Have you ever noticed or asked why West Virginia has a strange sliver of land towering above the rest of the state that is sandwiched between Ohio and Pennsylvania? I have been aware of this odd corner of West Virginia for most of my life, yet I have never attempted to understand why it exists until now.
West Virginia’s northern sliver of land is apparently commonly referred to as the northern panhandle of West Virginia; the panhandle’s narrowest width is a mere four miles. The state also has an eastern panhandle that is sandwiched between Maryland and Virginia, but we will be focusing on the northern panhandle in this post since it’s the narrowest, therefore the most odd, corner.
Two slivers of land in one state; maybe West Virginia should have been nicknamed “The Sliver State,” although it would likely be confused with the Silver State, Nevada. I begrudgingly concede that the Mountain State nickname is superior to mine.
Why does West Virginia have the Northern Panhandle?
To understand how West Virginia’s shape was formed, we must look back to some of the earliest days of the state of Virginia. As you may know, if you read my post about Virginia’s former shape, Virginia used to occupy the land that is now Kentucky and West Virginia, besides its own land. Virginia’s northern border was mostly defined by the Potomac and Ohio rivers, except for a couple meridians and a parallel, where it surrounds the southwestern corners of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The northernmost strip of land in Virginia was pinched between the meridian 80º31’W to the East, and the Ohio River to the West, creating the northern “panhandle” of Virginia, which was the state’s only panhandle.
After losing Kentucky County, and During the Civil war, Virginia lost forty-eight of its northwestern counties, which formed the state of West Virginia, taking the northern panhandle from Virginia and forming a new panhandle to the East. The result was that Virginia lost its potential claim to being a panhandle state and West Virginia became a double panhandle state.
What do you think about the Pinched State, West Virginia? No, I will not surrender this nickname; I revoke my concession!
Onward American 