Official and Traditional Colors of West Virginia
West Virginia state colors are Old Gold and Blue, officially designated in 1895. Find HEX, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone codes plus the history and meaning.
Official color palette of West Virginia
State color reference
- Official colors
- Old Gold and Blue
- Official since
- 1895 (Joint Resolution No. 8)
- Primary use
- State government branding, West Virginia University athletics, state agency insignia, official state communications
- Known for
- Old gold — a rich, deep amber-gold distinct from standard gold — adopted originally by West Virginia University and elevated to official state colors in 1895; the pairing represents the mineral and agricultural wealth of the Mountain State and the blue of its Appalachian skies
Color Specifications
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Old Gold
Represents the mineral wealth of West Virginia's coalfields — the Mountain State holds the largest coal reserves east of the Mississippi River and has been the nation's leading underground coal producer for over a century — and the agricultural abundance of the mountain valleys where corn, tobacco, and livestock production have sustained West Virginia's rural economy since statehood; old gold, with its deeper and warmer amber tone compared to standard flag gold, also evokes the autumnal forest colors of West Virginia's Appalachian hardwood canopy, one of the most species-diverse temperate forests in the world
Blue
Represents the clear blue skies visible from the ridgetops of the Allegheny and Appalachian ranges that define West Virginia's landscape, and the rivers — the Ohio, the Kanawha, the Monongahela, the New, and the Greenbrier — that carved the mountain terrain and served as the arteries of West Virginia's industrial and settlement history; blue also reflects West Virginia's identity as the only state created during and because of the Civil War, born out of loyalty to the Union in 1863 and associated with the Union Army's blue uniform that distinguished the Mountain State's founders
WCAG Contrast Checker
Accessibility compliance for Old Gold and Blue
Blue
on Old Gold background
Old Gold
on Blue background
WCAG 2.1 Standards:
- AA Normal Text: 4.5:1 minimum
- AA Large Text: 3:1 minimum
- AAA Normal Text: 7:1 minimum
- AAA Large Text: 4.5:1 minimum
Developer Export
Copy-paste ready code snippets
CSS Variables
/* CSS Variables for West Virginia */
:root {
--west-virginia-old-gold: #EAAA00;
--west-virginia-blue: #002D62;
}Tailwind CSS Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'west-virginia': {
'old-gold': '#EAAA00',
'blue': '#002D62',
}
}
}
}
}SCSS Variables
// SCSS Variables for West Virginia
$west-virginia-old-gold: #EAAA00;
$west-virginia-blue: #002D62;
Year West Virginia achieved statehood on June 20 — the only state admitted to the Union during the Civil War and the only state in American history created by seceding from a Confederate state; the blue of the Union Army that protected West Virginia's statehood gives the color a foundational significance in the Mountain State's identity that no other state's blue carries
Official Designation and History
West Virginia officially designated old gold and blue as the state colors in 1895 under Joint Resolution No. 8, making the Mountain State one of the earlier states to codify its color identity by formal legislative action in the late nineteenth century. The 1895 designation followed a pattern established by the colors' origin at West Virginia University, which had adopted old gold and blue as its official institutional colors in the years following the university's founding in 1867. The Legislature's decision to elevate the university's colors to official state status reflected WVU's already substantial cultural footprint across the young state, which had only achieved statehood thirty-two years earlier in 1863, as reflected in West Virginia's state motto history.
The Joint Resolution No. 8 of 1895 was one of the more consequential acts in West Virginia's early legislative history, not because of its legal significance but because it formalized a color identity that would prove extraordinarily durable over the following 130 years. West Virginia University's Mountaineers, competing in old gold and blue uniforms across NCAA athletics, have maintained continuous national visibility for the state's colors through football, basketball, and other major sports programs. The university's colors are among the most recognized in Big 12 athletics and carry the full weight of the Mountain State's official color designation into every national sporting context, similar to the visual identity of the state flag.
Joint Resolution No. 8 (1895)
Joint Resolution No. 8 formally adopted old gold and blue as the official colors of the State of West Virginia, acknowledging the colors' established status through West Virginia University without specifying exact Pantone or HEX values — a common limitation of nineteenth-century color legislation that predated modern color standardization systems. West Virginia University has since standardized the colors as PMS 7549 (Old Gold) and PMS 282 (Blue) in its official brand identity guidelines, and these specifications serve as the de facto standard for state government applications as well.
West Virginia University and the 1867 Color Tradition
West Virginia University, founded in Morgantown in 1867, four years after West Virginia's statehood, adopted old gold and blue as its official colors in the institution's early years. The choice of old gold — a richer, more amber-toned gold than the brighter yellows used by many other institutions — distinguished WVU's palette from competitors and created a color identity that would prove uniquely durable. By the time the Legislature adopted the colors as official state colors in 1895, WVU had already established 28 years of institutional identity under the old gold and blue, making the legislative act a formal acknowledgment of an existing cultural reality rather than the creation of a new one.
