West Virginia per year, with 1,400 of those statistically attributed to deaths from heart, respiratory and kidney disease from living in an Appalachian coal county. In 2015, McDowell County had the highest rate of drug-induced deaths of any county in the United States, with a rate of 141 deaths per 100,000 people. Four of the five US counties with the highest rates of drug-induced deaths are located in West Virginia (McDowell, Wyoming, Cabell and Raleigh Counties). West Virginia's capital and seat of government is the city of Charleston, located in the southwest area of the state. The West Virginia Legislature is bicameral.
West Virginia Route 972 West Virginia Route 972 West Virginia Route 972 was a short north–south state highway in Mineral County, West Virginia. It was decommissioned in July 2017, becoming an extension of WV 93. The route connected U.S. Route 220 to U.S. Route 50 in the New Creek Valley. New Creek, West Virginia, the only populated place on the route, is located midway between US 50 and US 220. Route 972 was the highest numbered road in the state of West Virginia. Prior to 1972, WV 972 was part of US 220. In 1972, US 220 was moved to its present alignment east