The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Virginia: Virginia (officially, the Commonwealth of Virginia) – U.S. state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as a former dominion of the English Crown, and "Mother of Presidents" due to the most U.S. presidents having been born there. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2013 is over 8.2 million.

General reference

* Names ** Common name: Virginia *** Pronunciation: **

Official name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...

: Commonwealth of Virginia ** Abbreviations and name codes *** Postal symbol: VA *** ISO 3166-2 code: US-VA *** Internet second-level domain:

.va.us .us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in early 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations, or a foreign entity with a presence in the United ...

** Nicknames *** Mother of Presidents *** The Old DominionBarry Popik
Smoky City
barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005 *** The Commonwealth * Adjectivals: Virginia, Virginian *

Demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

: Virginian

Geography of Virginia

Geography of Virginia * Virginia is: a U.S. state, a federal state of the United States of America * Location **

Northern hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

** Western hemisphere ***

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

****

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

***** Anglo America ***** Northern America ****** United States of America *******

Contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

******** Eastern United States *********

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

********* Mid-Atlantic states ********* Southeastern United States ******** Southern United States * Population of Virginia: 8,001,024 (2010 U.S. Census) * Area of Virginia: * Atlas of Virginia

Places in Virginia

* Historic places in Virginia ** Abandoned communities in Virginia *** Ghost towns in Virginia ** National Historic Landmarks in Virginia **

National Register of Historic Places listings in Virginia Buildings, sites, districts, and objects in Virginia listed on the National Register of Historic Places: As of , there are 3,027 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in all 95 Virginia counties and 37 of ...

*** Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia * National Natural Landmarks in Virginia * National parks in Virginia * State parks in Virginia

Environment of Virginia

Environment of Virginia *

Climate of Virginia The climate of Virginia, a state on the east coast of the United States, is mild compared to more northern areas of the United States such as New England and the Midwest. Most of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge mountains, the southern part of the ...

Climate change in Virginia Climate change in Virginia encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Virginia. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports: "Virginia's climate ...

* Protected areas in Virginia ** State forests of Virginia *

Superfund sites in Virginia Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...

Natural geographic features of Virginia

Lakes of Virginia This is a list of lakes in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Virginia has two natural lakes, and several man-made lakes and reservoirs. Natural lakes * Lake Drummond * Mountain Lake Other lakes and reservoirs * Abel Reservoir ...

Mountains of Virginia A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

* Gaps of Virginia * Rivers of Virginia

Regions of Virginia

* Central Virginia * Northern Virginia * Southern Virginia

Administrative divisions of Virginia

Map of Virginia Counties and Independent Cities 2013

* The 95 Counties and 38 Cities of the Commonwealth of Virginia ** Municipalities in Virginia ***

Cities in Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties, along with 38 independent cities that are considered county-equivalents for census purposes. The map in this article, taken from the official United States Census Bureau site, includes ...

**** State capital of Virginia: **** City nicknames in Virginia *** Towns in Virginia *** Unincorporated communities in Virginia

Demography of Virginia

Demographics of Virginia The demographics of Virginia are the various elements used to describe the population of the Commonwealth of Virginia and are studied by various government and non-government organizations. Virginia is the 12th-most populous state in the United ...

Government and politics of Virginia

Politics of Virginia The politics of Virginia have followed major historical events and demographic changes in the commonwealth. In the 21st century, the northern region has become more liberal in attitudes and voting, constituting a reliable voting bloc for Democrats ...

Form of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

U.S. state government State governments of the United States are institutional units exercising functions of government at a level below that of the federal government. Each U.S. state's government holds legislative, executive, and judicial authority over a defined ...

* United States congressional delegations from Virginia * Virginia State Capitol * Elections in Virginia **

Electoral reform in Virginia Electoral reform in Virginia refers to efforts to change the electoral system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia has undergone much electoral change since its settling in 1607, many of which were required by federal legislation. However, it r ...

Political party strength in Virginia The following table indicates party affiliation in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the individual offices of: *Governor * Lieutenant Governor * Attorney General It also indicates the historical composition of the collective: * Senate * House of D ...

Branches of the government of Virginia

Government of Virginia

Executive branch of the government of Virginia

* Governor of Virginia **

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia The lieutenant governor of Virginia is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The lieutenant governor is elected every four years along with the governor and attorney general. The office is currently held by Winsome Earle S ...

** Secretary of State of Virginia * State departments ** Virginia Department of Transportation

Legislative branch of the government of Virginia

* Virginia General Assembly (

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

) ** Upper house: Virginia Senate **

Lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

: Virginia House of Delegates

Judicial branch of the government of Virginia

Courts of Virginia Courts of Virginia include: ;State courts of Virginia * Supreme Court of Virginia **Court of Appeals of Virginia ***Virginia Circuit Court (120 courts divided among 31 judicial circuits) ****Virginia General District Court (courts in 32 districts) ...

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

Law and order in Virginia

Law of Virginia *

Cannabis in Virginia Cannabis in Virginia is legal for medical use and recreational use. The first medical marijuana dispensary opened in August 2020, and adult recreational use became legalized in July 2021. In April 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam approved ...

* Capital punishment in Virginia ** Individuals executed in Virginia * Constitution of Virginia *

Crime in Virginia Crime in the U.S. state of Virginia has generally decreased from 2008 to 2014. Summary Overall, there were 177,060 crimes reported in 2014 in Virginia, including 338 murders and homicides. In 2012 Virginia had the 3rd-lowest rape rate by sta ...

