I’m a simple man. I see something about my home state and click.

The Capitol dome isn't painted gold, it is actually gilded in gold leaf.

Move from Germany to WV 30 years ago ... I would not move to any other state... WV rocks

As an Asian person who is thankful to have the opportunity to live and learn in the US, I am impressed with you for acknowledging the positive side about our adopted country. Too many Europeans prefer to diss the US, let alone parts of the US even Americans like to diss, like West Virginia.

Native Pronunciation: Can-A-Whaw Standard Pronunciation: Kuh-Naw-Wa Local Pronunciation: Kuh-Naw

I work at the state museum so I lit up like a Christmas tree when you brought up the museum😭 it's an amazing museum, unlike no other, and I'm so happy you got to stop by!😍

I was born, raised, and educated in WV, then moved to New England for two years before moving back to raise my daughter. Most Americans only know of the regional stereotypes and are clueless to the good aspects of our beautiful state. Thank you for shedding a positive light on ya!

My family and I just returned from a road trip where we initially were going to be in West Virginia for two days on the western side of the state . We liked it so much we changed our route home so we could explore the eastern side of the state, too. Natural beauty everywhere, full of history and friendly people. This state is underrated! We are planning a dedicated trip back!!!

Take me home country roads. Thanks for a great video about my home state.

I am so glad that, at least for now, you have chosen to make America your home. After watching the news all day, it's nice to watch a video about positives of the US. Thank you. I really enjoy your channel!⭐⭐⭐

I was born in Charleston. My grandparents lived in a mining town called Berwind, in the southern most part of the state. My grandfather was a full-blooded Englishman. My grandmother was of Scot-Irish descent. I still miss it. Thanks for your take on Charleston.

I have to say West Virginia is honestly a pretty great state. I've been many other places and I have to say that this place is pretty clean compared to others and the people are super nice.

Born and raised in Charleston, WV! I don’t live there anymore but am a very proud mountaineer. Thanks for the great review! WV gets a bad rap so much of the time.

Great approach. We ALL have had enough of "negatives"...about EVERYTHING!

I am born and raised in New York City, but I have traveled to 47 of our 50 states. Without a doubt West Virginia is the most beautiful state I have ever seen.

As a native born West Virginian and direct descendent of the first settler of this state, I am glad that you enjoyed our state that we call home.

At least he knows West Virginia is a separate state from Virginia & doesn’t associate it with Richmond like out-of-state people 😅

If your ever back in WV and want to learn about the coal mining, you need to visit Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley. You can take a tour underground.

West Virginia isn’t on most people’s radars, so, coming from a local, this was a treat to find. Thanks a lot! And your pronunciation of “Kanawha” was close enough. Lol 👌

Thank you for keeping your highlight of my hometown positive. There is A LOT of beautiful things about Charleston, including the people, despite what you might read in these comments. I have found that ignorance is common place amongst a lot of KZfaq viewer comments these days. West Virginian's are in fact wonderful hard working people who don't know a stranger and would give you the shirt off of their backs if you needed it. Some of the best people you could ever meet, truly. Thank you for visiting Charleston and come back soon! We'd sure love to have you.

It was a strange experience hearing someone speak about my home city like this instead of only talking negatively about it. It made me see the city in a different, more positive perspective so thank you for that!

As many West Virginia natives have already said, thank you for a nice upbeat video about our state. I am glad you had a chance to look around the Capital building, it is a source of pride for many of us. The paintings of the men you saw and spoke of in your video are of all our past governors.

This is my hometown! I only live 3 hours away but Charleston has my heart! I love these WV hills! These beautiful country roads take me home each and every day! 💙💛

As a New Yorker, I was completely blown away by the charm and the beauty of West Virginia. Went hiking around the New River Gorge Area and loved it! Plus that State Museum is amazing! WV is definitely almost heaven!

I’m from just outside of Charleston! I want to say thank you for focusing on some of the nice things about our state capitol without harping on the negatives or making fun of our state as so many do!

You have to come back and try Tudors biscuit world, every westvirginian could agree to that

As a native West Virginian (Huntington), I enjoyed this video. There is a lot of focus on the opioid crisis, crime, and poverty of the area; but the area is so much deeper than that

As a WV native who’s spent a lot of time in Charleston thanks for being generous about my state. Please come back again but try the Greenbrier, Lewisburg, Blackwarer Falls, The New River Gorge, or Seneca Rocks...that will give you a real feel for West (by-God) Virginia.

How lovely. Thank you from someone who lives in Charleston, WV.

