Virginia

Capital: Richmond · South · Old Dominion

State Statistics

About Virginia

Virginia is one of the nation's most historically significant states, the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents and the site of foundational events in American democracy from the first representative assembly at Jamestown (1619) to the surrender at Appomattox that ended the Civil War. The state divides sharply between the cosmopolitan, federal-government-driven economy of Northern Virginia — an extension of the Washington D.C. metro area — and the more rural, agricultural, and historically Southern character of the Piedmont, Shenandoah Valley, and coastal Tidewater regions. Virginia boasts the nation's largest concentration of military installations, centered on Hampton Roads, where the world's largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, anchors a massive defense economy. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the barrier islands of the Eastern Shore, the state offers extraordinary natural beauty alongside a layered historical landscape that shaped the nation's identity.

Major Cities

Key Industries

Notable Universities