Gun laws in Virginia Gun laws in Virginia regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Summary table History Historians trace Virginia's first experience with gun control laws back to t ...

* Law enforcement in Virginia ** Law enforcement agencies in Virginia *** Virginia State Police

Military in Virginia

Virginia Air National Guard The Virginia Air National Guard (VA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States of America. It is, along with the Virginia Army National Guard, an element of the Virginia National Guard. As commonwealth militia uni ...

* Virginia Army National Guard

Local government in Virginia

History of Virginia

History of Virginia, by period

* Prehistory of Virginia ** Native American tribes in Virginia *** Powhatan * English

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

, 1584–1707 **

Roanoke Colony The establishment of the Roanoke Colony ( ) was an attempt by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The English, led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had briefly claimed St. John's, Newfoundland, in 15 ...

, 1585–1587 **

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...

, 1607–1760 ** History of slavery in Virginia ** Middle Plantation, Virginia, since 1632 (

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

since 1698) *

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

colony of

Louisiane Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...

, 1699–1764 * British

, 1707–1776 * French and Indian War, 1754–1763 ** Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1762 ** Treaty of Paris of 1763 * British Indian Reserve, 1763–1783 ** Royal Proclamation of 1763 ** Dunmore's War 1774 * American Revolutionary War, 1775–1783 ** United States Declaration of Independence of 1776 ** Treaty of Paris of 1783 * Commonwealth of Virginia since 1776 * Cherokee–American wars, 1776–1794 *First state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, signed July 9, 1778 * Northwestern territorial claims ceded 1784 * Tenth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America on June 25, 1788 *

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

becomes the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789 * Separation of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1792 * Thomas Jefferson becomes the third President of the United States on March 4, 1801 * James Madison becomes the fourth President of the United States on March 4, 1809 * War of 1812, 1812–1815 * Treaty of Ghent, December 24, 1814 * James Monroe becomes the fifth President of the United States on March 4, 1817 * William Henry Harrison becomes ninth President of the United States on March 4, 1841 * John Tyler becomes the tenth President of the United States on April 4, 1841 * Mexican–American War, April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848 * Zachary Taylor becomes 12th President of the United States on March 4, 1849 * Virginia in the American Civil War, 1861–1865 ** Confederate States of America, 1861–1865 ***Eighth state to declare secession from the United States on April 17, 1861 ***Eighth state admitted to the Confederate States of America on May 7, 1861 ** Manassas Campaign, July 2–21, 1861 *** First Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861 **

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Virginia'' (rebuilt and renamed from the USS ''Merrimack'') or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. It was fought over t ...

, March 8–9, 1862 ** Valley Campaign, March 23 – June 9, 1862 ** Peninsula Campaign, March – July 1862 *** Battle of Seven Pines, May 31 – June 1, 1862 *** Seven Days Battles, June 25 – July 1, 1862 ** Northern Virginia Campaign, July 19 – September 1, 1862 ***

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, August 29–30, 1862 **

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, December 11–15, 1862 ** Battle of Chancellorsville, May 1–4, 1863 ** Separation of the State of West Virginia, 1863 ** Bristoe Campaign, October 14 – November 9, 1863 ** Overland Campaign, May 5 – June 24, 1864 ***

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

, May 5–7, 1864 *** Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 8–21, 1864 *** Battle of Cold Harbor, May 31 – June 12, 1864 ** Valley Campaigns, May 15 – October 19, 1864 ** Bermuda Hundred Campaign, May 6–20, 1864 ** Siege of Petersburg, June 9, 1864 – March 25, 1865 ** Appomattox Campaign, March 29 – April 9, 1865 *** Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865 ***

Battle of Appomattox Court House The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...

, April 9, 1865 * Virginia in Reconstruction, 1865–1870 **Eighth former Confederate state readmitted to the United States on January 26, 1870 * Woodrow Wilson becomes 28th President of the United States on March 4, 1913 * Shenandoah National Park established on December 26, 1935

Culture of Virginia

Culture of Virginia The Culture of Virginia refers to the distinct human activities and values that take place in, or originate from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia's historic culture was popularized and spread across America by Washington, Jefferson, and Madi ...

Museums in Virginia This list of museums in Virginia, United States, contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, ar ...

* Religion in Virginia ** The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Virginia ** Episcopal Diocese of Virginia *

Scouting in Virginia Scouting in Virginia has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Many of the local groups and districts took names of historic Virginia Indian tribes i ...

* State symbols of Virginia ** Flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia ** Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia Seal of Virginia

The arts in Virginia

Music of Virginia Virginia's musical contribution to American culture has been diverse, and includes Piedmont blues, jazz, folk, brass, hip-hop, and rock and roll bands, as well as the founding origins of country music in the Bristol sessions by Appalachian ...

Sports in Virginia

Sports in Virginia * Professional sports teams in Virginia

Economy and infrastructure of Virginia

Economy of Virginia * Communications in Virginia ** Newspapers in Virginia ** Radio stations in Virginia **

Television stations in Virginia Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

* Health care in Virginia ** Hospitals in Virginia * Transportation in Virginia ** Airports in Virginia ** Roads in Virginia *** Interstate Highways in Virginia ***

State highways in Virginia The state highway system of the U.S. state of Virginia is a network of roads maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). As of 2006, the VDOT maintains of state highways,Education in Virginia * Schools in Virginia ** School districts in Virginia *** High schools in Virginia ** Colleges and universities in Virginia *** University of Virginia *** Virginia State University

References

External links

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