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The Commonwealth of Virginia is one of the
original thirteen
colonies of the United States. It’s one of the
Mid-Atlantic States,
and was the first part of the country to be permanently colonized by the
English.
Virginia is bordered by
West Virginia,
Maryland, and
 Washington, DC to the north; by
North Carolina
and
Tennessee to
the south;
Kentucky and
West Virginia
to the west; and by
Chesapeake Bay
and the
Atlantic Ocean
to the east. Western Virginia is mountainous, covered by the Allegheny and Blue
Ridge mountains. The central piedmont region, with its rolling hills, flattens
out into the sandy coastal plain toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Virginia's economy is well balanced with diverse sources of
income. Southeast Virginia has military installations, cattle, tobacco and
peanut farming. Northern Virginia used to host a lot of dairy farms, but now
has high concentrations of high tech companies. Software, communications,
consulting, and defense contractors make the north home.
Coal mining
was a huge part of the state’s economy in the 18th and 19th
centuries, and there are still some mines active in southwest Virginia.
Virginia’s gross state product was $326.6 billion in 2004. The
per capita personal income was $35,477 in 2004, about 85% of the national
average.
The state was named after Queen Elizabeth I, who
 was called the
“Virgin Queen” because she never married. She authorized the
1584
expedition by
Sir
Walter Raleigh
along the coast. Two centuries later, the British surrendered at the Battle of
Yorktown near Chesapeake Bay, granting the former colonies independence.
Virginia seceded with the rest of the Confederacy during the American Civil War,
and hosted more of that war’s battles than any other state.
Virginia is the birthplace of eight of the United States’
presidents and portions of the original colony subsequently became
Kentucky,
Indiana,
Illinois, and
West Virginia
as well as some portions of
Ohio.
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Fast Facts
State Sales Tax
Rate: 5 percent
State Capital:
Richmond
Motto: Sic Semper
Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)
Nickname: Old
Dominion
Estimated 2005
population: 7,567,465
Change from 2000: +6.9%
Land Area:
42,793 sq mi
Coastline: 187
miles of coastline
Virginia Borders:
West Virginia,
Maryland,
Washington, DC,
North Carolina,
Tennessee,
Kentucky,
West Virginia,
Chesapeake Bay,
Atlantic Ocean
Longest River:
Potomac River - 665 miles
Counties: 95
counties
State Parks: 44
state parks
Largest
Counties(2005):
Population: Fairfax County - 379,616
Area: 971 sq
mi
Largest South
Carolina Cities by Population (2005 census):
Virginia Beach – 438,415
Norfolk – 231,954
Chesapeake – 218,968
Climate:
Record high temperature: 110 degrees F (43 C) at Columbia on July
5, 1954.
Record low temperature: -29 degrees F (36 C) at Monterey on Feb.
10, 1899.
Avg July temperature: 75 degrees F (24 C).
Avg January temperature: 36 degrees F (2 C).
Avg yearly precipitation: 43 inches (109 cm).
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