Virginia

Commonwealth of Virginia
Image:Seal of Virginia.svg Flag of Virginia Seal of Virginia Nickname(s): Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents Motto(s): Sic semper tyrannis Image:Map of USA VA.svg
Official language(s)	English
Spoken language(s)	English 94.3%, Spanish 5.8%
Demonym	Virginian
Capital	Richmond
Largest city	Virginia Beach
Largest metro area	Northern Virginia
Area	Ranked 35th in the US
- Total	42,774 sq mi (110,785 km²)
- Width	200 miles (320 km)
- Length	430 miles (690 km)
- % water	7.4
- Latitude	36° 32′ N to 39° 28′ N
- Longitude	75° 15′ W to 83° 41′ W
Population	Ranked 12th in the US
- Total	7,078,515
- Density	178.8/sq mi  69.03/km² (14th in the US)
- Median income	$53,275 (10th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mount Rogers[1] 5,729 ft  (1,747 m)
- Mean	950 ft  (290 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean[1] 0 ft  (0 m)
Admission to Union	June 25, 1788 (10th)
Governor	Tim Kaine (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Bill Bolling (R)
U.S. Senators	John Warner (R), Jim Webb (D)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	VA US-VA
Website	www.virginia.gov

The Commonwealth of Virginia (pronounced /vɚˈdʒɪnjə/) is a state on the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. Virginia is the 12th-most populous state in the U.S. with over 7.7 million residents and the 35th largest in area.^[2] It is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the 'Virgin Queen' as she never married. The Virginia Company of London founded the Virginia Colony in 1607 as the first permanent New World English colony, with the hemisphere's oldest legislature.^[3] Virginia's government is ranked with the highest grade in the nation.^[4] Virginia was one of the thirteen colonies in the American Revolution and part of the Confederacy in the American Civil War.

The capital of the commonwealth is Richmond, though Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. Virginia's cities are connected by the third largest highway system in the nation.^[5] While Virginia's population is primarily white and of Northern European ancestry, over one-fifth of residents are African American. The largest religious denomination is Baptists. Although traditionally conservative and historically part of the Southern United States, Virginia is a politically competitive state with both conservative and liberal areas.^[6] Virginia is known as the "The Old Dominion" and sometimes "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents.

Virginia has a diverse economy with several important industries, from the federal government in Northern Virginia and military bases in Hampton Roads to the many agricultural areas. The Historic Triangle includes Jamestown, Yorktown and the living museum of Colonial Williamsburg. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.^[7] The growth of the technology sector has made computer chips the state's leading export, with the industry based on the strength of Virginia's public schools and universities, some of which are at the top of national rankings.^[8] University sports teams attract large followings in national competition.

Geography

See also: List of counties in Virginia and List of county seats in Virginia

Map of Virginia's major cities and roads

Virginia has an area of 42,774 square miles (110,784 km²) making it the thirty-fifth largest state.^[9] Virginia is bordered by Maryland and the District of Columbia to the north and east; by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east; by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south; and by Kentucky to the west and by West Virginia to the north and west. Due to a peculiarity of Virginia's original charter, its boundary with Maryland does not extend past the low-water mark of the southern shore of the Potomac River, meaning Maryland the District of Colombia contain the whole width of the river rather than its being split between them and Virginia.^[10]

Virginia has many National Park Service units, including one national park, the Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah was established in 1935 and encompasses the scenic Skyline Drive. Almost forty percent of the park's area (79,579 acres/322 km²) has been designated as Wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Other parks in Virginia, such as Great Falls Park and Prince William Forest Park are included in the many areas in the National Park System. Additionally, there are thirty-four Virginia state parks, run by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Forestry.^[11] The Chesapeake Bay, while not a national park, is protected by both state and federal legislation, and the jointly run Chesapeake Bay Program which conducts restoration on the bay and its watershed. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is protected by both Virginia and North Carolina.

Geology and terrain

The Chesapeake Bay divides the commonwealth, with Virginia's Eastern Shore, a separate exclave from the rest of the commonwealth. Many of Virginia's rivers flow into the Chesapeake. Geographically, Virginia is divided into the following four regions east to west:

• Tidewater—between the Atlantic coast and the fall line, including the Eastern Shore.
• Piedmont—foothills east of the Appalachian Mountains, but including the Southwest Mountains.
• Ridge and Valley—Includes the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley
• Appalachian Plateau—west of the mountains toward the Allegheny Plateau.^[12]
  Image:Virginia topographic edit.jpg

  Topographic map of Virginia counties

  Virginia's long east-west axis means that metropolitan northern Virginia lies as close to New York City as to its own rural western panhandle. Lee County, at the tip of the panhandle, is closer to eight other state capitals than it is to Richmond, Virginia's own capital.^[13]

  The Virginia seismic zone has not had a history of regular activity: the earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. The largest, at 6.0 magnitude, came in 1897 in Blacksburg.^[14] There is no volcanic activity in the state. It is located centrally on the North American Plate, where the Earth's crust is thicker than at the edges, which leads to fewer strong earthquakes.

  Climate

  Main article: Climate of Virginia

  Image:Shenandoah Trees.jpg

  The Blue Ridge Mountains have a humid continental climate.

  Most of the state east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, plus the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley, has a humid subtropical climate. In the mountainous areas west of the Blue Ridge, the climate becomes humid continental.^[15] Many variations occur because of the state's significant relief. Elevations in Virginia vary from sea level to Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m) above sea level, with major gradations occurring at the edges of the Atlantic Ocean, the end of the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny chains of the Appalachian Mountains.

  The moderating influence of the ocean from the east, powered by the Gulf Stream, also creates the potential for hurricanes near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Cold air masses arriving over the mountains, especially in winter, can lead to significant snowfalls, such as the Blizzard of 1996. The interaction of these elements with the state's topography creates micro-climates in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains that are noticeably distinct.^[16] In recent years the expansion of the southern suburbs of Washington into northern Virginia, has created an urban heat island due to the increased energy output of more densely used areas.^[17]

  Severe weather is a concern in Virginia. Hurricanes make the coastal area of Virginia vulnerable, but it is rare for a major hurricane to threaten the Virginia coast. Hurricanes this far north tend to become somewhat weakened, though Hurricane Gaston in 2004 inundated Richmond.^[18] Remnants of systems which hit further south sometimes bring torrential rain to the state. Thunderstorms are an occasional concern, with the state averaging from 35-45 days of thunderstorm activity annually. The area of most frequent occurrence is in the west.^[19] The state averages more than 85 tornadoes per year, though most are F2 and lower on the Fujita scale. Eastern Virginia has a lower rate of tornadoes than western parts of the state.^[20]

  Flora and fauna

  Image:Shenandoah deer 20050521 191017 1.3008x2000.jpg

  Deer at Tanner Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.

  Virginia is sixty-five percent covered by forests.^[21] In some mountainous areas of the state pine predominates and there is also the occasional naturally growing prickly pear cactus. Lower altitudes are more likely to have small but dense stands of moisture-loving hemlocks and mosses in abundance. Other commonly found plants include oak, hickory, chestnut, maple, tulip poplar, mountain laurel, milkweed, daisies, and many species of ferns. The once predominant American Chestnut tree was effectively brought to extinction by a fungus known as the chestnut blight during the 1930s – though the tree continues to grow, it does not reach maturity and dies back before it can reproduce. Various species of oaks superseded the chestnuts and became the dominant tree species. Gypsy moth infestations beginning in the early 1990s have eroded the dominance of the oak forests as the moths chiefly consumed oak leaves. of ^[22]

  Mammals include Whitetailed deer, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, opossum, groundhog, gray fox, and eastern cottontail rabbit. Though unsubstantiated, there have been some reported sightings of mountain lion in remote areas of the state.^[23] Birds included barred owls, Carolina chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks, and wild turkeys. The Peregrine Falcon was reintroduced into Shenandoah National Park in the mid-1990s. By the end of the 20th century, there were numerous nesting pairs in the park.^[24] Freshwater fish include brook trout, longnose and blacknose dance, and the bluehead chub.^[25] The Chesapeake Bay is home to many species, including blue crabs, clams, oysters, and rockfish, also known as striped bass.^[26]

  History

  Main article: History of Virginia

  

  

  A 19th century depiction of Pocahontas, of the Powhatan tribe, an ancestor of many of the First Families of Virginia.

