As trains gave way to cars and trucks in the 1900s, West Virginia was disconnected in many ways from the rest of the country. The nation's interstate highway system helped re-connect the state. Built between 1957 and 1988, it includes seven major highways stretching over 500 miles.

• The longest highway is I-77, running 187 miles from Bluefield to Parkersburg, including the West Virginia Turnpike.

• I-64 runs east-west through the state, with a stretch from west of Huntington to White Sulphur Springs.

• I-79 runs from Charleston to the Pennsylvania border.

• I-81 crosses the Eastern Panhandle.

• Shorter interstates (at least in West Virginia) include I-70 and I-470 in the Northern Panhandle and short sections of I-460 in Mercer County and I-68 in Monongalia and Preston counties.