Your West Virginia Incorporation- From Steel to Skiing

West Virginia is a state of 1.8 million people known for its mountainous landscapes and its coal mining and other industries. The capital and largest city of West Virginia is Charleston, with a population of 54,000 and a metropolitan area of 300,000 people. The state has become popular with those on the Eastern seaboard who love hiking, skiing, fishing and hunting, among other outdoor activities. It is located in the Appalachian Mountains with spectacular scenery. There must be some possibilities here for your West Virginia Incorporation.

West Virginia is heavily mountainous and people use small planes and a network of small airports. West Virginia University in Morgantown has a PRT (personal rapid transit) system, the state's only single rail public transit system, which was developed by Boeing Corporation and the WVU School of Engineering.

There are ongoing efforts by the State Government to maintain and expand industrial businesses, including in steel production and auto manufacturing. For example, the new company Charleston Stamping will invest more than $35 million to refurbish a plant in Charleston with new automation equipment. That includes a $15 million loan from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority. The modernization is expected to allow the company to create as many as 550 jobs in its fourth or fifth year and to have automated its six lines. The plant will produce large auto and heavy truck parts.

Major industrial areas are the Kanawha, Ohio, and Monongahela valleys and the eastern panhandle. Two steel companies still active in the state under difficult conditions are ISG Weirton, and Wheeling-Pittsburgh. ISG Weirton, which was purchased by the International Steel Group, is located in Weirton, West Virginia and is the second largest U.S. producer of tin-plated steel. Wheeling-Pittsburgh, in the town of Wheeling, employs 4,500 workers and is a leading manufacturer of steel roofing and steel siding for residential and industrial buildings. Other major industrial companies with operations in West Virginia include E. I. du Pont de Nemours, Union Carbide, Ravenswood Aluminum, and Rhone Poulenc.

In the coal mining industry, the Kanawha field is currently the No. 1 producing coal field in the state. The field encompasses Boone County, Raleigh County, Kanawha County and elsewhere. Modern day operations in the Kanawha-Coal River Field include Eastern Associated's Black Stallion and Lightfoot No. 2 mines, and Massey's Power Mountain/Alex Energy among others.

Tourism is a big attraction in West Virginia. In the Potomac Highlands along the eastern edge of the state, the Allegheny Mountain range has peaks rising to 4,000 feet. Much of this eight-county region is devoted to vast tracts of national and state forest and wilderness. Snowshoe Mountain is one of the major all-season destinations in the East. There’s also Mountaineer Terrain Park for snowboard, ski-board and skiing, Canaan Valley Resort State Park in Tucker County has interconnecting slopes, offering skiing from beginners' slopes to expert. In the summertime, many of the same areas have hiking, camping and whitewater rafting opportunities. Favorite rivers include the Gauley and the Greenbrier. From the town of Romney, West Virginia, a train leaves, going through great scenery including seeing of a bald eagle. Another place to go is the Monongahela National Forest with 901,000 acres of forests and wilderness.

Howard Giske writes about how to get your
West Virginia Incorporation
and other business info at Inc Paradise