  At Jamestown 2007, Virginia marked its quadricentennial year, celebrating four hundred years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony. Over the centuries Virginia has been at the front of warfare from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the Cold War and the War on Terrorism. The far-reaching social changes of the mid- to late-20th century were expressed by broad-based celebrations marking contributions of three cultures to the state: Native American, European and African.^[27]

  Colony

  Main article: Colony of Virginia

  At the time of the English colonization of Virginia, Native American people were living in what now is Virginia. Native American tribes in Virginia included the Cherokee, Chesepian, Chickahominy, Chiskiack, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Moobs, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Povic, Powhatan, Occoneechees, Rappahannock, Saponites and others.^[28] The natives are often divided into three groups, based to a large extent upon language differences. The largest group are known as the Algonquian who numbered over 10,000, most of whom were united in the Powhatan Confederacy led by Chief Powhatan. The other groups are the Iroquoian (numbering 2,500) and the Siouan.^[29]

  Image:Byrd-plantation.JPG

  Colonial Virginia operated under a plantation economy.

  In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter to explore and plant a colony in North America north of Florida.^[30] In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh explored the Atlantic coast of North America. Raleigh, or possibly the Queen herself, named the area "Virginia" after Queen Elizabeth, known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married.^[31] The name eventually applied to the whole coast from South Carolina to Maine, and included Bermuda. The London Virginia Company was incorporated as a joint stock company by the proprietary Charter of 1606, which granted land rights to this area.^[32] The Company financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World, at Jamestown, named for King James I. The settlement was founded on May 13, 1607 by Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith.^[33] In 1609 many of the early colonists died during the "starving time" after the loss of the Third Supply's flagship, the Sea Venture.^[34]

  The House of Burgesses was established in 1619 as the colony's elected governance.^[3] Enslaved Africans were first brought to the colony the same year, and indentured servants, laborers contracted for a fixed period of time, were brought in numbers after Virginia introduced the headright system in 1683, in which settlers received fifty acres for each colonist they transported.^[35][36] The capital was moved in 1698 to Middle Plantation, renamed Williamsburg for King William III, where the College of William and Mary had been founded in 1693.^[35]

  Image:Patrick Henry Rothermel.jpg

  1851 painting of Patrick Henry's speech before the House of Burgesses on the Virginia Resolves against the Stamp Act of 1765.

  The House of Burgesses was temporarily dissolved in 1769 by the Royal governor Lord Botetourt, after Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee led committee speeches on the distresses of the British taxation without representation. In 1773 Henry and Lee formed a committee of correspondence, and in 1774 Virginia sent delegates to the Continental Congress.^[37] On May 12, 1776, the Virginia Convention called for independence from the British Empire.^[38] Shortly thereafter, the Virginia Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights written by George Mason, a document that influenced the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.^[39] Then on June 29, 1776, the convention enacted a constitution, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, that formally declared Virginia as an independent commonwealth.^[40]

  During the American Revolutionary War, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg's location made it vulnerable to British attack.^[41] In 1781, the combined action of Continental and French land and naval forces trapped the British on the Yorktown peninsula, where troops under George Washington and French Comte de Rochambeau defeated British General Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown. The British surrender on October 19, 1781 so shifted British public opinion that it led to the end of major hostilities and secured the independence of the former colonies.^[42]

  Statehood

  Virginians were instrumental in writing of the United States Constitution. James Madison, considered the Father of the Constitution, drafted the Virginia Plan in 1787, and the Bill of Rights in 1789. Virginia ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788. The three-fifths compromise ensured that Virginia initially had the largest bloc in the House of Representatives, which with the Virginia dynasty of presidents gave the commonwealth national importance.^[43] In 1790, both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new District of Columbia, though in 1847, the area south of the Potomac was retroceded to Virginia.^[44] The area of Kentucky was first part of Virginia, but it successfully petitioned for separation and was admitted to the Union as a state in 1792. Virginia is sometimes called "Mother of States" because of its role in being carved into several mid-western states.^[45]

  Image:Richmond va 1865 cropped 8x5.jpg

  Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America.

  Nat Turner's slave rebellion in 1831 and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 showed deep social division and discontent over the issue of slavery in Virginia and its role in the plantation economy.^[46] Slave labor was increasingly used profitably not only in agriculture, but also in mining, shipbuilding and other industries.^[47] By 1860, almost half a million people, roughly thirty-one percent of the total population of Virginia, were enslaved.^[48]

  Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861 following Lincoln's call for volunteers to attack the Confederate States of America (CSA) after its attack on Fort Sumter. Virginia turned over its military and ratified the Constitution of the Confederate States in June 1861. The CSA then moved its capitol from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond. In 1863 forty-eight counties in the northwest of the state separated from Virginia to form the State of West Virginia, an act which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1870.^[49][50]

  Virginia in the American Civil War saw more battles fought than anywhere else, including the First Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Bull Run, the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. After those major battles and the capture of Richmond, the confederate capitol was moved to Danville, Virginia. With the work of the Committee of Nine during Reconstruction, Virginia formally rejoined the union on January 26, 1870, and adopted a constitution which provided for Negro suffrage, a system of free public schools, homestead exemption and guarantee of civil and political rights.^[51]

  During the culmination of the Jim Crow era, legislators in 1901 rewrote the Constitution of Virginia to include a poll tax and other measures on voter registration that effectively disfranchised African Americans, leading to underfunding for segregated schools and services.^[52] The impact of the new constitution could be seen by the suppression of votes: from 1900 to 1904, estimated black voting in Presidential elections dropped to zero.^[53]

  African Americans still created vibrant communities and made progress. In 1950 the first black students attended the University of Virginia School of Law and in 1952 they gained admission to Virginia Tech.^[54] Despite the determination of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, Virginia declared in 1958 that desegregated schools would not receive state funding, under the policy of "massive resistance" spearheaded by Senator Harry F. Byrd.^[55] In 1959 Prince Edward County closed their schools rather than integrate them.^[54]

  Image:Martin A. Martin.jpg

  Oliver Hill oversees the swearing in of the first African American member of the Trial Bureau of the Department of Justice

  The subsequent lawsuit to open the schools, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, was led by Richmond natives Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill. Their success led to proponents of massive resistance being forced to concede defeat. Virginia schools began to very slowly integrate.^[55] In addition, the Civil Rights Movement gained many participants in the 1960s and achieved the moral force to gain national legislation for protection of suffrage and civil rights for African Americans in Virginia and throughout the South. In 1971, state legislators rewrote the constitution, after goals such as legal integration and the repeal of Jim Crow laws had been achieved. On January 13, 1990, Douglas Wilder was elected Governor of Virginia and became the first African American to achieve that office since Reconstruction.

  World War II and the Cold War led to massive expansion of government programs in the areas near Washington. These programs became the basis of the Northern Virginia economy, based on well-educated, professional work force.^[56] Northern Virginia was targeted in the September 11, 2001 attacks because of the Pentagon site, where one hundred eighty-five people died. In 1926, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church, began restoration of colonial era buildings in the historic district with financial backing of John D. Rockefeller Jr. The resulting Colonial Williamsburg project is a major part of the Historic Triangle and Virginia's top tourist destination.^[7]

  Cities and towns

  Main articles: List of cities in Virginia and List of towns in Virginia

  See also: List of U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in Virginia and Political subdivisions of Virginia

  Image:Virginia population map.png

  Virginia population density map
  Image:Richmond Night Skyline.jpg

  Richmond skyline crossing the Manchester Bridge

  Virginia is divided into independent cities and counties, which function in the same manner. According to the US Census Bureau, independent cities are considered county-equivalent.^[57] Under Virginia law, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent of any county. As of 2006, thirty-nine of the forty-two independent cities in the United States are in Virginia. Virginia does not have any political subdivisions, such as villages or townships, for areas of counties that are not within the boundaries of incorporated towns. There are hundreds of other unincorporated communities in Virginia, sometimes informally called towns.^[58]

  Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia are the most populated areas of the state. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and the Richmond metropolitan area has a population of over 1.2 million people.^[59] Richmond is home to both a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Federal Reserve bank, and offices for international firms such as Hunton & Williams LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Reed Smith LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, CapitalOne, and Philip Morris USA.^[60] Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the commonwealth, with Norfolk and Chesapeake second and third, respectively. Norfolk forms the urban core of this metropolitan area, which is home to over 1.7 million people and the world's largest naval base.^[61] Some other municipalities are incorporated towns, which are not independent of a county but are located within one of the 95 counties in Virginia.