Key milestones
Virginia secedes from the Union on April 17; western Virginia counties refuse to follow the Confederate cause and begin organizing a loyal state government, setting in motion the process that will create the Mountain State
West Virginia admitted to the Union on June 20 as the 35th state, the only state created during the Civil War; the Union blue of the soldiers who defended West Virginia's statehood becomes foundational to the new state's color heritage
West Virginia University founded in Morgantown; the university adopts old gold and blue as its official colors in the institution's early years, establishing the pairing that will become the state's official colors 28 years later
West Virginia Legislature formally designates old gold and blue as the official state colors under Joint Resolution No. 8, elevating WVU's institutional colors to the status of official state identity
New River Gorge designated as a National River under the National Park Service, showcasing the dramatic Appalachian landscape whose autumn hardwood colors — amber, gold, and rust — reinforce old gold's resonance as West Virginia's defining natural palette
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What the Colors Represent
Old gold and blue in West Virginia carry a depth of meaning that reflects the state's unique origin story, its extraordinary natural resource heritage, and the Appalachian cultural identity that distinguishes West Virginia from every other state in the Union. West Virginia is the only state created by seceding from another state during the Civil War — breaking away from Virginia in 1863 when western Virginia's counties refused to follow the Confederate cause. This origin in loyalty to the Union gives blue a special resonance in West Virginia: the color of the Union Army, the color of the federal government that recognized West Virginia's statehood, and the color that distinguished the Mountain State's founders from their Confederate Virginia counterparts, which also informs the Mountain State nickname.
Old Gold: Coal, Minerals, and Mountain Harvest
West Virginia's old gold speaks directly to the mineral wealth that has defined the state's economy and landscape more than any other single factor. West Virginia contains the largest bituminous coal reserves east of the Mississippi River and has been the dominant underground coal-producing state in the nation for over a century. The coal seams of the Appalachian coalfields — running through Mingo, McDowell, Logan, Boone, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties — produce the black gold that built West Virginia's industrial economy, but it is the amber-gold of economic wealth and natural richness that the color represents symbolically in the state colors. Old gold's warm, deep tone also evokes the extraordinarily diverse hardwood forest of West Virginia's mountains — one of the most biodiverse temperate forests in North America — whose autumn palette of oak, maple, and hickory creates one of the Appalachian region's most spectacular seasonal color displays.
Blue: Union Loyalty, Waterways, and Mountain Sky
Blue in West Virginia's color identity carries the unique historical weight of the state's Civil War origin. When Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861, the largely non-slaveholding counties of western Virginia refused to follow, eventually organizing a loyal state government and petitioning Congress for admission to the Union as a separate state. West Virginia was admitted on June 20, 1863 — the only state admitted during the Civil War and the only state in American history created by seceding from a Confederate state. The blue of the Union Army's uniforms worn by West Virginia soldiers who fought for the state's very existence gives the color a foundational significance in West Virginia's identity that no other state's blue can match. Blue also represents West Virginia's river heritage: the Ohio, Kanawha, Monongahela, New, and Greenbrier Rivers that carved the Mountain State's terrain and served as the pathways of settlement, industry, and commerce.
Usage in State Emblems, Athletics, and Civic Identity
Old gold and blue appear across West Virginia's official and civic landscape through both the formal designation of 1895 and the overwhelming cultural presence of West Virginia University's Mountaineers. WVU athletics — particularly football at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, one of the most passionate college football environments in the Big 12 — give old gold and blue their highest national visibility, with games broadcast to a national audience showing the distinctively warm-toned gold and deep navy of the Mountain State's official colors. West Virginia state government branding, the Governor's official communications, and state agency materials reference the official color designation in maintaining the old gold and blue palette. The West Virginia Division of Tourism uses the colors in marketing campaigns emphasizing the state's outdoor recreation economy — white water rafting on the New River Gorge, skiing at Snowshoe Mountain, and hiking in the Monongahela National Forest — that generates over $4 billion annually for the Mountain State and complements natural symbols such as the Sugar Maple state tree.
Timeline
Virginia secedes from the Union on April 17; western Virginia counties refuse to follow the Confederate cause and begin organizing a loyal state government, setting in motion the process that will create the Mountain State
Virginia secedes from the Union on April 17; western Virginia counties refuse to follow the Confederate cause and begin organizing a loyal state government, setting in motion the process that will create the Mountain State
West Virginia admitted to the Union on June 20 as the 35th state, the only state created during the Civil War; the Union blue of the soldiers who defended West Virginia's statehood becomes foundational to the new state's color heritage
West Virginia University founded in Morgantown; the university adopts old gold and blue as its official colors in the institution's early years, establishing the pairing that will become the state's official colors 28 years later
West Virginia University founded in Morgantown; the university adopts old gold and blue as its official colors in the institution's early years, establishing the pairing that will become the state's official colors 28 years later
West Virginia Legislature formally designates old gold and blue as the official state colors under Joint Resolution No. 8, elevating WVU's institutional colors to the status of official state identity
New River Gorge designated as a National River under the National Park Service, showcasing the dramatic Appalachian landscape whose autumn hardwood colors — amber, gold, and rust — reinforce old gold's resonance as West Virginia's defining natural palette
New River Gorge designated as a National River under the National Park Service, showcasing the dramatic Appalachian landscape whose autumn hardwood colors — amber, gold, and rust — reinforce old gold's resonance as West Virginia's defining natural palette
"West Virginia is the only state born out of the Civil War, and the blue of its official state colors carries that history — it is literally the color of the Union cause that made West Virginia possible. Old gold speaks to the mineral wealth of the Appalachian coalfields that built the state's economy for a century. Together they capture the Mountain State's extraordinary character."
Quick Answers
What are the official colors of West Virginia?
What is the HEX code for West Virginia Old Gold?
What is the HEX code for West Virginia Blue?
When were West Virginia's state colors officially adopted?
Why does West Virginia use old gold and blue?
Sources
- West Virginia Legislature - Joint Resolution No. 8 (1895)
- West Virginia Secretary of State - State Symbols
- West Virginia University Brand Identity - Colors
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