West Virginia

This state's rugged backbone has long been its western coal-mining region, where West Virginians have extracted the raw materials for much of the nation's industrial, energy, and heating needs. West Virginia is still one of the least urbanized states in the country. Its motto, "Mountaineers Are Always Free," expresses West Virginian pride and a sense of history as well. The shots that sparked the Civil War were fired here at Harpers Ferry, today a popular tourist attraction. Book jacket.