Queen Elizabeth I in her coronation robes (public domain image on Wikipedia).
What does "West Virginia" mean?
Although the name "Kanawha" was considered, "West Virginia" was ultimately chosen to name the western counties of the state of Virginia which refused to secede from the Union in 1863. All State Name Origins
"Virginia" is in honor of England's Queen Elizabeth I. In the early 1600's, all of North America that wasn't Spanish or French was called "Virginia" after "The Virgin Queen," and the earliest English colonial expeditions were sent by "The Virginia Company of London."
"West Virginia Day" is a legal holiday in the state, celebrated every June 20th (West Virginia's date of statehood: June 20, 1863).
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