Virginia is one of the original 13 states of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution and is generally classified as part of the South. Its official name is the Commonwealth of Virginia; it is one of four Commonwealths out of the fifty United States.

Kentucky and West Virginia were part of Virginia at the time of the founding of the United States, but the former was admitted to the Union as a separate state in 1792 while the latter broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War.

Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents", as more U.S. Presidents (8) were born in this state than in any other. Five of them were re-elected to a second term: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Woodrow Wilson. William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Zachary Taylor round out the list of American Presidents from the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Historical footnote: both Harrison and Taylor died while in office.)

Contents [showhide]
1 History

2 Law and government

3 Geography

4 Demographics

5 Important cities and towns

6 Colleges and universities

7 Professional sports teams

8 Miscellaneous information

9 Other places

10 External links

[edit]
History
Among Native American people living in what now is Virginia were the Powhatan, Nottaway, Meherrin, Monacan, Saponi, and Cherokee.

At the end of the 16th century when England began to colonize North America, "Virginia" was the name Queen Elizabeth I of England gave to the whole area explored by the 1584 expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh along the coast of North America, eventually applying to the whole coast from South Carolina to Maine. The London Virginia Company became incorporated as a joint stock company by a royal charter drawn up on April 10, 1606. It swiftly financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World which was at Jamestown in the Virginia Colony in 1607. Its Second Charter was officially ratified on May 23, 1609.

Virginia was given its nickname "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II of England at the time of the Restoration for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War. Patrick Henry served as the first Governor of Virginia, from 1776-79, and again from 1784-86. On June 12, 1776, the Virginia Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, a document that influenced the Bill of Rights added later to the United States Constitution. On June 29, 1776, the convention adopted a constitution that established Virginia as a commonwealth independent of the British Empire. In 1790 both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new District of Columbia, but in an Act of Congress dated July 9, 1846, the territory that had been ceded by Virginia was returned, and is now Arlington County and part of the City of Alexandria.

Virginia is one of the states that seceded from the Union to become the Confederacy during the Civil War. When it did, some counties were separated as West Virginia, an act which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1870.

Virginia formally rejoined the Union on January 26, 1870 after a period of post-war military rule.

On January 13, 1990 Douglas Wilder became the first African American governor of a US state to serve as Governor after Reconstruction when he was elected Governor of Virginia.

[edit]
Law and government
The capital is Richmond: the current Governor is Mark Warner, a Democrat.

In colonial Virginia, the lower house of the legislature was called the House of Burgesses. The House of Burgesses made up the other part of the General Assembly. Its members were chosen by all those who could vote in the colony. Each settlement chose two people or burgesses to represent it. The Burgesses met to make laws for the colony and set the direction for its future growth. The idea of electing burgesses was important and new. It gave Virginians a chance to control their own government for the first time. At first the burgesses were elected by all free men in the colony. Women, indentured servants, and Native Americans could not vote. Later the rules for voting changed, making it necessary for men to own at least fifty acres (200,000 m²) of land in order to vote.

Today, the General Assembly is made up of the Senate and the House of Delegates.

[edit]
Geography
See also: List of Virginia counties, List of Virginia rivers

Virginia is bordered by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (across the Potomac River) to the north, by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south, and by Kentucky to the west.

Chesapeake Bay divides the state, with the eastern portion (called 'the Eastern Shore of Virginia'), a part of the Delmarva Peninsula, completely separate from the rest of the state.

Virginia is divided into the following 3 regions:
Tidewater - Stretching from the Atlantic coast to the fall line
Piedmont - East of the Appalachian Mountains to the Tidewater Region
Ridge and Valley - West of the Appalachian Mountains

[edit]
Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Virginia's population was estimated at 7,386,330 people.

The racial makeup of the state is:

70.2% White, non-Hispanic
19.6% Black
4.7% Hispanic
3.7% Asian
0.3% American Indian
2% are mixed race
The 5 largest ancestry groups in Virginia are African American (19.6%), German (11.7%), American (11.2%), English (11.1%), Irish (9.8%).

The 5 largest religious denominations in Virginia are Baptist (32%), Roman Catholic (15%), Methodist (7%), "Christian" (7%), Presbyterian (3%). 13% of the population is nonreligious.

6.5% of Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 24.6% under 18, and 11.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51% of the population.

[edit]
Important cities and towns
Under the laws in effect in Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent of any county. Of the approximately 43 independent cities in the United States, 39 are in Virginia. The complete list of Virginia independent cities follows:

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
Richmond
Radford
Roanoke
Salem
Staunton
Suffolk
Virginia Beach
Waynesboro
Williamsburg
Winchester

Some other municipalities incorporated as towns, which are not independent of a county, include:

Accomac
Abingdon
Altavista
Ashland
Bassett
Berryville
Blacksburg
Bluefield
Bridgewater
Chincoteague
Christiansburg
Clifton Forge
Colonial Beach
Culpeper
Dumfries
Eastville
Farmville
Front Royal
Herndon
Lebanon
Leesburg
Luray
Marion
Orange
Pulaski
Purcellville
Richlands
Rocky Mount
Smithfield
South Boston
South Hill
Strasburg
Tappahannock
Tazewell
Vienna
Vinton
Wachapreague
Warrenton
West Point
Wise
Woodstock
Wytheville

Finally, Arlington County, which lies across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is a completely urbanized community, but has no incorporated area within its borders.

[edit]
Colleges and universities
Appalachian School of Law
Averett University
Bluefield College
Bridgewater College
Christendom College
Christopher Newport University
College of Health Sciences
College of William and Mary
Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Emory and Henry College
Ferrum College
George Mason University
George Washington University Virginia Campus
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampton University
Hollins University
Institute of Textile Technology
James Madison University
Liberty University
Longwood University
Lynchburg College
Marine Corps University
Mary Baldwin College
Marymount University
Norfolk State University
Northern Virginia Community College
Old Dominion University
Radford University
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Regent University
Roanoke College
Saint Paul's College
Shenandoah University
Southern Virginia College
Sweet Briar College
University of Mary Washington
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
University of Virginia's College at Wise
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Intermont College
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia State University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Wesleyan College
Washington Bible College and Capital Bible Seminary, Northern Virginia Extension
Washington and Lee University

[edit]
Professional sports teams
The Minor League Baseball Teams are:

Bluefield Orioles
Bristol White Sox
Danville Braves
Lynchburg Hillcats
Norfolk Tides
Potomac Cannons (Woodbridge)
Pulaski Blue Jays
Richmond Braves
Salem Avalanche

The minor league soccer teams are:

A-League
Richmond Kickers
Virginia Beach Mariners
USL Pro Soccer League
Northern Virginia Royals
W-League
Northern Virginia Majestics
Hampton Roads Piranhas
[edit]
Miscellaneous information
State motto: "Sic semper tyrannis." (Thus always to tyrants.)
State bird: Cardinal
State dog: American Foxhound
State flower: Dogwood
State tree: Dogwood
State insect: Tiger swallowtail
State song: none; the former state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," was retired due to racist lyrics in the 1990s
USS Virginia was named in honor of this state.

Virginia is the last state to have split its electoral vote in a Presidential Election, in 1916.

[edit]
Other places
There are also places named Virginia in the States of Illinois and Minnesota: see

Virginia, Illinois.
Virginia, Minnesota.
[edit]
External links
State Government website (http://www.virginia.gov)
Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh : 1584 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/raleigh.htm)
The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va01.htm)
The Second Charter of Virginia; May 23, 1609 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va02.htm)
The Third Charter of Virginia; March 12, 1611 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va03.htm)
U.S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51000.html)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Virginia".

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