A Heavenly Place, West Virginia
“Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze”
Pretty much everyone, including those who haven’t been, can appreciate the beauty West Virginia has to offer. The forests are rich, and the skies seem to always be a crisp blue. The Blue Ridge Mountains are just one part of the much larger Appalachians.
Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post/Getty Images
In reality, only a little bit of the range is actually located in West Virginia, but the song is really about a general southern nostalgia. As for the Shenandoah River, it runs through both Virginia and the eastern border of West Virginia, along the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.