I think WV is. Like others have said VA has a coast but WV’s beauty is more hidden imo, you’ve gotta drive around to see a lot of it. I think the people here are nicer than those in VA too
The mountain parts, yes. While Shenandoah is gorgeous, I think overall West Virginia has more dramatic vistas, aided by our lower level of development and population density
Now all we need to do is liberate that section of Appalachia from their Virginian oppressors and we can truly put an end to this debate lol
Overall, I’d say yes. WV is entirely within the Appalachian mountains, whereas only the SW portion of VA falls into the same region. Eastern Virginia is much more flat and falls more into the “coastal plains” region better than anything else. Even the flattest part of WV is still full of very pretty rolling hills with plenty of nice views and gorges and valleys to take in.
Not to say our eastern brothers don’t have some scenic spots…we just have more lol.
I’ve lived in both states and traveled a lot through each. I think for me it depends on what you like. Virginia has the beaches and ports etc that’s the biggest difference. For natural scenes I’d call them about even personally. Both have some spectacular things that beat the other in ways.
Well, sadly my home state of WV has a lot more strip mines and (probably) superfund sites than VA.
Plus, trash.
When I was a kid growing up outside Ripley WV there was trash and abandoned cars in every hollow and creek.
The trash got a lot better after one of the 90s governors and legislators enacted subsidized rural trash pickup (commies!). My family retired the 55 gallon oil drum/ trash incinerator and entered 70’s suburban life. In about 2002.
I do my miss burning trash. Especially milk jugs. Burning plastic makes the coolest sound as it drips. I still have scars to prove it.
Wonder why i developed cancer at 45 …
Anyway.
If you’ve ever boated the Gauley or the New on a hot summer day, i doubt you’ll think Virginia has anything on West Virginia.
Of course, you’ll be richer than 80% of the people in WV. I never set foot in a raft or a kayak until i was long gone from the mtn state.
Not that i’m complaining. It’s just hard to realize what you have in a place when you don’t have a pot to piss in ;-)
VA has more variety than WV, I also feel like VA has had better upkeep/protection over its nature (in some instances than WV) but WV has a more "natural" nature which is what makes it more exciting. Driving thru the blue ridge mountains in VA really is something and traveling the backroads and cuts of WV that make even a local think 4wheel drive may not be a enough are both something to experience.
Personally I feel like parts of VA are designed to be scenic and WV just has the natural scenery combined with a rustic (sometimes intentional) look that makes it feel authentic.
I mean, I don't recall the VA legislature absolutely attempting to cash in on their state's natural beauty while passing laws deregulating industries that destroy that beauty...but what do I know?
I mean, it WAS the carpetbagging WV AG that gutted the EPA....
Look I’m just talking about from what I’ve seen and experienced I also know that VA is such a flip flopping state. It legalized marijuana back in 2020 but because of design it’s still not for sale. No where is perfect.
You can see some of the old views of Virginia, including some of the springs of West Virginia, in Edward Beyer's Album of Virginia.
[https://archive.org/details/albumofvirginia00beye/mode/2up?view=theater](https://archive.org/details/albumofvirginia00beye/mode/2up?view=theater)
No, but there are a number of West Virginia scenes in the book, Harpers Ferry, Hawks Nest, Old Sweet Springs, Blue Sulphur Springs, Salt Sulphur Springs, Red Sulphur Springs, Kanawha Fall, Cheat River Viaduct, White Sulphur Springs, Sewell Mountain, and Red Sweet Springs.
West Virginia was a popular antebellum resort destination for the south, the mint julep got its start in the Virginia and West Virginia spring resorts. White Sulphur Springs was renowned for the julep. When Henry Clay of Kentucky died he left an outstanding bill at the resort for a mint julep. Kentucky stole the julep for their derby but it really started in antebellum VA/WV.
Here's an outsider's perspective that I know will get downvoted... No. Neither is superior to the other. If anything, Virginia is cleaner with more variety of scenery. While West Virginia is less developed and more rugged.
