they were actually paid some for their work, and several Africans in Virginia
were not slaves.
In one Virginian county in 1668, 29 percent of all Africans were free.
At least one African American had an indentured servant at one point.
Oh yeah, indentured servants, or people who paid for their passage to the Americas by
being forced to work for somebody for a certain number of years before getting their freedom,
were also very common in the Colony of Virginia, especially after King Charles the First supporters
came to Virginia in large numbers after he died in 1649.
Beginning in the late 1660s, Virginia colonists would sadly pass new laws that further restricted
the rights of all blacks, both free and slaves.
Meanwhile, the British crown had taken over the Colony of Virginia since they didn’t
like how the London Company was running things.
For the rest of the 1600s, the colony grew quickly and brought lot of wealth to England
and certain plantation owners.
Most of this wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few elite folks in Eastern Virginia,
but in Western Virginia farmers were barely getting by.
One dude out there named Nathaniel Bacon, helped launch a rebellion in 1676 against
Colonial Governor William Berkeley, mostly due to this huge economic inequality but also
since Berkeley wasn’t doing much to protect farmers constantly being attacked by American
Indians.
Now, why were American Indians attacking these farmers?
Well, ya know, since the farmers were taking their land, and had been for decades, but
regardless Berkeley seemed to be on the American Indian side and so...rebellion.
Even though what became known as Bacon’s Rebellion failed, the tension between Eastern
and Western Virginia did not go away.
Let’s flash forward to 1763.
As a result of the Treaty of Paris that ended the French and Indian War, Britain took control
of territory beyond Western Virginia in the Ohio Valley.
With the Proclamation of 1763, it also established a boundary, banning colonial settlers from
moving west of it, to appease American Indian tribes.
However, some Western Virginia pioneers were like, nu-huh, and settled west of the Proclamation
boundary anyway.
Some even called for a new colony out there called Vandalia.
Virginia had to respond and established a county out there called Kentucky during the
American War of Independence.
But it had a hard time keeping track of what was going on out west, especially since once
you got into the mountains, it was harder to get around.
Back to the American Revolution.
Um, yeah, Virginia and its citizens played a big freaking part.
Like this dude...Patrick Henry, a future governor of the state of Virginia but more famously
known as the “give me liberty or give me death” speech guy.
And this dude, Thomas Jefferson, who….I don’t know...was the main writer of the
Declaration of Independence?
Or this dude, James Madison, who...I don’t know...was the main writer of the United States
Constitution?
Many of the soldiers who fought and many of the generals who led in the war were Virginians.
Like this dude, George freaking Washington, who led the Continental Army.
He led the Americans to victory at the Battle of Yorktown, and later became the First President
of the newly formed country of the United States.
Jefferson and Madison were later Presidents, as well.
In fact, eight American Presidents were born in Virginia.
In the early years of the United States being a country, the now state of Virginia had the
largest population BY FAR. in 1790, 19% of the whole country lived in the state.
Also in 1790, more than 39% of the population consisted of slaves.
But while slavery remained prevalent in Eastern Virginia, up in the mountains in Western Virginia,
there were a lot less slaves and a lot more antislavery folks.
In 1831, an enslaved preacher named Nat Turner led a slave rebellion, killing as many as
60 people.
In response, around 30 African Americans were hanged or expelled from the state, and the
General Assembly passed harsher slave laws, like laws making it illegal to teach slaves
how to read or write.
Virginia was also where the abolitionist John Brown tried and failed to incite another slave
rebellion in 1859.
He attempted to take over a federal armory at Harpers Ferry, but ultimately Brown was
captured and executed.
Virginia’s government absolutely refused to get rid of slavery.
After the election of Abraham Lincoln as President, the General Assembly voted to secede from
the Union over the issue, and this soon led to the American Civil War, with Virginia leading
the fight for the newly formed Confederate States of America.
Several Western Virginians in Wheeling, however, opposed secession and wanted to stay with
the Union.
In October 1861, they voted for a new state, and the next April they had a new constitution.
