There’s no place like West Virginia. We have a lot of unique traditions here that you might not understand if you’re not from here. Here are some of them:
- Referring to our home county instead of town.
Public domain This is more common among the really small West Virginia towns. It’s partly because you’re more likely to know where the county is than the town.
- Summer trips to Camden Park or Kennywood
Management/Tripadvisor Depending on where you live in the state, you might make annual trips to one of these two amusement parks.
- Ginseng hunting
Wikipedia commons West Virginia has a lot of wild ginseng, an herb thought to have medicinal benefits.
- Making apple butter
Mzuriana/Flickr Definitely one of the best parts of fall in the Mountain State.
- Deer hunting during Thanksgiving week
M&R Glasgow/Flickr There are lots of deer hunters in West Virginia. School is usually out so it’s a great time to go.
- Ramps dinners in the spring time
Stéphanie Kilgast/Flickr They’re smelly but they’re good.
- Saying hello to strangers
André Benedix/Flickr We’re friendly people who often nod or wave to people we pass on the street, even those we don’t know.
- Appalachian folk music
Badagnani We have a lot of talented musicians and a long tradition of music.
- Summer trips to Myrtle Beach
James Willamor/Flickr We may not have an ocean beach in West Virginia, but we basically claimed Myrtle Beach for our own, it seems.
- Pepperoni rolls
Haem85/Wikimedia commons They started in West Virginia coal mines, and they’re still a favorite today.
- Celebrating June 20th like it’s birthday!
State flag of West Virginia Do people in other states love their homes enough to make their birthdays an actual holiday? We can’t help it, we love it.
How many of these are you familiar with? What’s your favorite West Virginia tradition?
Public domain
This is more common among the really small West Virginia towns. It’s partly because you’re more likely to know where the county is than the town.
Management/Tripadvisor
Depending on where you live in the state, you might make annual trips to one of these two amusement parks.
Wikipedia commons
West Virginia has a lot of wild ginseng, an herb thought to have medicinal benefits.
Mzuriana/Flickr
Definitely one of the best parts of fall in the Mountain State.
M&R Glasgow/Flickr
There are lots of deer hunters in West Virginia. School is usually out so it’s a great time to go.
Stéphanie Kilgast/Flickr
They’re smelly but they’re good.
André Benedix/Flickr
We’re friendly people who often nod or wave to people we pass on the street, even those we don’t know.
Badagnani
We have a lot of talented musicians and a long tradition of music.
James Willamor/Flickr
We may not have an ocean beach in West Virginia, but we basically claimed Myrtle Beach for our own, it seems.
Haem85/Wikimedia commons
They started in West Virginia coal mines, and they’re still a favorite today.
State flag of West Virginia
Do people in other states love their homes enough to make their birthdays an actual holiday? We can’t help it, we love it.
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