I’ve been thinking it for years, and sometimes I even tell people. Astonishingly, nobody has yet taken up the crusade. But West Virginia has the wrong name. It ought to be North Virginia.
First, no part of West Virginia is actually west of Virginia. The southwestern tail of Virginia extends much farther west into the Appalachian mountains than the state to its north.
Second, back in colonial times, the two states were simply Virginia. They split into two at the time of the civil war, divided on matters of slavery. Virginia took the side of the confederacy (AKA the South). West Virginia took the side of the union (AKA the North). I conclude therefore that the new state should have been dubbed North Virginia.
Have nothing better to do? The hashtag #Northnotwest is available. I checked.