West Virginia State Symbols

State Animal:  The Black Bear

State Fish:  Brook Trout

State Butterfly:  Monarch Butterfly

State Flower:  Rhododendron

State Tree:  Sugar Maple

State Fruit:  Golden Delicious Apple

State Soil:  Monongahela Silt Loam

State Gem:  Fossil Coral

State Colors:  Old Gold and Blue

State Songs:  "The West Virginia Hills", words and music by Ellen King and H.E. Engle; "This is My West Virginia", by Iris Bell; and "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home" by Julian G. Hearne, Jr.

Motto:  Mountaineers are always free

Origin of State Name:  The state was part of Virginia until the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Nickname for State:  The Mountain State.  West Virginia lies in the heart of the Appalachian Highlands.

Nickname for residents:  West Virginians