  Image:Downtown Staunton VA edit.jpg

  Downtown Staunton in the Shenandoah Valley

  Although it is not incorporated as a city, Fairfax County is the most populous locality in Virginia, with over one million residents.^[62] Fairfax has a major urban business and shopping center in Tysons Corner, Virginia's largest office market.^[63] Neighboring Loudoun County, with the county seat at Leesburg, is the fastest-growing county in the United States.^[64] Arlington County, which lies across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. and was originally part of the District of Columbia, is an urban community. It is much like a city but remains organized as a county, and has no towns within its borders. It is the smallest self-governing county in the United States, by land area.^[65] The adjacent city of Alexandria has a historic seaport district.^[66]

  Roanoke is the largest city in western Virginia.^[67] The Roanoke MSA is the fourth largest region in Virginia although with a population of 292,983, smaller than the three economically dominant areas in the eastern parts of the state.^[68] Suffolk, which includes a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, is the largest city geographically.^[69]

  Demographics

  Main article: Demographics of Virginia

  Historical populations
  Census	Pop.		%±
  1790	691,737		—
  1800	807,557		16.7%
  1810	877,683		8.7%
  1820	938,261		6.9%
  1830	1,044,054		11.3%
  1840	1,025,227		-1.8%
  1850	1,119,348		9.2%
  1860	1,219,630		9.0%
  1870	1,225,163		0.5%
  1880	1,512,565		23.5%
  1890	1,655,980		9.5%
  1900	1,854,184		12.0%
  1910	2,061,612		11.2%
  1920	2,309,187		12.0%
  1930	2,421,851		4.9%
  1940	2,677,773		10.6%
  1950	3,318,680		23.9%
  1960	3,966,949		19.5%
  1970	4,648,494		17.2%
  1980	5,346,818		15.0%
  1990	6,187,358		15.7%
  2000	7,078,515		14.4%

  As of 2006, Virginia had an estimated population of 7,642,884, which is an increase of 78,557, or one percent, from the prior year and an increase of 563,854, or eight percent, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 276,039 people (that is 633,794 births minus 357,755 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 276,292 people into the commonwealth. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 151,748 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 124,544 people.^[70] The center of population of Virginia is located in Goochland County.^[71]

  English was passed as the commonwealth's official language by statutes in 1981 and 1996, and by law in 2006, though the status is not mandated by the Constitution of Virginia.^[72] English is the only language spoken by 6,201,784 (86.9%) Virginians, though it is spoken very well by an additional 536,508 (7.5%) for a total of 94.3% of the commonwealth which speaks English. Spanish has the most speakers of other languages, with 412,416 (5.8%). 240,332 (3.4%) speak Asian and Pacific Islander languages, including Vietnamese and Filipino.^[73]

  Ethnicity

  The five largest reported ancestry groups in Virginia are: African (19.6%), German (11.7%), unspecified American (11.4%), English (11.1%), and Irish (9.8%).^[74]

  Most of Virginia's African-American population are descendants of enslaved Africans who worked its tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantations. Initially, they were imported from west central Africa, primarily Angola. During the eighteenth century, however, half were derived from various ethnicities located in the Niger Delta region of modern day Nigeria.^[75] The twentieth century Great Migration of blacks from the rural South reduced Virginia's black population to about twenty percent.^[70]

  The western mountains were settled primarily by people of heavily Scots-Irish ancestry.^[76] There are also sizable numbers of people of German descent in the northwestern mountains and Shenandoah Valley.^[77]

  Because of immigration in the late 20th century and early 21st century, there are rapidly growing populations of Hispanics (particularly Central Americans) and Asians in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. The Hispanic population of the state tripled from 1990 to 2006, with two-thirds of Hispanics living in Northern Virginia.^[78] As of 2005, 6.1% of Virginians are Hispanic and 5.2% are Asian.^[70] Northern Virginia has the largest Vietnamese population on the East Coast, with slightly more than 99,000 Vietnamese residents.^[79] The Hampton Roads area also has a large Filipino population.^[80]

  Demographics of Virginia (csv) By race White Black AIAN Asian NHPI AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native — NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2000 (total population) 75.70% 20.54% 0.76% 4.32% 0.15% 2000 (Hispanic only) 4.17% 0.42% 0.09% 0.07% 0.02% 2005 (total population) 74.94% 20.65% 0.74% 5.20% 0.16% 2005 (Hispanic only) 5.44% 0.46% 0.10% 0.09% 0.03% Growth 2000–2005 (total population) 5.84% 7.49% 4.61% 28.64% 17.09% Growth 2000–2005 (non-Hispanic only) 3.87% 7.27% 2.22% 28.47% 15.73% Growth 2000–2005 (Hispanic only) 39.60% 18.30% 22.10% 38.58% 24.16%

  Top Ancestries by County Image:Virginia Ancestries by County.jpg

  Religion

  Image:Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Richmond.jpg

  The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is located in the Richmond's Fan district.

  Religious affiliation[81]
  Christian:		76%		Baptist:	30%
  	Protestant:	49%		Methodist:	7%
  	Roman Catholic:	14%		Lutheran:	2%
  	Other Christian:	13%		Presbyterian:	3%
  Judaism:		1%		Episcopal:	3%
  Islam:		1%		Pentecostal:	2%
  Other religions:		4%		Congregational:	1%
  Non-religious:		12%		Other/general:	2%

  Virginia is predominantly Protestant; Baptists account as the largest single group with thirty percent of the population being members.^[82] Roman Catholics, are the second-largest group, and also the third fastest growing. Islam, the second fastest growing group, accounts for 0.99% of the population. About fifty percent of those practicing non-Christian faiths come from India, and Buddhism and Hinduism combined form the fastest growing group, and largest of the "Other Religions" group, accounting for one percent of the population.^[83] Non-denominational megachurches in the state include McLean Bible Church and Immanuel Bible Church.

  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington includes most of Northern Virginia's Catholic churches, while the Diocese of Richmond covers the rest. Baptist denominational groups in Virginia include the Baptist General Association of Virginia, with about 1,400 member churches, which supports both the Southern Baptist Convention and the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia with over 500 affiliated churches, which supports the Southern Baptist Convention.^[84][85] The Virginia Synod is responsible for the churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

  The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Southern Virginia, and Southwestern Virginia support the various Episcopal churches. In November 2006, fifteen conservative Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Virginia voted to split from the diocese and the larger Anglican Communion church over the issue of the sexuality and the ordination of openly gay clergy and bishops. Virginia law allows parishioners to determine their church's affiliation. The resulting property law case is a test for Episcopal churches nationwide, as the diocese claims the church properties of those congregations that want to secede.^[86]

  Economy

  Main article: Economy of Virginia

  Image:2000 VA Proof.png

  Virginia's economy is well balanced with diverse sources of income. In 2006, Forbes Magazine named Virginia the best state in the nation for business.^[87] As of the 2000 census, Virginia had the highest number of counties and independent cities, fifteen, in the top one-hundred wealthiest jurisdictions in the United States based upon median income. In addition, Virginia tied with Colorado as having the most counties, ten, in the top one-hundred based on per capita income.^[88] As of 2007, seven Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Richmond area.^[89] Virginia has seventeen total Fortune 500 companies, making it rank tenth nationwide. Additionally, ten Fortune 1000 companies are in Northern Virginia, with a total of twenty-nine in the state.^[90]

  From the Hampton Roads area to Richmond and down to Lee County in the southwest, the economy is based on military installations, and cattle, tobacco and peanut farming in Southside Virginia. About twenty percent of Virginian jobs are in agriculture, with 47,000 farms, averaging 181 acres (0.28 sq mi/0.73 km²).^[12] Tomatoes recently surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia. Tobacco, peanuts and hay are also important agricultural products.^[91] Oysters are an important part of the Chesapeake Bay economy, but declining populations due to disease, pollution, and overfishing have diminished catches.^[92] Wineries and vineyards in the Northern Neck and along the Blue Ridge Mountains also have begun to generate income and attract tourists.^[93]

  

  

  The Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Arlington, is the largest office building on earth.

