West Virginia Charleston Mission
   
Mission Home Address:
888 Oakwood Rd, Suite 310
Charleston, West Virginia 25314
United States
MISSION INFORMATION
The West Virginia Charleston Mission was established as the 188th mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 1 July 1980. LDS Church membership in West Virginia is 0.7%, or one in 147. West Virginia's total population is 1,807,000. It is located in the North America East Area of the Church. Total membership in West Virginia in 1974 was 9,149, increasing to 9,734 in 1980, 10,000 in 1990 and 12,290 in 1999. In 2005 there were 12,900 members.**
There are five Stakes in the Mission: Charleston and Clarksburg West Virginia and Buena Vista, Pembroke, and Roanoke Virginia. There are Wards and Branches located in the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Maryland.
STATE INFORMATION
In 1861, Virginians in the northwestern part of the state defied Virginia's secession from the United States. The region chose to remain in the Union and form a new state. West Virginia was admitted into the Union in 1863, after conditions requiring the gradual emancipation of slaves had been met. The state motto is "Mountaineers are always free," and West Virginia lives up to its nickname of the "Mountain State." With an average altitude of 1,500 feet above sea level, it's the highest of any state east of the Mississippi River. For a long time, West Virginia was a leading producer of coal in North America, but many people left to pursue better employment opportunities. That trend has turned around some, and now the state's economy is in a relatively more stable condition. The capital is Charleston, and the state flower is the big rhododendron.
INTERESTING INFORMATION
Population Centers:
Largest City: Roanoke Virginia.
Areas with highest percentage of members: Roanoke Virginia Stake, Pembroke Virginia Stake.
Area with most Wards or Branches: Virginia.
Area with least percentage of members: Central West Virginia (Charleston, Huntington, Clarksburg areas).
Area with least amount of Wards or Branches: Southern West Virginia (Logan, Bluefield, Peterstown, Welch areas).
Major Universities: West Virginia: West Virginia University, Marshall University, University of Charleston
Virginia: Virginia Tech, Liberty University, Southern Virginia University
Ohio: Marietta College
 
Historical Sites: Appomattox Court House-site of surrender of the Confederate States of America to the United States of America ending the Civil War (Appomattox VA --above right)
Philipi Covered Bridge-location of first land battle of Civil War (Philippi WV)
Maybry Mill-most photographed place in the US (Galax VA)
Ancient Adena Burial Mound (South Charleston WV)
Mountain Lake-movie Dirty Dancing was filmed here (Pembroke VA)
Natural Bridge-surveyed by George Washington,
initials carved in stone (Buena Vista VA)
Stonewall Jackson Memorial (Weston WV)
State Capitol (Charleston WV)
Ancient Adena Burial Mound (inside Camden Park, an amusement park, Huntington WV)
Fenton Glass Factory (Williamstown WV)
Campus Martius-first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory (Marietta OH)
Ancient Adena Burial Mound and Ceremonial Grounds (Marietta OH)
New River Gorge Bridge-largest single span bridge in US (Fayette WV --above left)
Mother's Day Shrine-site of first Mother's Day (Grafton WV)
National D-Day Memorial (Bedford VA)
MAP OF WEST VIRGINIA
For More Information
See Mission History or Random Notes for more information about West Virginia
LDS Church related information above was sourced from the Deseret News Church Almanac 1999-2000 Edition and the Deseret News Church Almanac 2001-2002 Edition. West Virginia state information was sourced from West Virginia's State Webpage. **2005 data supplied by www.newsroom.lds.org. Interesting Information listing was compiled by the Webmaster from various sources and personal knowledge.
|
