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The Commonwealth of Virginia (pronounced /v?'d??nj?/) is a Southeastern 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 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] University sports teams attract large followings in national competition.

Contents [hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Geology and terrain
1.2 Climate
1.3 Flora and fauna
2 History
2.1 Colony
2.2 Statehood
3 Cities and towns
4 Demographics
4.1 Ethnicity
4.2 Religion
5 Economy
6 Culture
6.1 Fine and performing arts
6.2 Festivals
7 Media
8 Education
9 Health
10 Transportation
11 Law and government
12 Politics
13 Sports
14 State symbols
15 See also
16 References
17 External links

[edit] Geography
See also: List of counties in Virginia, List of county seats in Virginia, and Lost counties, cities, and towns of Virginia

Map of Virginia's major cities and roadsVirginia has an area of 42,774 square miles (110,784 km²) making it the thirty-fifth largest state.[8] 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 possess the whole width of the river rather than its being split between them and Virginia.[9]

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.[10] 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.

[edit] Geology and terrain
See also: List of Virginia rivers and Virginia seismic zone
The Chesapeake Bay divides the commonwealth, with Virginia's Eastern Shore, a separate exclave from the rest of the commonwealth. 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.[11]

Topographic map of Virginia countiesVirginia'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.[12]

Virginia has not had a history of seismic activity: the earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. The largest, at 6.0 magnitude, came in 1897 in Blacksburg.[13] 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.

[edit] Climate
Main article: Climate of Virginia

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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]

[edit] Flora and fauna

Deer at Tanner Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.Virginia is sixty-five percent covered by forests.[20] 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 [21]

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.[22] 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.[23] Freshwater fish include brook trout, longnose and blacknose dance, and the bluehead chub.[24] The Chesapeake Bay is home to many species, including blue crabs, clams, oysters, and rockfish, also known as striped bass.[25]

[edit] History
Main article: History of Virginia

[edit] Colony
Main article: Colony of Virginia

A 19th century depiction of Pocahontas, of the Powhatan tribe, an ancestor of many of the First Families 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.[26] 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.[27]

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.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31] In 1609 many of the early colonists died during the "starving time."[32]

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.[33][34] 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.[33] 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. The present moniker, "Old Dominion" is a reference to that title.[35]

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.[36] On May 12, 1776, the Virginia Convention called for independence from the British Empire.[37] 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.[38] Then on June 29, 1776, the convention enacted a constitution, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, that formally declared Virginia as an independent commonwealth.[39]

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.[40] 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.[41]

[edit] 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.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44]

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.[45] Slave labor was increasingly used profitably not only in agriculture, but also in mining, shipbuilding and other industries.[46] By 1860, almost half a million people, roughly thirty-one percent of the total population of Virginia, were enslaved.[47]

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.[48][49]

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.[50]

Thirty-three people died in the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.By 1902, the Jim Crow era had taken root in Virginia, and the Constitution of Virginia was rewritten to include a poll tax and other measures that effectively disfranchised African Americans and reversed the progress they had made after the Civil War.[51] In 1950 the first black students attended the University of Virginia School of Law and in 1952 they gained admission to Virginia Tech.[52] 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.[53] In 1959 Prince Edward County closed their schools rather than integrate them.[52]

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 followed a series of legal setbacks, and the proponents of massive resistance were forced to concede defeat and Virginia schools began to very slowly integrate.[53] The Civil Rights Movement gained many participants in the 1960s and achieved the moral force to gain national legislation for 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, including the record-breaking rapid construction of the Pentagon, United States Department of Defense headquarters. These programs became the basis of the Northern Virginia economy, based on well-educated, professional work force.[54] Subsequent growth of defense projects has also generated a local information technology industry. The Hampton Roads region has also grown due to government and military expansion. 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.[6] At Jamestown 2007, Virginia marked its quadricentennial year, celebrating four hundred years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony. 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.[55]

[edit] 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

Virginia population density map
Richmond skyline crossing the Manchester BridgeVirginia 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.[56] 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.[57]

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.[58] 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.[59] 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.[60] Some other municipalities are incorporated towns, which are not independent of a county but are located within one of the 95 counties in Virginia.