  Northern Virginia, once considered the state's dairy capital, now hosts software, communication technology, and consulting companies. Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia have the highest and second highest median household income, respectively, of all counties in the United States as of 2006.^[94] Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state.^[95] Computer chips became the state's highest-grossing export in 2006, surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco, combined.^[8] The Dulles Technology Corridor near Dulles International Airport has a high concentration of Internet, communications and software engineering firms.^[96]

  Many of Northern Virginia's well-educated population work directly for Federal agencies. Many others work for government contractors, including defense and security contractors.^[56] Well-known government agencies headquartered in Northern Virginia include the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense, as well as the National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Hampton Roads area has the largest concentration of military bases and facilities of any metropolitan area in the world. The largest of the bases is Naval Station Norfolk.^[61] The state is second to Alaska and ahead of North Dakota and New Mexico in per capita defense spending.^[97]

  Virginia collects personal income tax in five income brackets, ranging from 3.0% to 5.75%. The sales and use tax rate is 5%. The tax rate on food is 2.5%. There is an additional 1% local tax, for a total of a 5% combined sales tax on most Virginia purchases and a combined tax rate of 2.5% on food.^[98] Virginia's property tax is set and collected at the local government level and varies throughout the commonwealth. Real estate is taxed at the local level based on one-hundred percent of fair market value. Tangible personal property also is taxed at the local level and is based on a percentage or percentages of original cost.^[99]

  Culture

  Image:Cultural Regions of Virginia.png

  Map of nine Virginia cultural regions
  Image:Colonial Williamsburg Store Interior.jpg

  Colonial Virginian culture and style is reenacted in Williamsburg.

  Virginia's historic culture was popularized and spread across America and the South by Washington, Jefferson, and Lee, and their homes represent Virginia as the birthplace of America and of the South.^[100] Modern Virginia culture is a subculture in the wider culture of the Southern United States, though it shows elements of the North as well as the South. Because of its historic heritage, and location on the Atlantic Ocean, the commonwealth has many unique cultural aspects. Although the Piedmont dialect is one of the most famous with its strong influence on Southern American English, a more homogenized American English is favored in Northern and urban areas.^[101] The Tidewater dialect is also a distinct local accent.^[102]

  Besides the general cuisine of the Southern United States, Virginia maintains its own particular traditions. Virginia wine is made in made in many parts of the state, including the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) of the Monticello AVA, North Fork AVA, Eastern Shore AVA, Northern Neck AVA, and the Rocky Knob AVA.^[93] Smithfield ham, sometimes called Virginia ham, is a type of country ham which is protected by state law, and can only be produced in the town of Smithfield.^[103]

  Virginia furniture and architecture are typical of American colonial architecture. Thomas Jefferson and many of the states early leaders favored the Neoclassical architecture style, leading to its use for important state buildings. The Pennsylvania Dutch and their style can also be found in parts of the state.^[104]

  Fine and performing arts

  See also: Music of Virginia

  Image:Wolf Trap (national park) meadow pavilion.jpg

  The Meadow Pavilion is one of the theaters at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

  The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville works with the National Endowment for the Humanities to improve commonwealth's civic, cultural, and intellectual life.^[105] The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a state funded museum with multiple branches in Virginia's cities. The museum is home to the largest collection of Fabergé eggs outside of Russia.^[106] The Chrysler Museum of Art is home to many pieces, stemming from the Chrysler family collection, including the final sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.^[107] Other museums include the popular Science Museum of Virginia, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, the Frontier Culture Museum, the Mariners' Museum, and the Art Museum of Western Virginia. Besides these sites, many open air museums and battlefields are located in the state, such as Colonial Williamsburg, Richmond National Battlefield, and Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

  Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is located in Vienna and is the only national park intended for use as a performing arts center. Wolf Trap hosts the Wolf Trap Opera Company, which produces an opera festival every summer. The Harrison Opera House in the Ghent district of Norfolk is home to the official Virginia Opera. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is based in Hampton Roads. The American Shakespeare Center is located in Staunton, and home to resident and touring theater troupes. Other notable theaters include the Ferguson Center for the Arts, the Barter Theatre, and the Landmark Theater.

  Besides native music, like Piedmont blues, bluegrass, and the traditional mountain music of Appalachia, Virginia has also launched many internationally successful popular music acts. Hip hop acts like Missy Elliott, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Chris Brown, and Clipse hail from the commonwealth. As does Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, and jam bands like the Pat McGee Band and Dave Matthews Band, who continue their strong charitable connection to Charlottesville, Virginia.^[108] Influential stage-rock group GWAR also began in Virginia, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Major performance venues in the state include The Birchmere, Nissan Pavilion, the Patriot Center, and the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

  Festivals

  Image:FireworksGovCenter2.jpg

  The annual Celebrate Fairfax! festival attracts more than 70,000 visitors.

  Many counties and localities host county fairs and festivals. The Virginia State Fair is held at the Richmond International Raceway every September. Fairfax County sponsors Celebrate Fairfax! the second weekend after Memorial Day.^[109] In Virginia Beach, the end of September brings the Neptune Festival, celebrating the city, the waterfront, and regional artists.^[110]

  On the Eastern Shore island of Chincoteague the annual Pony Swim & Auction of the feral Chincoteague Ponies on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July is a unique local tradition which has expanded to a week long carnival.^[111] The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival is a six day festival held annually in Winchester that includes parades and bluegrass music concerts. From 2005 to 2007, Richmond was chosen as host of the National Folk Festival. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is held over four days in May in Reston.^[112]

  Two important film festivals, the Virginia Film Festival and the VCU French Film Festival, are held annually. Annual fan conventions in the commonwealth include Anime USA, the national anime convention held in Crystal City, Anime Mid-Atlantic held in various cities, and RavenCon, a science fiction convention in Richmond.

  Media

  The Hampton Roads area is the forty-second largest media market in the United States as ranked by Nielsen Media Research, and the Richmond-Petersburg area is sixtieth and Roanoke-Lynchburg is sixty-eighth.^[113] There are twenty-one television stations in Virginia, representing each major U.S. network, part of forty-two stations which serve Virginia viewers.^[114] About 352 radio stations broadcast in Virginia. The nationally available Public Broadcasting Service, abbreviated as PBS, is headquartered in Arlington.

  Major newspapers in the commonwealth include The Virginian-Pilot, based in Norfolk, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and The Roanoke Times. The Times-Dispatch has a daily subscription of 186,441, slightly more than the Pilot at 183,024, fiftieth and fifty-second in the nation respectively, while the Roanoke Times has about 97,000 daily subscribers.^[115][116] Several Washington, D.C. papers are based in Northern Virginia, such as The Washington Examiner and The Politico. The nation's widest circulated paper, USA Today, is headquartered in McLean. Besides traditional forms of media, Virginia is home to telecommunication companies such as Sprint Nextel and XO Communications. The Dulles Technology Corridor contains the "vital electronic pathways that carry more than half of all traffic on the Internet. The region is home to more telecom and satellite companies than any other place on earth."^[96]

  Education

  Image:University of Virginia Rotunda.jpg

  The University of Virginia is located in the city of Charlottesville.

  Public K-12 schools in Virginia are generally operated by the counties and cities, and not by the state. Virginia's educational system consistently ranks in the top ten states on the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress, with Virginia students outperforming the average in all subject areas and grade levels tested.^[117] The 2008 Quality Counts report ranked Virginia's K-12 education fifth best in the country.^[118] All school divisions however must adhere to educational standards set forth by the Virginia Department of Education, which maintains an assessment and accreditation regime known as the Standards of Learning to ensure accountability.^[119] As of 2004, Virginia has a 79.3% graduation rate, which is the twelfth highest in the nation.^[120]

  There are a total of 1,863 local and regional schools in the commonwealth, including three charter schools, and an additional 104 alternative and special education centers in 134 school divisions.^[121] Besides the general public schools in Virginia, there are Governor's Schools and selective magnet schools. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a public school which requires an application, is ranked as the best public high school in the nation.^[122] The Governor's Schools are a collection of more than forty regional selective magnet high schools and summer programs intended for gifted students.^[123] The Virginia Council for Private Education oversees the regulation of private schools.

  Individual Virginia public high schools are often well rated, with public Langley High School ranked thirty-seventh best public high school in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, and H-B Woodlawn in Arlington twelfth according to The Washington Post Challenge Index.^[122][124] Northern Virginia schools also pay the test fees for students to take Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, and Alexandria and Arlington Counties lead the nation in college course tests.^[125]

  Two of the U.S. top ten public universities are located in Virginia, according to the U.S. News and World Report annual college rankings, with only California having more in the top ten.^[126] The University of Virginia, a World Heritage Site founded by Thomas Jefferson, is ranked number two and the College of William and Mary, the second-oldest college in America, is ranked sixth.^[127] Additionally, James Madison University is consistently named the number one public master's level university in The South.^[127] Virginia is also home to the Virginia Military Institute, the oldest state military college in the U.S. and a perennial top public liberal arts college.^[128][129] Virginia Commonwealth University is the largest university in Virginia with over 30,000 students, followed closely by George Mason University.^[130] Virginia Tech and Virginia State University are the land-grant universities of the state. The state also operates twenty-three community colleges on forty campuses serving over 240,000 students.^[131]

  Health

  Image:Uvahospital-aerial.jpg

  Aerial view of UVA Health System campus in Charlottesville.

