The Shenandoah Valley (/ˌʃɛnənˈdoʊə/) is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians (excluding Massanutten Mountain), to the north by the Potomac River, to the south by the James River, and to the Southwest by the New River Valley. The cultural region covers a larger area that includes all of the Valley plus the Virginia Highlands to the west and the Roanoke Valley to the south. It is physiographically located within the Ridge and Valley Province and is a portion of the Great Appalachian Valley.
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In this Dossier
- 👉 Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Shenandoah Valley
- Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Northern panhandle of West Virginia
- Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Jefferson County, West Virginia
- Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Northern panhandle of West Virginia
The northern panhandle is one of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia (the other is the Eastern panhandle). It is a culturally and geographically distinct region of the state. It is the state's northernmost extension, bounded by Ohio and the Ohio River on the north and west and the state of Pennsylvania on the east. Its unusual configuration is the result of the Revolutionary-era claims of Virginia's former Yohogania County boundary lying along the Ohio River, conflicting with interpretations of the Colony of Pennsylvania's royal charter. The conflict was settled by compromise in the 1780s.
In 2013, its northernmost two counties were included in the Pittsburgh consolidated area by the U.S. Census.
Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Jefferson County, West Virginia
Jefferson County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,701. Its county seat is Charles Town. The county was founded in 1801, and today is part of the Washington metropolitan area.
Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and the sixth-most populous city in the state. It is a principal city of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area extending into Maryland, which had 293,844 residents in 2020.
Eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the context of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Berkeley Springs, formally named Bath, is a town in Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. In 1776, the Virginia Legislature incorporated a town around the springs and named it Bath. Since 1802, it has been referred to by the name of its original post office, Berkeley Springs. It is located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and is part of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area.
The area contains mineral water springs frequented by Native Americans indigenous to the area, possibly for thousands of years. After settlement by Europeans, the mineral springs drew many visitors from urban areas. Notable colonial visitors to the area included George Washington and James Rumsey. Berkeley Springs remained a popular resort area during the United States' early years. It is the home of the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, the longest-running and largest such event in the world. Another local tradition is the Apple Butter Festival, started by a group of local business owners and led by then Mayor Frank Heiner, in 1974. It continues to be a popular resort area, with tourism the primary industry in the county and there being six full-service spas using mineral water.