The Real Reason West Virginia Broke Away From Virginia

So in the United States, we've got Virginia and West Virginia. Why do we need both? Well, turns out that American history reveals numerous regions for this division. "Virginia" existed as a large state comprising the land that now makes up the two states we know today, and it lasted this way for almost 100 years after being admitted into the Union. But geographic, economic, and cultural factors did not make this large state a naturally united one, and resentments fomented until all hell broke loose in the Civil War. When the dust settled, Virginia had been split into two states, but most people today couldn't tell you exactly what it happened. Here's the real reason West Virginia broke away from Virginia.