Downtown Staunton in the Shenandoah ValleyAlthough it is not incorporated as a city, Fairfax County is the most populous locality in Virginia, with over one million residents.[61] Fairfax has a major urban business and shopping center in Tysons Corner, Virginia's largest office market.[62] Neighboring Loudoun County, with the county seat at Leesburg, is the fastest-growing county in the United States.[63] 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.[64] The adjacent city of Alexandria has a historic seaport district.[65]

Roanoke is the largest city in western Virginia.[66] 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.[67] Suffolk, which includes a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, is the largest city geographically.[68]

[edit] 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.[69] The center of population of Virginia is located in Goochland County.[70]

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.[71] 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.[72]

[edit] 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%).[73] Many of Virginia's African population are descended from enslaved Africans who worked its tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantations. Initially, these slaves were imported from west central Africa, primarily Angola. During the eighteenth century, however, about half of them were derived from various ethnicities located in the Niger Delta region of modern day Nigeria.[74]

The twentieth century Great Migration of blacks from the rural South to the urban North reduced Virginia's black population to about twenty percent.[69] Today, African-Americans are concentrated in the eastern and southern Tidewater and Piedmont regions where plantation agriculture was the most dominant.[75] 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. As of 2005, 6.1% of Virginians are Hispanic and 5.2% are Asian.[69] Northern Virginia has the largest Vietnamese population on the East Coast, with slightly more than 99,000 Vietnamese residents.[78] The Hampton Roads area also has a large Filipino population.[79]

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

[edit] Religion

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is located in the Richmond's Fan district.Religious affiliation[80]
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.[81] 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.[82] 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.[83][84] 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.[85]

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Virginia
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.[86] 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.[87] As of 2007, seven Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Richmond area.[88] 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.[89]

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).[11] Tomatoes recently surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia. Tobacco, peanuts and hay are also important agricultural products.[90] Oysters are an important part of the Chesapeake Bay economy, but declining populations due to disease, pollution, and overfishing have diminished catches.[91] Wineries and vineyards in the Northern Neck and along the Blue Ridge Mountains also have begun to generate income and attract tourists.[92]

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.[93] Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state.[94] Computer chips became the state's highest-grossing export in 2006, surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco, combined.[7] The Dulles Technology Corridor near Dulles International Airport has a high concentration of Internet, communications and software engineering firms.[95]

Many of Northern Virginia's well-educated population work directly for Federal agencies. Many others work for government contractors, including defense and security contractors.[54] 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.[60] The state is second to Alaska and ahead of North Dakota and New Mexico in per capita defense spending.[96]

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.[97] 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.[98]

[edit] Culture

Map of nine Virginia cultural regions
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.[99] 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.[100] The Tidewater dialect is also a distinct local accent.[101]

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.[92] 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.[102]

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.[103]

[edit] Fine and performing arts
See also: Music of Virginia

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.[104] 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.[105] The Chrysler Museum of Art is home to many pieces, stemming from the Chrysler family collection, including the final sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.[106] 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.[107] 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.

[edit] Festivals

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 the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival the second weekend after Memorial Day.[108] In Virginia Beach, the end of September brings the Neptune Festival, celebrating the city, the waterfront, and regional artists.[109]

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.[110] 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.[111]

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.

[edit] 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.[112] There are twenty-one television stations in Virginia, representing each major U.S. network, part of forty-two stations which serve Virginia viewers.[113] About {{nowrap352 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.[114][115] 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."[95]

[edit] Education
See also: List of colleges and universities in Virginia, List of school divisions in Virginia, and List of high schools in Virginia

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. All school divisions however must adhere to educational standards set forth by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). 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.[116] The 2008 Quality Counts report ranked Virginia's K-12 education fifth best in the country.[117] To ensure accountability among schools, VDOE maintains a statewide assessment and accreditation regime known as the Standards of Learning, allowing parents and other stakeholders to obtain detailed achievement data for every school and school division in the state.[118] As of 2004, Virginia has a 79.3% graduation rate, which is the twelfth highest in the nation.[119]

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.[120] 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.[121] The Governor's Schools are a collection of more than forty regional selective magnet high schools and summer programs intended for gifted students.[122] The Virginia Council for Private Education oversees the regulation of private schools.