They were admitted to the Union as West Virginia on June 20th, 1863.
So this split Virginia into two states, with West Virginia fighting for the Union and Virginia
fighting for the Confederates, and it was basically a smaller version of the entire
war, and boy were both states on the front lines of it.
Many prominent Confederate generals, like Jeb Stuart, George Pickett, and THE Robert
E. Lee were from Virginia, and Stonewall Jackson was from what became West Virginia.
Most of the battles in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War took place in Virginia, mainly
since the Confederates had to defend its national capital there, which was in Richmond.
And there is no doubt that the Civil War left Virginia devastated.
After the Confederacy lost the war and the United States reunited, Virginia sued West
Virginia to get some of its counties back, but the Supreme Court said “no.”
Virginia also tried to get West Virginia to pay off some of its Civil War debts, and this
dispute lasted until 1911, when finally the Supreme Court did make West Virginia pay over
$12 million of Virginia Civil War debt.
The economies of both states struggled for the rest of the 1800s.
However, West Virginia’s economy did start growing more quickly thanks to its plentiful
natural resources, and both logging and coal mining expanded in the state.
It wasn’t until World War One when the economy really picked up in Virginia.
That’s when it got a boost from the newfound federal spending for the military.
Meanwhile, both states had racial segregation up until the 1960s.
For the rest of the 1900s, Virginia’s economy diversified a lot while West Virginia’s
didn’t nearly as much.
Plus, most West Virginians eventually sold their rights to land and minerals to large
corporations.
Today, this is the main reason why both states are actually quite different.
West Virginia has one of the highest poverty rates in the country (16%), while Virginia
has one of the lowest poverty rates in the country (9.9%).
Now, this is mostly due the concentration of wealth in Northeastern Virginia in the
suburbs of Washington, D.C.
All those lobbyists up there, amirite?
:sighs:
Ok, uh...what about other differences?
Well, first of all, Virginia is about 1.6 times bigger in land area.
Virginia also has a lot more people.
In fact, it has nearly five times as many people.
(WV- 1.8 million, V- 8.7 million)
While West Virginia’s population has actually been declining in recent years, Virginia’s
population continues to steadily increase.
In fact, West Virginia lost a higher percentage of its residents than any other state in the
country over the past ten years, and currently has fewer residents now than it did in 1950.
To solve this potential crisis, West Virginia will currently pay you $12,000 to move there.
Virginia has a higher population density.
West Virginia has smaller cities.
In fact, its largest city, Charleston, which also happens to be its capital, has only 48,000
people.
Yeah it used to have more than 85,000 in 1960.
Virginia’s biggest city is Virginia Beach, which has around 450,000 people.
By the way, Virginia Beach does have the world’s longest tourist beach.
I’ve been there, and it does seem to go on forever.
That said, again Virginia also has part of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and
that has 5.4 million people.
It's one of the wealthiest and most educated metro areas in the country, and marks the
southern end of the Northeast megalopolis(mwhahahahahaha), a part of the country that contains more than
17 percent of its entire population, or some 50 million people on less than 2% of the country’s
land area.
Virginia borders more states.
In addition to bordering the District of Columbia, (which is not a state of course) and West
Virginia, Virginia also borders Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
West Virginia also borders Maryland and Kentucky, but also Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Virginia residents are younger.
(WV- 42.5 median age, V- 38.2 median age)
Virginia has a much more ethnically diverse population.
West Virginia residents are more religious.
The violent crime rate is lower in Virginia.
However, West Virginia’s violent crime rate has been falling in recent years.
More Virginians have college degrees, but West Virginia spends more per student on education
so take that Virginia.
Oh yeah?
According to Forbes magazine, Virginia is a MUCH better state to do business in, and
is ranked 4th in the country, compared to West Virginia being ranked 2nd to last.
Related to this, the median household income is also MUCH higher in Virginia.
