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West Virginia lies within two divisions of the Appalachian Highlands. Most of the eastern panhandle, which is crossed by the Allegheny Mountains, is in the Ridge and Valley region. The remainder, or more than two-thirds of the state, is part of the Allegheny Plateau, to the west of a bold escarpment known as the Allegheny Front, and tilts toward the Ohio River.
The mean elevation of West Virginia is 1,500 ft (458 m), higher than any other state east of the Mississippi River. Its highest point, Spruce Knob, towers 4,861 ft (1,483 m) above sea level. Major lowlands lie along the rivers, especially the Potomac, Ohio, and Kanawha. A point on the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry has the lowest elevation, only 240 ft (73 m) above sea level. West Virginia has no natural lakes. Most of the eastern panhandle drains into the Potomac River. The Ohio and its tributaries—the Monongahela, Little Kanawha, Kanawha, Guyandotte, and Big Sandy—drain most of the Allegheny Plateau section. Subterranean streams have carved out numerous caverns—including Seneca Caverns, Smoke Hole Caverns, and Organ Cave—from limestone beds.During the Paleozoic era, when West Virginia was under water, a 30,000-ft (9,000-m) layer of rock streaked with rich coal deposits was laid down over much of the state. Alternately worn down and uplifted during succeeding eras, most of West Virginia is thus a plateau where rivers have carved deep valleys and gorges and given the land a rugged character.
The Shenandoah Valley is one of the flattest (and lowest) places in WV and the prettiest is, well, subject to your personal preference.
Here is a Table showing reported crime by city (major) in West Virginia. You’ll need to hunt and peck for the lowest violent crimes..
Can any of you tell me, what the safest towns are in WV? The least violent crime, please.
Pretty much any town in West Virginia is relatively safe, at least compared to a lot of other places. I guess Charleston has its share of crime, but I honestly can't say that I've felt "unsafe" there or in any other town I've visited in the state.
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Also, which are the prettiest towns to live in?
My favorites are Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs, in the southeastern part of the state.
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Are there any flatter towns, at a lower elevation?
The Martinsburg area is relatively flat for West Virginia. Also, the I-64 corridor between Huntington and St. Albans has some flat land, which is rapidly being developed. Huntington itself is flat, as it sits along the Ohio River, but it's surrounded by hills. I think its elevation is somewhere in the 500-600 ft. range, though I could be mistaken.
As TVI said, crime is relatively low in most WV cities. Even in Charleston and Huntington, the crime that does happen is mostly limited to certain areas of town at times when people shouldn't be out (such as 3 A.M.). Barboursville may fit what you are looking for perfectly. Barboursville neighbors Huntington so you have quick access to all that Huntington offers but with the benefits of a smaller town. This area is probably the flattest area in WV with the most mild weather as well. You also have close access to the more scenic areas of the state such as Hawk's Nest, New River Gorge, etc. Here are some links for both Barboursville and Huntington to give you an idea of what the area has. Hope this helps and let me know if you need more info.
Tim
I know we're not the lowest. We rank higher than Maine, Vermont, Idaho, Nebraska... places like that. Our violent crime index is somewhere around 37ish if I recall.
ThreeRun has a good memory. This link shows WV at 36th overall, in 2004. These statistics are based upon number of violent crimes per 100,000 population.
The five "safest" states are SD, NH, VT, ME, and ND (#50).
The five "riskiest" states are NM, TN, MD, FL, and SC (#1).
Crime is porportional to the population mass....more people more reported crime...Wv has less people and less reported crime, but its still in porportion to the amount of people in any given area and compares to the ratios of bigger metro areas.
Since those statistics are based on reported crimes per/capita on a 100,000 basis, the scenario you present (less population and less reported crime) would cause our ranking to get worse yet..
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