Hawks nest, Kanawha falls, and Babcock state park are must sees. Some of the true few beauties left here.

My Dad grew up in Logan, W.VA. n I still have family there. It is the most beautiful place on Earth!!

As a born and raised West Virginian who grew up right outside of Charleston (Cross Lanes!), thank you for such a positive presentation of my hometown. All too often West Virginia gets a bad rap, and much of it is untrue and unfair. The Charleston area was a wonderful place in which to live and grow up. I wouldn't exchange those early years in that place for anything. Really, a day isn't enough to truly see all the area has to offer. Go back again sometime and spend a bit more time there. BTW, your pronunciation of Kanawha is pretty much spot on, although the local pronunciation is often closer to "kuh-NAW-uh".

My great grandfather was a coal miner in West Virginia before the family moved to Ohio

I’m from Charleston WV and I do really love it, I’m so proud you chose to pick Charleston. I’m such a proud hillbilly

As a resident of Charleston it's always good to hear positive and uplifting content about our great state. We have a bad reputation, but we truly are a hidden gem! Thank you!

I live in Charleston WV, first video of yours I've came across and I really enjoyed it , thank you for the positive message.

I’m Canadian and I love West Virginia. The people are friendly. The driving is epic and so much fun (except for that speed trap outside Summersville) and the scenery is beyond compare. Your next stop should be a trip to see The New River Gorge Bridge. Stunning is too weak a word to describe the bridge and the area it spans. Get yourself there, mate!!

I love West Virginia. I spend a lot of time in Charleston for research (I’m a historian at WVU) and my grandparents live in So. Charleston and Nitro and I went to Marshall U. in Huntington. Love seeing West Virginia shown in a positive light. 💕

Thank you for the good report about Charleston, WV. I am a proud WV and glad you enjoyed your time in Charleston.

West Virginia, Fayetteville is the best small town. It has many attractions. If you find yourself in WV again I recommend fayetteville.

You probably seen more of America than most Americans. You go Laurence and congratulations on 50000 subscribers.

Born, raised, and still reside in Charleston! We do have a beautiful city! Thanks for pointing out the positives! And I'm glad you had an enjoyable stop here!

Thank you for your positive spin on our beautiful state. Usually WV is portrayed in a negative way. So, thank you. Much Love!

I live in Charleston, and I gotta be honest, you hit a lot of our strong points! If you ever come back, for sure check out Hawk's Nest, some of the rivers, some historical bridges, and look into coal mine rides, it gives you a good insight on what actually took place here!

I worked at the capitol complex for 14 years. It is a great place to visit. Thanks for visiting. Our hills our great place to spend time. Pies and pints for pizza and Ellen’s for ice cream are not to be missed.

Thank you for this! I live and work in the Charleston area and it does have a lot of small city charm. Many locals only like to focus on things that have changed for the worse, but it’s still a terrific place. I hope you can make it back someday and maybe stay longer. Plan to take in the shops around Capitol Street or get outside of town and see some of the sights like Hawk’s Nest park. WV is also home to some of the USA’s most delightful small towns like Lewisburg and Harpers Ferry.

It's nice to see someone appreciate the nice parts of my city for once!

I live like 1 hour away from Charleston and when I saw this in my recommended feed, I clicked and was really happy to see a good quality video talking about my home state

Woohoo! West Virginia! I'm in Jefferson County, WV...which is not near Charleston. But still! West Virginia!!!!!

Thanks for the fine words about my adoptive home state! The locals will certainly appreciate the kind review. You did miss a few things I would reccomend to all visitors (time permitting of course); first is Tudor's Biscuit World, the must have breakfast for any Mountaineer on the go; and then you have to get out of Charleston for this but take the road in front of the capitol building (US Route 60) east and travel about 1/2 to 1 hour and visit 3 places, the Glenn Ferris Inn at the Kanawha Falls (great lunch stop) then onto Cathedral Falls (a hidden and tucked away place off the left side of the road) and finally up to Hawk's Nest State Park for stunning views of the valley's below. Also (time permitting) head down RT 60 till it meets Rt 119 and head south the New River Gorge Bridge is absolutely awesome. Maybe a stop somewhere in Fayetteville for dinner and take the side roads back to Rt 60 and back into Charleston.

I'm so happy to see all my fellow natives here in the comments. Glad you enjoyed your visit, Laurence, WV is truly magnificent and does not get the credit it deserves.

