Mid Atlantic State (Wheeling, Chesapeake, War: lessons, counties, accent)

[Karen Lewis]

I saw a question on here I cannot now locate, and that is why WV is considered a mid-atlantic state and not southern.

As a native WVian, I can answer that. During the Civil War WV and Virginia were all the same state. However, the western, very mountainous portion of Virginia maintained the sentiments of the north and pulled out, in June, 1863, became their own state.

Now, they were not southern due to sentiment while still geographically in the south, and not northern geographically.

They were then identified as a "Mid-Atlantic" state - something you will see in other writings as "additional state" to the original "Mid Atlantic.

Many WVians are incensed if referred to as "southern" and in actuality while having in some ways a southern quality, are in other ways very different.

karen

[snorpus]

I think in that other thread we finally decided we were Appalachian.

[GottaHerdOn]

I personally prefer the Mid-Atlantic identification over Southern or Northern... seeing as I see similarities of both in various parts of WV but neither being dominant for the state as a whole.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by Karen Lewis

..... As a native WVian, I can answer that. During the Civil War WV and Virginia were all the same state. However, the western, very mountainous portion of Virginia maintained the sentiments of the north and pulled out, in June, 1863, became their own state.

Now, they were not southern due to sentiment while still geographically in the south, and not northern geographically.

They were then identified as a "Mid-Atlantic" state - something you will see in other writings as "additional state" to the original "Mid Atlantic.

Many WVians are incensed if referred to as "southern" and in actuality while having in some ways a southern quality, are in other ways very different.

karen

It sounds like you learned your lessons in WV History class. However, that information is incorrect. People in the Western counties met as early as 1861 to discuss their differences with Richmond.

The majority of the people in MOST counties wanted to secede and be part of the Confederacy, but the high voter turnout in the Northern panhandle, particularly in Wheeling, caused the vote to go the way it did. The vast majority of the counties in WV have always held a southern point of view.

West Virginia was definitely southern in sentiment. Go check and see how many Confederate soldiers came from West Virginia, and then find out how many West Virginia natives joined the Union forces.

When West Virginians go North, their accent is always identified as "Southern," and many characteristics of life in WV are similar to deep south states.

Look for posts by robilee and see the documents on his web pages for lots of interesting, factual history that is remarkably different from what was taught in West Virginia History class.

[David Kennedy]

I always thought we were called Mid-Atlantic because so much of our watershed goes to Chesapeake Bay.