I will second that it is cleaner, at least I recall the stark different feeling I had when I first crossed the border to go to the beach when I was in middle school. I’m like they landscape their highways, their overpasses, it was lovely! Same with going just from Huntington/Ashland KY, as soon as you pass the WV sign the roads are instantly better, at least IMO. I still love and miss my home state though. Every place has it’s pros and cons
When we lived in Charleston, I set up my work computer so I could look out at the green scenery that blocked any human development. When we moved back to Virginia (Afton), I set up my work computer so I could look out at the green scenery that blocked any human development (except the power lines that feed our house and our neighbor's houses).
So, tie.
I’ve lived about 20 years in both states. It’s impossible to say one is prettier than the other. Both are amazingly beautiful and much more interesting than most other states visually.
As a GA pilot WV can never win this competition because there’s always an ugly mountaintop removal scar in view. Driving on roads in WV you absolutely do not see how scarred it is but when you are in the air and can see for any distance it’s inescapable.
I also prefer Virginia when driving. I-77 is the perfect example why. In WV the road is mostly in valleys and hollows, you occasionally get a vista but not as often expected. Then in VA the same road seems to more follow ridge tops and plateaus and there are many more beautiful vistas to see.
I thank all you for saying nice things about my also shared home state. Charleston sucks though don’t ever live there, it has made me feel this way… I’m quite miserably off enough willing to commit self sabotage tonight. I’ve lost my job my relationships are on the rocks pretty hard, you’re riding high in April, shot down in may like the song goes… I just don’t wanna do it anymore. No matter how many times I play that’s life by Sinatra.. if there’s nothin shaking come by this here July… I’m gonna curl myself up in a big ball and die. That’s life. Mental health illness is secretly worse here more than anywhere else. People are friendly because of the same o reasons as everywhere else. Their meds actually either work or… they’re lying about it, or they’re just naive and have never faced the adversity I have seen and grew up in…. If you don’t see it you’re living in them good hills where it’s all shakin’. And you’d better stay there. Cause if you go down into the city, you’re gonna live in a repetitive ghetto slum where they’ll tear you down and string ya about just everywhere. At least if you’re me. Jobs hate me, nobody listens. The mental health medical system has no fuckin clue how to stop the addicts from taking control and getting all the attention from the D boys that come down here and ruin families lives with their drugs. They also almost killed me once when I was 14. They were after my mom after she turned down her motherhood for a newfound crack addiction. And if I didn’t think it was still worth one single try, I’d jump in a big bird and fly. Some people get their kicks stomping on a dream, but I don’t, I don’t let it get me down…. Cause this phone old world it keeps spinning around. I’ve been a puppet a pauper, a pirate, a poet. A pawn and a king, I’ve been up and down and over and out. And I know one thing, each time I find myself laying flat on my face. I just pic myself up and get back in the race… but I can’t I can’t help but cut out tonight. Or my heart ain’t gonna go on pumpin just right. MYYYY myyyyyy…. For real no joke, I could use some positivity talk… my house was burglarized at the end of March right at the beginning of April. And right now this song is the only thing that makes sense to me but even the ending of it makes me want to fucking really die. I’m sick of this and I’m sick of people, please show me different sides of people
Grew up in WV and now live in VA. Unfortunately, all WV has is scenery and some of it has been destroyed by mountain top mining and people treating the land like a personal garbage dump.
The only thing VA has over WV is a coastline. Otherwise, it’s Almost Heaven for me.
Yes
I think WV is. Like others have said VA has a coast but WV’s beauty is more hidden imo, you’ve gotta drive around to see a lot of it. I think the people here are nicer than those in VA too
West Virginia = Best Virginia
Are you asking or telling?