I'm so happy you did this video, Thank You! I was Born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia! I'm a proud coal miners daughter, and it was so nice to finally see someone look at our Beautiful state in a Positive light for a change!! God Bless You, and Hope you come back another time! Ericka Atkins #mountaineerpride 💙💛💙💛💙

As a West Virginia coal miner. We love our history my friend. Our history will always be passed down

Westsider here. I have a love/hate relationship with WV. But, I'm allowed to, it's my home. I would never deny where I come from. I was inside the Daniel Boone hotel today. Crazy shit. Big ups to this dude for showing respect.

I was in Charleston WV overnight to catch an Amtrak Cardinal line to Florida, mainly because I never caught a train and wanted to. I got to take a walk in that town and stop by the co-cathedral and a Mexican restaurant. I had pretty much the same positive opinion of the town you had.

Thanks for stopping by! Kanawha can be pronounced like kuh-NAW-uh, and the river is for looking not touching. If you dig bluegrass, we have a festival every May called the Vandalia Gathering, which is pretty fun. The Henry Gassaway Davis was cleaned this past April, so he lost his aged character.

Growing up in Boone County, spent a lot of time in the Kanawha Valley. Thank you Lawrence!!

I am fortunate to live only 14 miles to the W.Va state line, live in Pennsylvania. Traveled many states, West Virginia is my absolute favorite, Truly a Awesome Beautiful state, and its people are friendly

There is so much more to see in West Virginia. I hope you come back!

My beloved WV is an amazing state in so many ways. It lifts my spirit to see that you found yourself in Charleston and have shown some things you found beautiful about the city.

Thanks for the nice words about my hometown!💕

Thank you for shining a good light on my home state.

This was completely unexpected but very proud to see an outsider enjoy our city & leave a positive report

I've lived in Los Angeles, Maryland, Nashville, and now I live 10 miles from Charleston, WV. I honestly thought I would hate it here and didn't plan on staying for too long but it didn't take me long to change my mind. We have had opportunities to move and have turned them down. My children are getting an excellent education in a beautiful family friendly community. When relatives and friends visit they finally understand why we love living here.

I love trucking through charleston actually. Prob one of my favorite places

A visit to WV needs to include the small towns, villages, off the map. The people are amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to explore a bit of West Virginia. It is lovely to walk around town and see people's front yard gardens and I have seen the river look blue, too, on sunny blue-sky days. So glad you got to visit. It is a joy to travel and explore small towns, rural roads, as well as those bustling cities with big names. Looking forward to seeing your other videos. Hope that you get to tour the rest of Wild & Wonderful, West by God Virginia and check out some music festivals some time or canoe or raft another of our many streams and rivers. To me, when one travels, one can appreciate so many things specific to the place you are in. Finding those beautiful gems, appreciating architectural details, and chance-encounters meeting folks here and there. The world is really a small place and I love that you have helped to make it smaller with your travels & sharing them here.

I’m a born and raised West Virginian and I absolutely love that you loved our little city. Not visiting Tudor’s was a poor decision though, it’s the BEST 🙌🏼 If you think our bacon is weird just try biscuits and gravy and count all the differences in that compared to your home 😂 If you ever come back be sure to visit the Capitol Market in the summer when it’s filled with farm vendors and fresh flowers and produce 💖🌿🍅

I'm a resident of Charleston. I have lived here my whole life. Yes, we have our problems but the culture in WV is something that you won't encounter anywhere else in America. WV was built on MANY different cultural backgrounds and over the many years they have all blended together to form Appalachian culture (it's a real thing). As you mentioned, we do have our issues, as does any city. BUT we are a friendly bunch and when disaster strikes or a need needs met we all come together to do what needs/must be done. I love that about my state/city. I am impressed that you basically did pronounce Kanawha correctly but Appalachia is Appa-lach-CHA not Appa-la-SHA. The river is filthy and polluted but it can be a nice view and provides nice recreation in your back yard. If you come back to the city I recommend Capitol Street. It still has brick pavers as the road and has many unique stores/restaurants. It's the best street in downtown Charleston.

I've been to Charleston WV and thought it was quite pretty - both the downtown area and some of the neighborhoods up in the hills. Lots of handsome turn-of-the-century buildings and homes.

I was born and raised in WV, but I’m currently deployed overseas. I seen this in my feed and immediately had to watch some home sickness medicine, thanks for this!!!

I want to thank you for making a video of my homestate of wv and my capital city Charleston. Well done Sir.

my dude thats my city, i live up cambells creek just outside of chucktown .

Thanks for talking about the museum. So many locals don't even know it exists. It really is worth a 2 hour walk through.