Individual Virginia public school 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.[121][123] 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.[124]

Two of the top ten public national universities in the United States 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.[125] 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 #6.[126] Additionally, James Madison University is consistently named the number one public master's level university in The South.[126] 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.[127][128] Virginia Commonwealth University is the largest university in Virginia with over 30,000 students, followed closely by George Mason University.[129] 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.[130]

[edit] Health

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.[131][132] 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.[133] 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.[134] As of 2005, only 86.4% of Virginians have health insurance.[135]

There are about 181 hospitals in Virginia.[136] 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.[137] 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.[138][139]

[edit] Transportation
Main article: Transportation in Virginia

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.[140] Seventy-one airports serve the state's aviation needs.[141] 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.[142] Run by the Virginia Department of Transportation, this is the third largest highway system in the United States.[4]

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.[143]

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.[144] 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.[145] 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.[146]

[edit] Law and government
Main article: Government of Virginia

The Virginia State Capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, recently underwent massive renovations.In colonial Virginia, the lower house of the legislature was called the House of Burgesses. The burgesses were elected by free men in the colony. Together with the Governor's Council, the House of Burgesses made up 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 Constitution of 1901 lasted longer than any other state constitution, though was amended many times, notably in the 1930s and 1950s, before it was abandoned in favor of more modern government, with fewer elected officials, reformed local governments and a more streamlined judiciary.[147]

Virginia currently functions under the 1971 Constitution of Virginia, modeled on the federal government of the United States. It is the commonwealth's seventh constitution. Under the Constitution, the government is composed of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch or state legislature is the General Assembly, a bicameral body whose 140 members make all laws of the commonwealth. The current governor of Virginia is Tim Kaine. Under the state constitution, incumbent governors cannot run for re-election. 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. Eight Virginia men 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, as well as Sam Houston, president of the former Republic of Texas.[148]

The Code of Virginia is the statutory law, and consists of the codified legislation of the Virginia 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.[149] 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.[150]

[edit] Politics
Main article: Politics of Virginia

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 state. The urban and growing suburban areas are politically moderate to progressive.[151] Though Northern Virginia trends Democratic, rural Virginia, once a Democratic stronghold, swung Republican with the Southern strategy, and balances the state's political map.[152] 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.[153][154]

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.[155] Fairfax County, and other Northern Virginia areas, voted for the Democrat in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election for the first time in forty years.[156][157] Virginia could become a more competitive state in future presidential elections, and is classified as a "swing state."[5] 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.[158]

2006 Senate election majority results by county, with GOP in red and Democratic Party in blue.The election of Jim Webb as one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators in the Congressional midterm elections of 2006 seemed to reinforce this shift. His election also demonstrated the disaffection of independent voters with the Republican Party.[159] In that midterm election, the Virginia Senate race was the last decided. Through it the Democratic Party secured a majority in the United States Senate. John Warner, a Republican, holds Virginia's other seat in the U.S. Senate, though he has announced his intention not to seek reelection in 2008.[160] Both of Virginia's Senators are former Secretaries of the Navy.

Republicans also hold eight out of eleven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Northern Virginia, the sole Democratic district is the 8th congressional district represented by Jim Moran while the other two districts in Northern Virginia are the Republican leaning districts of the 11th congressional district represented by Thomas M. Davis and the 10th congressional district represented by Frank Wolf. The predominately African American and thus Democratic controlled 3rd congressional district, which is represented by Robert C. Scott, stretches from the Richmond metropolitan area to Hampton Roads. Rick Boucher represents Virginia's 9th Congressional district which spans the whole western end of the state beyond Montgomery County. He's represented the district for thirteen terms. Republicans hold the remaining Congressional seats.

[edit] Sports
See also: List of professional sports teams in Virginia

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.[161], 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.[162] Virginia is home to many minor league clubs, especially in baseball and soccer.[163] 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.[164] When the New York Mets ended their long affiliation with the Norfolk Tides in 2007, the Orioles took over the affiliation.[165] 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.[166] 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.[167] 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.[168][169] 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.[170]

[edit] State symbols
Main article: List of Virginia state symbols
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. 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. The majority of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.[171]

The Virginia welcome sign on State Route 32 employs the state bird, the cardinal, and the state tree and flower, the dogwood.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 Virginia", was retired in 1997
State tartan: Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan
State tree: Dogwood