  Unlike their nation-leading education system, Virginia has somewhat average health record. Virginia is twenty-third among United States in both percentage of residents who exercise and in the rate of pre-mature deaths.^[132][133] Though Virginia is ranked as the twenty-first overall healthiest state, it has the fifth highest immunization coverage in the nation according to the United Health Foundation's Health Rankings 2006.^[134] As of 2002, Virginia had a 23.7% obesity rate in adults, and thirty percent of Virginia's ten to seventeen year olds were overweight or obese, which is the twenty-fifth lowest percent in the country.^[135] As of 2005, only 86.4% of Virginians have health insurance.^[136]

  There are about 181 hospitals in Virginia.^[137] Notable examples include Inova Fairfax Hospital, the largest hospital in the Washington Metropolitan Area, and the University of Virginia Medical Center, part of the University of Virginia Health System, which according to U.S.News & World Report has the eight ranked endocrinology specialty in the nation, and the best in the South.^[138] Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, part of the Hampton Roads based Sentara Health System, is also nationally ranked, and was the site of the first successful in-vitro fertilization birth.^[139][140]

  Transportation

  Main article: Transportation in Virginia

  Error creating thumbnail: convert: unable to open image `/home/www/en.wikilib.com/images/a/a1/PA300043.JPG': 没有那个文件或目录. convert: missing an image filename `/home/www/en.wikilib.com/images/thumb/a/a1/PA300043.JPG/180px-PA300043.JPG'.

  

  Virginia is home to many shortline railroads such as the Buckingham Branch Railroad.

  Virginia has five major airports: Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan National, Richmond International, Norfolk International and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.^[141] Seventy-one airports serve the state's aviation needs.^[142] Virginia is unique among most states in that the state government, instead of the local city or county authority, owns and operates about eighty-two percent of the 68,429 miles (110,126 km) of road in the state.^[143] Run by the Virginia Department of Transportation, this is the third largest highway system in the United States.^[5]

  In the Hampton Roads area, there are three bridge-tunnel complexes known as the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Two tunnels and numerous bridges span portions of the Elizabeth River. The James River Bridge, opened in 1928, and rebuilt in the 1970s, spans the James River near its mouth and north of the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.^[144]

  Interstate 95 and Interstate 81 are the two major north-south highways through Virginia. The Capital Beltway, Interstate 495, which allows through traffic to avoid passing through Washington, DC crosses the Potomac River in Alexandria and McLean. The Springfield Interchange at the junction of I95, Interstate 395, and the Capital Beltway (I495) in Springfield, Virginia, south of Washington, D.C. has recently been reconstructed to improve traffic flow; widening of Woodrow Wilson Bridge will finish in mid-2008.^[145] Interstate 66, another heavily traveled route into Washington, DC, connects the Capital Beltway to I81 at Front Royal, Virginia. Interstate 64 runs east-west through the state, from the terminus in Virginia's southeast in Chesapeake running northwest into Richmond, then west through Charlottesville and into West Virginia and beyond, to just over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

  Virginia has Amtrak passenger rail service along several corridors, and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) maintains two commuter lines into Washington, D.C. from Fredericksburg and Manassas. The Washington Metro rapid transit system currently serves Northern Virginia as far west as Fairfax County, although expansion plans call for Metro to reach Dulles Airport in Loudoun County by 2015.^[146] The Virginia Department of Transportation operates several free ferries throughout Virginia, the most notable being the Jamestown-Scotland ferry which crosses the James River between historic Jamestown and the community of Scotland in Surry County.^[147]

  Law and government

  Main article: Government of Virginia

  Image:Virginia State Capitol.jpg

  The Virginia State Capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, recently underwent massive renovations.

  In colonial Virginia, free men elected the lower house of the legislature, called the House of Burgesses, which together with the Governor's Council, made the "General Assembly." Founded in 1619, the Virginia General Assembly is still in existence as the oldest legislature in the Western Hemisphere.^[3] The State Capitol building in Richmond was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the cornerstone was laid by Governor Patrick Henry in 1785. The modern government is ranked with an "A-", the highest grade in the nation, by the Pew Center on the States, an honor it shares with two others.^[4]

  Virginia functions under the 1971 Constitution of Virginia, the commonwealth's seventh constitution, which provides for fewer elected officials than the previous constitution, with a strong legislature and a unified judicial system. Modeled on the federal structure, the government is divided in three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is the General Assembly, a bicameral body whose 140 members write the laws for the commonwealth. It is stronger than the executive, as incumbent governors cannot run for re-election, and the General Assembly selects judges and justices.^[148] The current governor is Tim Kaine. Other members of the executive branch include the Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Court of Appeals, the General District Courts and the Circuit Courts.^[149]

  The Code of Virginia is the statutory law, and consists of the codified legislation of the General Assembly. The Virginia State Police are the largest law enforcement agency in Virginia, and the Virginia Capitol Police are the oldest police department in the United States.^[150] The Virginia National Guard consists of 7,500 soldiers in the Virginia Army National Guard and 1,200 airmen in the Virginia Air National Guard.^[151]

  Politics

  Main article: Politics of Virginia

  Image:Kaine Warner.png

  Governor Tim Kaine with U.S. Senator John Warner and former Senator and Governor George Allen, and current Representative Thelma Drake.

  Virginia's politics reflect a commonwealth in shift from a largely rural, politically Southern and conservative one-party state. The urban and growing suburban areas are politically moderate to progressive.^[152] Northern Virginia has been voting for more Democratic candidates in recent decades. Rural Virginia, a white conservative Democratic stronghold before the Civil Rights legislation of Lyndon B. Johnston moved to support the Republican Party as part of the "southern strategy."^[153] Portions of Southwest Virginia influenced by unionized coal mines, college towns such as Charlottesville and Blacksburg, and southeastern counties in the Black Belt Region have remained more likely to vote Democratic.^[154][155]

  While Virginia's Governor is a Democrat, the Lieutenant Governor is a Republican, and Republican Robert McDonnell became Attorney General by 360 votes following a legally mandated recount of ballots for that race in 2005.^[156] In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Fairfax County and other Northern Virginia polities voted for the Democrat for the first time in forty years.^[157][158] Virginia could become a more competitive state in future presidential elections, and is classified as a "swing state."^[6] In the 2007 state elections, the Democrats regained control of the State Senate, and narrowed the Republican majority in the House of Delegates to eight votes.^[159]

  Image:VASen06Counties.png

  2006 Senate election majority results by county, with GOP in red and Democratic Party in blue.

  The election of Democrat Jim Webb as one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators in the 2006 Virginia Senate election seemed to reinforce this shift. His election also demonstrated the disaffection of Independent voters with the Republican Party.^[160] John Warner, a Republican, has long held Virginia's other seat in the U.S. Senate, but he has announced his intention not to seek reelection in 2008.^[161] Both of Virginia's Senators are former Secretaries of the Navy. Of state's eleven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans hold eight and Democrats hold three.

  In the 2008 Democratic Presidential primary, Senator Barack Obama carried the state by an impressive margin over Senator Hillary Clinton, winning votes from all ages, classes, ethnicities and genders. It was an historic primary of leading competitors: an African- American man and white woman.

  Sports

  See also: List of professional sports teams in Virginia

  Image:Glennon Hands off to Ore 2007 ECU crop.jpg

  The Virginia Tech Hokies football team has the forth longest bowl game streak in the country.

  Virginia is by far the most populous U.S. state without a major professional sports league franchise.^[162], although the Washington Redskins have Redskin Park, their headquarters and training facility, in Ashburn, Virginia. The reasons for this include the lack of any dominant city or market within the state and the proximity of teams in Washington, D.C. and from North Carolina, which include franchises in all four major sports.^[163] Virginia is home to many minor league clubs, especially in baseball and soccer.^[164] Virginia has many professional caliber golf courses including the Greg Norman course at Lansdowne Resort and Upper Cascades, Kingsmill Resort, home of the Michelob ULTRA Open. Other fairways include Old Trail GC, Winton Country Club, and Devils Knob at Wintergreen Resort.