Probably the best video about West Virginia made in a long time

Part 2 gaily mountain- I found a civil era hotel...The Glenn Ferris Inn. On the Gauley River, this area was a true treasure for an old history teacher. My room was decorated with vintage. The restaurant was a quaint little tea room,food was great and the staff, well, delightful.We had great fun telling old wva stories. I had my coffee in the upstairs sun room looking across the river where the union army set up a permanent camp. The General - Rutherford B. Hayes, took his meals at the Inn. The current owners are a very real rags to riches example of what you might find around the next bend.....if you can avoid the interstates. Watch out for those hair pins!

Exceptional vlog. I haven't been to West Virginia, but having watched here I would indeed like to visit Charleston, West Virginia. The cafe sounds good. And I love a good, all encompassing museum.

Thanks for coming to the city and portraying it well! I had to leave about 4 years ago because of the decline of industry and economy of the state but i will always love West Virginia! This was a good surprise that popped up on my recommended videos!

I’m so glad you did this!!! I live in Charleston and it’s easy to not find the beauty in a city you’ve lived in for your whole life. West Virginia gets a bad rep but you saw the beauty in it no one really sees

Nice to see a video from you about my home state again, Laurence! Finding your video from 2016 of WV was actually how I found your channel, been a subscriber ever since.

Take me home To the place I belong

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

BLUE? Kanawha River, never seen that before, lol...but thanks for your kindness.

Kanawha (Can-ah-wa) , it is native Iroquois for" water way/canoe way". The dome is gold leaf inlay. It was on there originally, but was removed at some point. Then redone as solid gold, but redone a few years later as the black and gold dome. I live 10 minutes from down town.

Thanks for another great video! The museum looks really nice, and I love visiting places like that, and learning about the history of different locations! 👍

The Wyoming State Capital building just re-opened after a three-year renovation. It has a fully gold-leafed dome (the whole thing was done with about 6 oz of gold). It sits across the street from the state museum, which is also free.

I have lived in Charleston for almost a year. Taylor Books is a must!

I’m just 25 min outside of Charleston , I’ve lived here all my life , it’s a beautiful state . Glad you got to see it and loved it

I love this as a series, I haven’t caught one of your videos in a while and this brought me back.

Hey! Great video, Lawrence! In researching my family history, the trail has taken me through West Virginia, so this is interesting. I grew up saying "warsh" (wash), "warshrag" (washrag), Warshington (Washington), etc. I didn't even realize it, not until I studied linguistics, and had it pointed out! Yes, my family all used to say it that way, but that's changing. (I remember my grandma would say "pie-ANN-uh" for piano!) I love how you bring out the best in your videos. (I love great museums like the one in this video.) Best wishes from central Illinois!

I love this. Just happened to stumble across this video. Yes, the museum is fabulous and the dome is gold plated, not painted. There is also a genealogy area, in the cultural center. You can look up marriage certificates, birth and death records, all kinds of cool stuff. Really enjoyed your prospective!!

Thanks for loving our state....

Local here, saw “Chralston” and I though, “nah he can’t be talking about our state, he must be talking about SC.” To my supprise I read “West Virginia” :)

kanawha is pronounced kuhnaw, and the river is polluted as all get out, swim in at your own risk, giant ass catfish reside in there some the size of vw bugs

I have lived in Wv my whole life, thank you for this lovely Vlog! ❤️❤️ It truly is a beautiful and Kind state!!

Thank you so much for such a genuine uplifting and positive video about WV. We don’t get positive reviews at all heck we don’t even get acknowledged period. This touched my heart, thank you.

I’m so glad you enjoyed your visit to one of my home state and one of my favorite cities in the world. Last time I was there, I walked around the capitol building, and I remember them cleaning up after a wedding they held just outside the House of Delegates Chambers. I love just how beautiful and open our capitol is, you’re free to do as you like, and there’s no cost to go anywhere in there. If it helps, almost all of the capitol building is open to the public except the offices, the gold leaf on the Rotunda is real, and those paintings were all of West Virginia governors.

i work in Charleston (at the capital complex ironically enough) and it was really neat hearing all of your observations, sir! you've landed a new subscriber, keep up the good work!

As someone who grew up in Charleston, a couple recommendations are a walk down Capitol Street, it has some amazing restaurants and cool shops, and a visit to Capitol Market ❤️

I live in Tornado which is situated on the Coal River which dumps into the Kanawha River at a city called St. Albans. I was born and raised here, spent several years just south of Philadelphia and moved back home. Everybody that lives here is well aware of the negative aspects of the area, but we are quick to forget about what is admirable. Thank you for the reminders and your willingness to find them. Fantastic job!