West Virginia States for Business 2013" based on measures of competitiveness such as economy, workforce and cost of living – ranking among the bottom 5 states for the last six years running. West Virginia ranked 49th in the 2014 State New Economy Index, and has ranked in the bottom three states since 1999. West Virginia ranked last or next-to-last in critical indicators such as Workforce Education, Entrepreneurial Activity, High-Tech Jobs, and Scientists and Engineers. On January 9, 2014 near Charleston, the state capital, a chemical spill occurred that contaminated the water supply of 300,000 people in nine West Virginia counties. According to
U.S. Route 220 in West Virginia U.S. Route 220 in West Virginia U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a U.S. Highway that travels from Rockingham, North Carolina, to Waverly, New York. In the state of West Virginia, it travels for from the Virginia state line south of Harper to the Maryland state line at Keyser. The highway enters West Virginia south of Harper in Pendleton County. From the state line, US 220 parallels the South Branch Potomac River as it progresses northward. north of Harper, US 220 travels through Franklin, where it intersects US 33. The highway enters Grant County approximately north of Franklin. Within Grant