  The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles also have followings due to their proximity to the state, and both are broadcast in the state on MASN.^[165] When the New York Mets ended their long affiliation with the Norfolk Tides in 2007, the Orioles took over the affiliation.^[166] Other regional teams include the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves, whose top farm team, the Richmond Braves, is located in the capital.

  Virginia has been a hub of NASCAR racing since the series' inception. NASCAR Grand National (now NEXTEL Cup) Champion of 1962 and 1963 Rex White was born in Norfolk. Current Virginia drivers in the series include brothers Jeff Burton and Ward Burton of South Boston, Chesterfield's Denny Hamlin, Chesapeake's Ricky Rudd, and Emporia's Elliot Sadler. Virginia is also home to two tracks currently on the Cup schedule, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.^[167] Former Virginia Cup tracks include South Boston Speedway, Langley Speedway, Southside Speedway, and Old Dominion Speedway.

  Virginia does not allow state appropriated funds to be used for either operational or capital expenses for intercollegiate athletics.^[168] Despite this, both the University of Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies have been able to field competitive teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and maintain modern facilities. Both regularly have attendance of 60,000 at home football games.^[169][170] Virginia has several other universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA, particularly in the Colonial Athletic Association. Notable successes include James Madison University Dukes' 2004 Division I football championship and George Mason University Patriots' advancement to the Final Four of the 2006 NCAA tournament. Three historically black schools compete in the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and two others compete in Division I MEAC. Several smaller schools compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the USA South Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III. The NCAA currently holds its Division III championships in football, men's basketball, volleyball and softball in Salem.^[171]

  State symbols

  Main article: List of Virginia state symbols

  Image:Welcometovasign.JPG

  The Virginia welcome sign on State Route 32 employs the state bird, the cardinal, and the state tree and flower, the dogwood.

  Most of the Virginia's state symbols are officially recognized and created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The state nickname is the oldest symbol, though it has never been made official by law. Virginia was given the title, "Dominion", by King Charles II of England at the time of The Restoration, because it had remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War, and the present moniker, "Old Dominion" is a reference to that title.^[172] The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents," is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President of the United States: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson, and Sam Houston served as president of the Republic of Texas.^[173] The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence. Virginia is the only state to have the same plant for state flower and state tree.^[174] The majority of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.^[175]

  State bat: Virginia Big-Eared Bat State beverage: milk State boat: Chesapeake Bay deadrise State bird: Cardinal State dance: Virginia reel State dog: American Foxhound State fish: Brook trout State flower: Dogwood State fossil: Chesapecten jeffersonius

  State insect: Tiger swallowtail State motto: "Sic semper tyrannis" (Thus always to tyrants) State nickname: Old Dominion State shell: Eastern oyster State slogan: Virginia is for Lovers State song: none; the former state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", was retired in 1997 State tartan: Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan State tree: Dogwood

  See also

  Virginia Portal

  • List of historic houses in Virginia
  • List of people from Virginia
  • Lost counties, cities, and towns of Virginia
  • Scouting in Virginia