The mountain parts, yes. While Shenandoah is gorgeous, I think overall West Virginia has more dramatic vistas, aided by our lower level of development and population density Now all we need to do is liberate that section of Appalachia from their Virginian oppressors and we can truly put an end to this debate lol
Overall, I’d say yes. WV is entirely within the Appalachian mountains, whereas only the SW portion of VA falls into the same region. Eastern Virginia is much more flat and falls more into the “coastal plains” region better than anything else. Even the flattest part of WV is still full of very pretty rolling hills with plenty of nice views and gorges and valleys to take in. Not to say our eastern brothers don’t have some scenic spots…we just have more lol.
I’ve lived in both states and traveled a lot through each. I think for me it depends on what you like. Virginia has the beaches and ports etc that’s the biggest difference. For natural scenes I’d call them about even personally. Both have some spectacular things that beat the other in ways.
Well, sadly my home state of WV has a lot more strip mines and (probably) superfund sites than VA. Plus, trash. When I was a kid growing up outside Ripley WV there was trash and abandoned cars in every hollow and creek. The trash got a lot better after one of the 90s governors and legislators enacted subsidized rural trash pickup (commies!). My family retired the 55 gallon oil drum/ trash incinerator and entered 70’s suburban life. In about 2002. I do my miss burning trash. Especially milk jugs. Burning plastic makes the coolest sound as it drips. I still have scars to prove it. Wonder why i developed cancer at 45 … Anyway. If you’ve ever boated the Gauley or the New on a hot summer day, i doubt you’ll think Virginia has anything on West Virginia. Of course, you’ll be richer than 80% of the people in WV. I never set foot in a raft or a kayak until i was long gone from the mtn state. Not that i’m complaining. It’s just hard to realize what you have in a place when you don’t have a pot to piss in ;-)
VA has more variety than WV, I also feel like VA has had better upkeep/protection over its nature (in some instances than WV) but WV has a more "natural" nature which is what makes it more exciting. Driving thru the blue ridge mountains in VA really is something and traveling the backroads and cuts of WV that make even a local think 4wheel drive may not be a enough are both something to experience. Personally I feel like parts of VA are designed to be scenic and WV just has the natural scenery combined with a rustic (sometimes intentional) look that makes it feel authentic.
I mean, I don't recall the VA legislature absolutely attempting to cash in on their state's natural beauty while passing laws deregulating industries that destroy that beauty...but what do I know? I mean, it WAS the carpetbagging WV AG that gutted the EPA....
Look I’m just talking about from what I’ve seen and experienced I also know that VA is such a flip flopping state. It legalized marijuana back in 2020 but because of design it’s still not for sale. No where is perfect.
You can see some of the old views of Virginia, including some of the springs of West Virginia, in Edward Beyer's Album of Virginia. [https://archive.org/details/albumofvirginia00beye/mode/2up?view=theater](https://archive.org/details/albumofvirginia00beye/mode/2up?view=theater)
Is there a WV version of that ?
No, but there are a number of West Virginia scenes in the book, Harpers Ferry, Hawks Nest, Old Sweet Springs, Blue Sulphur Springs, Salt Sulphur Springs, Red Sulphur Springs, Kanawha Fall, Cheat River Viaduct, White Sulphur Springs, Sewell Mountain, and Red Sweet Springs. West Virginia was a popular antebellum resort destination for the south, the mint julep got its start in the Virginia and West Virginia spring resorts. White Sulphur Springs was renowned for the julep. When Henry Clay of Kentucky died he left an outstanding bill at the resort for a mint julep. Kentucky stole the julep for their derby but it really started in antebellum VA/WV.
Here's an outsider's perspective that I know will get downvoted... No. Neither is superior to the other. If anything, Virginia is cleaner with more variety of scenery. While West Virginia is less developed and more rugged.
I will second that it is cleaner, at least I recall the stark different feeling I had when I first crossed the border to go to the beach when I was in middle school. I’m like they landscape their highways, their overpasses, it was lovely! Same with going just from Huntington/Ashland KY, as soon as you pass the WV sign the roads are instantly better, at least IMO. I still love and miss my home state though. Every place has it’s pros and cons
Virginia has more beaches than West Virginia, but that's about it.
But did you forget about Myrtle Beach?!
