"Montani Semper Liberi" (Official)
The West Virginia state motto is a Latin motto and in English
it means "Mountaineers Are Always Free".
The West Virginia motto was suggested by the artist Joseph H.
DisDebar who was also the creative spirit behind the state seal.
The West Virginia motto was adopted in 1863 along with the
Great Seal of the State of West Virginia. 1863 was also the year
when West Virginia became a state independent of Virginia.
In this way the West Virginia motto represents patriotic
values of freedom and independency.
West Virginia State Nicknames
Whereas there is only one West Virginia state motto, there
exist a number of state nicknames for West Virginia:
"The Mountain State" and "Switzerland of America"
The beautiful Allegheny Mountains that go through the state are
the inspiration for this West Virginia state nickname.
Like
Colorado,
Maine,
New Jersey, and
New Hampshire, the mountainous terrain has been compared to
the Alps of Switzerland.
"The Panhandle State"
This West Virginia nickname is a reference to Virginia's
physical shape as it appears on a map. The slender territory
between Maryland and Virginia is called the Eastern Panhandle
and the land strip between Ohio and Pennsylvania is designated
the Northern Panhandle.
West Virginia State Slogans
Whereas the West Virginia state motto intends to describe the
free national 'soul' of West Virginia, West Virginia state
slogans focus especially on attracting tourists, and as you will
see, some are more serious and conventional than others:
"West Virginia, Open for business"
This is a very publicly criticized West Virginia state slogan
from 2006 which was the state's welcome sign slogan.
"Wild, Wonderful West Virginia"
This is a former West Virginia slogan which lasted from 1975 to
1991. Apparently, it is still going strong today as it is
featured on the West Virginia Vacation, Travel, and Tourism
Homepage:
VisitWestVirginia.com
"Almost Heaven"
In her opening line for her speech after her win in the 2008,
West Virginia Democratic primary, Hillary Rodham Clinton said:
"You know, like the song says, 'It's almost heaven".
"West Virginia: One Big Happy Family, Really!"
"West Virginia: Safe Sex, We Mark the Sheep that Kick"
"It's All Relative in West Virginia"
"West Virginia is for Loving Your Sister"
"West Virginia is Better If You're Drunk"
"West Virginia: Life is Full of Decisions … Goat …
Sister …"
"West Virginia: Now with Sckools"
Some of these West Virginia
funny state slogans can be bought on various souvenir items
such as t-shirts, caps, mugs and the like.
Where Would You Like to Go Next?
Perhaps to
Funny State Slogans or the state motto, state nickname
and state slogan of
United States?
Or maybe
Alabama,
Alaska,
Arizona,
Arkansas,
California,
Colorado,
Connecticut,
Delaware,
Florida,
Georgia,
Hawaii,
Idaho,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Iowa,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts,
Michigan,
Minnesota,
Mississippi,
Missouri,
Montana,
Nebraska,
Nevada,
New Hampshire,
New Jersey,
New Mexico,
New York,
North Carolina,
North Dakota,
Ohio,
Oklahoma,
Oregon,
Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina,
South Dakota,
Tennessee,
Texas,
Utah,
Vermont,
Virginia,
Washington,
Wisconsin, and
Wyoming.
Or perhaps you'd like to see
the page State Mottos to find a complete list of mottos
Go to the Homepage