  References

  1. ^ ^{a b} Elevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  2. ^ Martz, Michael (December 28, 2007). Virginia's population tops 7.7 million. Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  3. ^ ^{a b c}
  4. ^ ^{a b}
  5. ^ ^{a b}
  6. ^ ^{a b}
  7. ^ ^{a b}
  8. ^ ^{a b}
  9. ^ Land and Water Area of States, 2000. Information Please (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  10. ^ Supreme Court Rules for Virginia in Potomac Conflict. The Sea Grant Law Center. University of Mississippi (2003). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  11. ^ Park Locations. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (November 9, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  12. ^ ^{a b} Virginia's Agricultural Resources. Natural Resource Education Guide. [http://www.deq.state.va.us Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (January 21, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  13. ^ Aumann, Mark. "Countdown: Virginia", NASCAR.COM, February 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. 
  14. ^ Virginia earthquake not a fluke in the seismically active Southeast. Science Blog (December 2003). Retrieved on 2003-03-22.
  15. ^ Climate of Virginia. GEOG 202. Radford University (March 14, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  16. ^ Climate of Virginia. Charles A. Grymes. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  17. ^ Advisory 01/07: The Hot Get Hotter? Urban Warming and Air Quality. University of Virginia Climatology Office. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  18. ^ Gaston impact. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
  19. ^ Natural Hazards : Thunderstorms. Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  20. ^ Natural Hazards : Tornadoes. Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  21. ^ Virginia's Forest Resources. Natural Resource Education Guide. [http://www.deq.state.va.us Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (January 21, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  22. ^ Shenandoah National Park - Forests. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  23. ^ Shenandoah National Park - Mammals. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  24. ^ Shenandoah National Park - Birds. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  25. ^ Shenandoah National Park - Fish. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  26. ^ Bay Biology. Chesapeake Bay Program (January 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  27. ^ Jamestown’s Cultural Roots Focus of Smithsonian Folklife Festival; Three Cultures That Converged At Jamestown Meet Again On The National Mall. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  28. ^ Ramsey, Inez (March 16, 2003). Virginia's Indians, Past & Present. American History Resources. James Madison University. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  29. ^ Native Peoples in Early Colonial Virginia. University of Richmond. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  30. ^ Harris, Andrew (September 20, 2005). The First Virginia. Folger Shakespeare Library. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  31. ^ Trevelyan, Raleigh [2004-01-03]. Sir Walter Raleigh, 77-78. ISBN 080507502X. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. 
  32. ^ The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606. The Avalon Project. Yale University (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  33. ^ Jamestown - Timeline. The Literature of Justification. Lehigh University. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  34. ^ Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 17. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0. 
  35. ^ ^{a b} "Virginia" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.
  36. ^ Acquiring Virginia Land By "Headright". Virginia Place (February 14, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  37. ^ Signers of the Declaration (Richard Henry Lee). National Park Service (April 13, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  38. ^ American Treasures of the Library of Congress; Draft of the Virginia Constitution. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
  39. ^ Schwartz, Stephan A. (May, 2000). "George Mason : Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights". Smithsonian (31.2): 142. 
  40. ^ The Constitution of Virginia; June 29, 1776. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School.. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  41. ^ Cooper, Jean L. (2007). A Guide to Historic Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. The History Press, 58. ISBN 1-596-29173-7. 
  42. ^ The Story of Virginia; Becoming Americans. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  43. ^ Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 114. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0. 
  44. ^ Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 104. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0. 
  45. ^ Introduction to Virginia. NetState (December 11, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  46. ^ Davis, David Brion (2006). Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. Oxford University Press, 208-210. ISBN 0-19-514073-7. 
  47. ^ Davis, David Brion (2006). Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. Oxford University Press, 125. ISBN 0-19-514073-7. 
  48. ^ Census Data for Year 1860. Historical Census Browser. University of Virginia. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  49. ^ Richard O. Curry "A House Divided"; Eric Foner, "Reconstruction", pg. 39
  50. ^ Virginia v. West Virginia, 78 U.S. 39 (1870).
  51. ^ Du Bois, W.E.B. [1935] (1998). Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. New York: Harcourt Brace/The Free Press (reprint), 598. ISBN 0684856573. 
  52. ^ Virginia's Constitutional Convention of 1901–1902. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  53. ^ Pildes, Richard H. (2000). "Democracy, Anti-Democracy and the Canon". Constitutional Commentary 17: 12. Retrieved on 2008-03-10. 
  54. ^ ^{a b} Virginia Timeline of State History. State Handbook & Guide (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  55. ^ ^{a b} The Civil Rights Movement in Virginia: Massive Resistance. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  56. ^ ^{a b}
  57. ^ County & County Equivalent Areas. United States Census Bureau (April 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  58. ^ Virginia Smaller Cities, Towns, and Villages (between one-thousand and six-thousand residents). City-data.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  59. ^ Population in Greater Richmond Virginia. Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  60. ^ Research Bulletin 5; A Roster of World Cities. Loughborough University (28 July 1999). Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  61. ^ ^{a b}
  62. ^ Fairfax County QuickFacts. United States Census Bureau (August 31, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  63. ^ Doing Business in Fairfax County. Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (June 26, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  64. ^ Davenport, Coral. "In a fast-growing county, sprawl teaches hard lessons", Christian Science Monitor, January 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-08. 
  65. ^ Arlington County Shopping (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  66. ^ Alexandria Seaport Foundation (November 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  67. ^ Group Tours. Virginia's Roanoke Valley. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  68. ^ Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. United States Census Bureau (July 1, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  69. ^ All About Suffolk. Suffolk (February 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  70. ^ ^{a b c}
  71. ^ Population and Population Centers by State. United States Census Bureau (2000). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  72. ^ Virginia ProEnglish. ProEnglish.org (November 20, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
  73. ^ Virginia Selected Social Characteristics in the United States. United States Census Bureau (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
  74. ^ Virginia - QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000. United States Census Bureau (2000). Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  75. ^ Hall, Gwendolyn Midlo (2005). Slavery and African Ethnicities in the Americas: Restoring the Links. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 
  76. ^ Scots-Irish Sites in Virginia. Virginia Is For Lovers (January 3, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  77. ^ Bly, Daniel W. (2002). From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Volume III, Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, Inc.. 
  78. ^ State's Hispanic population nearly triples since 1990. University of Virginia (February, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  79. ^ Wood, Joseph (January 1997). "Vietnamese American Place Making in Northern Virginia". Geographical Review 87 (1): 58-72. Retrieved on 2007-11-29. 
  80. ^ Dolan, Matthew. "He Speaks Their Language", The Virginian-Pilot, August 11, 1997. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. 
  81. ^ American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). CUNY Key Findings. 2001.
  82. ^ What is your religion... if any?. USA Today (2001). Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  83. ^ Religion by Location. Adherents.com (April 23, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  84. ^ Vegh, Steven G.. "2nd Georgia church joins moderate Va. Baptist association", The Virginian-Pilot, November 10, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-18. 
  85. ^ "SBCV passes 500 mark", Baptist Press, November 20, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-18. 
  86. ^ Boorstein, Michelle. "Trial Begins in Clash Over Va. Church Property", The Washington Post, November 14, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-19. 
  87. ^ Virginia Rated Top State for Business (PDF). Virginia Economic Development Partnership (2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  88. ^ Per capita personal income. Regional Economic Information System. Bureau of Economic Analysis (April 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  89. ^ FORTUNE 500 2007: Cities. Money (April 30, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  90. ^ FORTUNE 500 2007: States: Virginia. Money (April 30, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  91. ^ 2006 Report on Agricultural Production. The Virginian Pilot. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
  92. ^ NOAA Working to Restore Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. NOAA (March 31, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  93. ^ ^{a b} Sampson, Zinie Chen; Associated Press. "Virginia wineries emerge, attracting tourists", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 26, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-08. 
  94. ^ Amy, Goldstein; Dan Keating. "D.C. Suburbs Top List Of Richest Counties", The Washington Post, August 30, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  95. ^ Kazmierczak, Matthew. "D.C. Capital Region Is A Growing High-Tech Hub", American Electronics Association, 2007-04-24. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. 
  96. ^ ^{a b}
  97. ^ "Federal Domestic Spending Up 9 Percent in 2001", United States Census Bureau, United States Census Bureau, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. 
  98. ^ State Sales Tax Rates. Federation of Tax Administrators. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  99. ^ Virginia state taxes (February 1, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  100. ^ McGraw, Eliza (June 24, 2005). Two Covenants: Representations of Southern Jewishness. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-3043-5. Retrieved on 2007-11-29. 
  101. ^ Clay III, Edwin S.; Patricia Bangs (May 9, 2005). Virginia’s Many Voices. Bacon's Rebellion. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  102. ^ Dialects Of Virginia. International Dialects of English Archive. University of Kansas (November 1, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  103. ^ Code of Virginia > 3.1-867. LIS (July 14, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  104. ^ Lovettsville - A German Settlement. The History of Loudoun County, Virginia (April 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  105. ^ Mission & History. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  106. ^ Art on View. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (December 6, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  107. ^ Collections - Bust of the Savior. Chrysler Museum of Art (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  108. ^ Charities. Dave Matthews Band (November 15, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  109. ^ Celebrate Fairfax! Festival (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  110. ^ Neptune Festival (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  111. ^ Chincoteague Firemen's Carnival, Pony Swim, Pony Auction. Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce (February 21, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  112. ^ Virginia Festivals and Events (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  113. ^ 210 Designated Market Areas - 03-04. Nielsen Media. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  114. ^ U.S. Television Stations in Virginia. Global Computing (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  115. ^ 2007 Top 100 Daily Newspapers in the U.S. by Circulation (PDF). BurrellesLuce (2007-03-31). Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
  116. ^ Landmark Metro Newspapers: The Roanoke Times. Landmark Communications, Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
  117. ^ State Education Data Profiles. National Assessment of Educational Progress. Retrieved on 2007-12-25..
  118. ^ Quality Counts 2008. Education Week (January 9, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
  119. ^ Virginia School Report Card. Virginia Department of Education (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  120. ^ Measuring Virginia's High School Graduation Rate. Virginia Performs (2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  121. ^ Local and Regional Schools and Centers. Virginia Department of Education (November 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  122. ^ ^{a b} Glod, Maria (November 30, 2007). Thomas Jefferson Put at Top of Class. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  123. ^ Virginia Governor’s School Program. Virginia Department of Education (October 6, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  124. ^ 2007 Challenge Index. The Washington Post (May 21, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
  125. ^ Mathews, Jay. "Alexandria, Arlington Schools Lead Nation in AP, IB Testing", The Washington Post, December 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-13. 
  126. ^ Top Public National Universities. U.S. News and World Report (2008). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  127. ^ ^{a b} Graham, Chris. "Virginia colleges, universities place well in national rankings", Augusta Free Press, August 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  128. ^ Virginia Military Institute; Academic Tradition. Virginia Military Institute. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  129. ^ America's Best Colleges 2007; Top Public Liberal Arts Colleges. U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  130. ^ 2006-2007 Fall Headcount Enrollment. State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  131. ^ Fast Facts. Virginia’s Community Colleges (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  132. ^ Statemaster Health Statistics Physical Exercise by State. Statemaster (2002). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  133. ^ Statemaster Health Statistics > Death Rate per 100,000. Statemaster. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  134. ^ America's Health Rankings 2006. United Health Foundation (2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  135. ^ Measuring Virginia's Obesity Rates. Virginia Performs (2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  136. ^ The Percentage of People Without Health Insurance Coverage by State Using 2- and 3-year Averages: 2003 to 2005 (PDF). Health Insurance Coverage: 2005. U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division (2006-08-29). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  137. ^ Virginia Hospitals and Medical Centers. The Agape Center (February 2, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  138. ^ University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville. Best Hospitals. U.S.News & World Report (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  139. ^ Sentara Norfolk General Hospital-Sentara Heart Hospital, Norfolk, Va.. Best Hospitals. U.S.News & World Report (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  140. ^ Szabo, Liz. "America's first 'test-tube baby'", USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 
  141. ^ Airports in Virginia - Major and Regional Commercial Airports. About.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  142. ^ Airports in Virginia. FlyVirginia.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  143. ^ Resource Library: Virginia. Rural Transportation. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  144. ^ James River Bridge (US-17). Roads to the Future (June 5, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  145. ^ Project Overview - Schedule (October 9, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  146. ^ Timeline. Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  147. ^ Ferry Information. Virginia Department of Transportation (December 4, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  148. ^ Strum, Albert L. (June 1977). "Commentaries on the Constitution of Virginia by A. E. Dick Howard". The American Political Science Review 71 (2): 714-715. Retrieved on 2007-12-08. 
  149. ^ Virginia Courts. Virginia Judicial System (2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  150. ^ Stallsmith, Pamela. "New assistant chief named at Virginia Capitol Police", inRich.com, November 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  151. ^ Listman, Jr., John W.; Lt. Col. Chester C. Carter, III (August 20, 2007). Serving Commonwealth and Country. Virginia Army National Guard. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
  152. ^ Craig, Tim. "Tensions Could Hurt Majority in Va. Senate", The Washington Post, December 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  153. ^ Miller, Gary; Norman Schofield (May 2003). "Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States". The American Political Science Review 97 (2): 245-260. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  154. ^ Associated Press. "State Political Profile: Virginia", The Washington Post, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  155. ^ Clemons, Michael L.; Charles E. Jones (July 2000). "African American Legislative Politics in Virginia". Journal of Black Studies 30 (6, Special Issue: African American State Legislative Politics): 744-767. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  156. ^ Morello, Carol. "McDonnell Clinches Attorney General Race", Washington Post, December 22, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-12-03. 
  157. ^ Rein, Lisa. "Fairfax No Longer a GOP Given", The Washington Post, November 4, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  158. ^ 2004 Presidential General Election Results - Virginia. US Election Atlas (2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  159. ^ Craig, Tim; Anita Kumar. "Kaine Hails 'Balance' in New Political Landscape", The Washington Post, November 8, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. 
  160. ^ Page, Susan. "Election '06: Lessons learned by dissecting votes", USA Today, November 26, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. 
  161. ^ Turque, Bill. "Va. Sen. John Warner Announces Upcoming Retirement", The Washington Post, September 2, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-20. 
  162. ^ Minium, Harry. "Region Works to Attract Franchise Area Makes “Short List” for Existing Team’s Move" (pdf), The Virginian-Pilot, July 19, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. 
  163. ^ Little, Robert. "Lawmakers Ready for a Major-League Pitch the State Must Decide if it will Play Ball and Help Fund a Stadium for Northern Virginia", The Virginian-Pilot, April 21, 1996. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. 
  164. ^ Virginia Sports Teams. 50states.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  165. ^ Find MASN on your TV. MASN (September 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  166. ^ O's are Norfolkin': Good.. The Orioles Warehouse (September 26, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  167. ^ NASCAR in Virginia. Virginia is for Lovers (September 6, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  168. ^ "Athletics Task Force Report Recommends Restructuring Of Sports Program, Finances, Academic Support", University of Virginia, April 6, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. 
  169. ^ Virginia - Cumulative Season Statistics. Virginia Cavaliers (November 30, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  170. ^ Stewart, Will. "Hokies Win Final Big East Football Attendance Crown", TechSideline.com, January 16, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. 
  171. ^ Brady, Erik. "Virginia town is big game central", USA Today, December 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 
  172. ^ De Vere, Maximilian S. (1872). Americanisms; the English of the New world. C. Scribner & Co., 256. OCLC 318971. 
  173. ^ US Presidents: Lists and Records (July 27, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  174. ^ State Trees & State Flowers. United States National Arboreteum (March 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  175. ^ Commonwealth symbols and emblems. NetState (June 26, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.