(WV- $44,097, V- $72,577)
Squirrel- you just HAD to bring up the fact that Virginia is so much wealthier again,
didn’t you Mr. Beat Mr. Beat- well I’m sorry, I just-
Squirrel- oh just stop dunking on states, ok?
Mr. Beat- uh ok….let’s see, how shall I carefully proceed?
Oh, I know!
West Virginia has a MUCH lower cost of living.
Eh?
Major industries in Virginia include healthcare, government and public services, and technology.
Lots of federal agencies have headquarters in the state.
Major industries in West Virginia include manufacturing, energy, and tourism.
West Virginia residents tend to be more conservative.
Indeed, Virginians tend to vote more for Democratic Party candidates in recent years.
Both of Virginia’s Senators are Democrat.
West Virginia has one Republican and one Democrat Senator, but that Democrat is Joe Manchin,
who has gotten a lot of attention this year for often being a swing vote that sometimes
votes against his fellow Democrats on bills.
Historically, however, both states have gone back and forth between the two major political
parties.
After all, Virginia voted for George W. Bush for President in 2000 and 2004, and West Virginia
voted reliably for Democrats before the 2000s.
Speaking of presidential elections, Virginia has 13 electoral votes, and after the 2020
census, West Virginia is going from 5 to 4.
Taxes are lower in Virginia.
While medical marijuana is legal in West Virginia, recreational marijuana is legal for all adults
in Virginia.
Virginia has the largest office building in the world- the Pentagon.
Oh, and the largest naval base in the world- Naval Station Norfolk, in...uh...Norfolk.
Three different rivers make up part of the border of West Virginia, but also humans created
its borders, so that’s why it looks so weird and is so difficult to draw free hand go ahead
and do it and try I dare you.
West Virginia is simply more beautiful.
I mean, freaking look at that.
It has more wilderness, and is the third most forested state in the country after Maine
and New Hampshire.
Oh look at that.
Ok, Virginia is beautiful, too.
While both are considered Mid-Atlantic states, only Virginia borders the Atlantic Ocean.
Also while both are at least in part of the Appalachian region, West Virginia is the only
state entirely in Appalachia, a cultural region that surrounds the Appalachian Mountains all
the way from Mississippi to New York.
While this region has historically held lots of natural resources, it also has unfortunately
been associated with lots of poverty.
As I mentioned earlier, West Virginia has struggled, and today 99% of its residents
control less than half the land.
Oh yeah, and people often forget about Virginia’s Eastern Shore, the only part of the state
not connected by land.
You can still drive across the Chesapeake Bay, however, via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel.
Hey let’s end this video with similarities.
I guess there aren’t many.
Both are Mid-Atlantic states.
Oh I already said that.
Both states have oceanic, humid subtropical and humid continental climates.
Being near the ocean, Virginia does have to worry about hurricanes, and West Virginia
does not.
Wait a second, I thought we were doing similarities here?!?
Ok, there are no professional sports teams in either state, but many of their college
teams are big time, in the NCAA Division I, baby.
The biggest religion in both is Christianity.
Specifically, Evangelical Protestant.
Both have exactly one national park.
Residents of both definitely have a Southern-type accent.
I mean, that’s kind of it.
That’s all I can think of at the moment anyway.
What am I missing?
Overall, both states are definitely wonderful places.
Virginia obviously has all the history and beauty.
West Virginia clearly has the beauty, and might not look as good as Virginia based on
this video, but... like I said earlier, they’ll now pay you to move there.
If you work remotely, you might move there now before things heat up and the cost of
living skyrockets like it has been in most other places.
I know, I know, I made a lot of folks upset by deciding to compare Virginia to West Virginia
instead of Maryland for my Compared series, but a LOT of folks also wanted to see me compare
the Virginias.
Plus, I could also still compare Virginia to Maryland in a future video because why
not?
It’s my channel.
I do what I want dangit.
So what other states should I compare for this series?
Let me know down below.
And now, it’s time for my monthly shout out to my Patreon supporters who donate at
least $10 or more a month to my channel.
Starting with my biggest donors,