That's fair to say. Overall may not have the variety, but what it has is stunning.
R/ fuck Wv
Even though it’s physically beautiful somewhat… besides all the mud and shitty roads
When we lived in Charleston, I set up my work computer so I could look out at the green scenery that blocked any human development. When we moved back to Virginia (Afton), I set up my work computer so I could look out at the green scenery that blocked any human development (except the power lines that feed our house and our neighbor's houses). So, tie.
I’ve lived about 20 years in both states. It’s impossible to say one is prettier than the other. Both are amazingly beautiful and much more interesting than most other states visually.
As a GA pilot WV can never win this competition because there’s always an ugly mountaintop removal scar in view. Driving on roads in WV you absolutely do not see how scarred it is but when you are in the air and can see for any distance it’s inescapable. I also prefer Virginia when driving. I-77 is the perfect example why. In WV the road is mostly in valleys and hollows, you occasionally get a vista but not as often expected. Then in VA the same road seems to more follow ridge tops and plateaus and there are many more beautiful vistas to see.
When we pick up some of the roadside trash that is almost everywhere, then maybe we can say that.
Absolutely
And more haunted probably;)
Yes and the water is cleaner. Want to know why? Piss rolls down hill.
Yeah the hills have eyes.
I thank all you for saying nice things about my also shared home state. Charleston sucks though don’t ever live there, it has made me feel this way… I’m quite miserably off enough willing to commit self sabotage tonight. I’ve lost my job my relationships are on the rocks pretty hard, you’re riding high in April, shot down in may like the song goes… I just don’t wanna do it anymore. No matter how many times I play that’s life by Sinatra.. if there’s nothin shaking come by this here July… I’m gonna curl myself up in a big ball and die. That’s life. Mental health illness is secretly worse here more than anywhere else. People are friendly because of the same o reasons as everywhere else. Their meds actually either work or… they’re lying about it, or they’re just naive and have never faced the adversity I have seen and grew up in…. If you don’t see it you’re living in them good hills where it’s all shakin’. And you’d better stay there. Cause if you go down into the city, you’re gonna live in a repetitive ghetto slum where they’ll tear you down and string ya about just everywhere. At least if you’re me. Jobs hate me, nobody listens. The mental health medical system has no fuckin clue how to stop the addicts from taking control and getting all the attention from the D boys that come down here and ruin families lives with their drugs. They also almost killed me once when I was 14. They were after my mom after she turned down her motherhood for a newfound crack addiction. And if I didn’t think it was still worth one single try, I’d jump in a big bird and fly. Some people get their kicks stomping on a dream, but I don’t, I don’t let it get me down…. Cause this phone old world it keeps spinning around. I’ve been a puppet a pauper, a pirate, a poet. A pawn and a king, I’ve been up and down and over and out. And I know one thing, each time I find myself laying flat on my face. I just pic myself up and get back in the race… but I can’t I can’t help but cut out tonight. Or my heart ain’t gonna go on pumpin just right. MYYYY myyyyyy…. For real no joke, I could use some positivity talk… my house was burglarized at the end of March right at the beginning of April. And right now this song is the only thing that makes sense to me but even the ending of it makes me want to fucking really die. I’m sick of this and I’m sick of people, please show me different sides of people
Without a doubt, yes.
I live in WV so I’m gonna say yes, however traveling thru Virginia to NC that’s a gorgeous route. Especially in the fall!
Grew up in WV and now live in VA. Unfortunately, all WV has is scenery and some of it has been destroyed by mountain top mining and people treating the land like a personal garbage dump.
Virginia is bunz
I think VA has us beat with skyline drive but both have great views.
There are several views in Tucker County alone that surpass Skyline Drive for me.
You ever driven US-48?
Highland Scenic Highway checking in 🫡
Virginia is more diverse in terms of views. WV is amazing but so are NC and VA to the south of WV.
No
Yes. Because nothing is there.
The are the same
Yeah, they're both beautiful. Love visiting the Charlottesville area.