  
  

  External links

  Find more about Virginia on Wikipedia's sister projects:
  	Dictionary definitions
  	Textbooks
  	Quotations
  	Source texts
  	Images and media
  	News stories
  	Learning resources

  Government

  • State Government website
  • Virginia General Assembly
  • Virginia's Judicial system
  • Constitution of Virginia

  Tourism & recreation

  • Virginia Tourism Website
  • Virginia State Parks
  • WikiTravel guide

  Culture & history

  • Virginia Historical Society
  • Virginia Historical Markers
  • National Geographic Magazine Jamestown/Werowocomoco Interactive

  Maps and Demographics

  • Geography of Virginia
  • USGS geographic resources of Virginia
  • Virginia State Climatology Office
  • Virginia State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

  
  

  Preceded by New Hampshire

  List of U.S. states by date of statehood Ratified Constitution on June 25, 1788 (10th)

  Succeeded by New York

  	v • d • e Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond (capital)
  Topics	Climate | Colleges and universities | Colony | Congressional Districts | Delegations | Demographics | Economy | Geography | Government | Governors | History | Historic Landmarks | Homes | Music | People | Police | Politics | Rights | Rivers | School divisions | Scouting | Slogan | Sports teams | State Fair | State parks | Symbols | Transportation | Tribes
  Regions	Allegheny Mountains | Atlantic Coastal Plain | Blue Ridge | Chesapeake Bay | Delmarva Peninsula | Eastern Shore | Hampton Roads | Middle Peninsula | Northern Neck | Northern Virginia | Piedmont | Ridge‑and‑valley Appalachians | Shenandoah Valley | South Hampton Roads | Southside | Southwest Virginia | Tennessee Valley | Tidewater | Tri-Cities | Virginia Peninsula
  Metro areas	Alexandria | Arlington | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Bristol | Christiansburg | Charlottesville | Culpeper | Danville | Fredericksburg | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Staunton | Virginia Beach | Warrenton | Waynesboro | Winchester |
  Counties	Accomack | Albemarle | Alleghany | Amelia | Amherst | Appomattox | Arlington | Augusta | Bath | Bedford | Bland | Botetourt | Brunswick | Buchanan | Buckingham | Campbell | Caroline | Carroll | Charles City | Charlotte | Chesterfield | Clarke | Craig | Culpeper | Cumberland | Dickenson | Dinwiddie | Essex | Fairfax | Fauquier | Floyd | Fluvanna | Franklin | Frederick | Giles | Gloucester | Goochland | Grayson | Greene | Greensville | Halifax | Hanover | Henrico | Henry | Highland | Isle of Wight | James City | King and Queen | King George | King William | Lancaster | Lee | Loudoun | Louisa | Lunenburg | Madison | Mathews | Mecklenburg | Middlesex | Montgomery | Nelson | New Kent | Northampton | Northumberland | Nottoway | Orange | Page | Patrick | Pittsylvania | Powhatan | Prince Edward | Prince George | Prince William | Pulaski | Rappahannock | Richmond | Roanoke | Rockbridge | Rockingham | Russell | Scott | Shenandoah | Smyth | Southampton | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Surry | Sussex | Tazewell | Warren | Washington | Westmoreland | Wise | Wythe | York
  Independent cities	Alexandria | Bedford | Bristol | Buena Vista | Charlottesville | Chesapeake | Colonial Heights | Covington | Danville | Emporia | Fairfax | Falls Church | Franklin | Fredericksburg | Galax | Hampton | Harrisonburg | Hopewell | Lexington | Lynchburg | Manassas | Manassas Park | Martinsville | Newport News | Norfolk | Norton | Petersburg | Poquoson | Portsmouth | Radford | Richmond | Roanoke | Salem | Staunton | Suffolk | Virginia Beach | Waynesboro | Williamsburg | Winchester
  Towns	Abingdon | Ashland | Blacksburg | Bluefield | Dublin | Christiansburg | Culpeper | Front Royal | Herndon | Leesburg | Marion | Orange | Pulaski | Richlands | Warrenton | Wise | Wytheville | Vienna

  v • d • e Political divisions of the United States
  States	Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
  Federal district	Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
  Insular areas	American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands
  Outlying islands	Bajo Nuevo Bank · Baker Island · Howland Island · Jarvis Island · Johnston Atoll · Kingman Reef · Midway Atoll · Navassa Island · Palmyra Atoll · Serranilla Bank · Wake Island

  v • d • e Former Confederate States of America
  Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia

  v • d • e US South (as defined by the United States Census Bureau)
  South Atlantic	Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Maryland · North Carolina · South Carolina · Virginia · Washington, D.C. · West Virginia
  East South Central	Alabama · Kentucky · Mississippi · Tennessee
  West South Central	Arkansas · Louisiana · Oklahoma · Texas

  Coordinates: 37.5° N 79° Wang:Virginia ar:فيرجينيا frp:Virginia az:Virciniya bn:ভার্জিনিয়া zh-min-nan:Virginia be-x-old:Вірджынія bs:Virginia br:Virginia bg:Вирджиния ca:Virgínia cv:Вирджини cs:Virginie cy:Virginia da:Virginia de:Virginia et:Virginia es:Virginia eo:Virginio eu:Virginia fa:ویرجینیا fr:Virginie ga:Virginia gd:Virginia gl:Virxinia - Virginia ko:버지니아 주 hy:Վերջինիա hr:Virginia io:Virginia bpy:ভার্জিনিয়া id:Virginia ik:Virginia os:Вирджини is:Virginía (fylki) it:Virginia he:וירג'יניה pam:Virginia kn:ವರ್ಜೀನಿಯ ka:ვირჯინია ks:वर्जिनिया kw:Virjynni sw:Virginia ht:Vijini ku:Virginia lad:Virginia la:Virginia lv:Virdžīnija lt:Virdžinija lij:Virginn-ia hu:Virginia mk:Вирџинија ml:വിര്‍ജീനിയ mr:व्हर्जिनिया ms:Virginia nl:Virginia (staat) ja:バージニア州 no:Virginia nn:Virginia oc:Virgínia uz:Virjiniya pms:Virginia nds:Virginia pl:Wirginia pt:Virgínia ro:Virginia (stat SUA) ru:Вирджиния sa:वर्जिनिया sq:Virginia scn:Virginia simple:Virginia sk:Virgínia sl:Virginija sr:Вирџинија sh:Virginia fi:Virginia sv:Virginia ta:வர்ஜீனியா th:มลรัฐเวอร์จิเนีย vi:Virginia tr:Virjinya uk:Вірджинія ur:ورجینیا vo:Virginia yi:ווירזשיניע diq:Virginia bat-smg:Virdžinėjė