Virginia’s many nicknames - Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents, Mother of States - attest to the state’s deep roots in American history. It was in Virginia in 1607 that Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in America, was founded. Eight of America’s presidents were born in Virginia, and eight other states, in whole or in part, were carved out of Virginia’s original territory. Two great wars ended on Virginia soil - the Revolutionary War at Yorktown and the Civil War at Appomattox.

Population: 6,128,000
Area: 40,767-sq. mi.
Population per sq. Mi.: 150
Capital: Richmond (pop. 844,300)
Largest city: Norfolk - Virginia Beach - Newport News (pop. 1,380,000)
Elevation: Sea level to 5,729 ft. (Mt. Rogers)
Major rivers: James, Potomac, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, York, and Roanoke
Leading industries: Government and community services, trade, manufacturing (textiles, transportation equipment, electronics, food processing, chemicals), agriculture (tobacco), coal mining
Bird: Cardinal
Flower: Flowering dogwood
Tree: Flowering dogwood
Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)
Song: “Carry Me Back to Old Virginia”
Origin of name: For Queen Elizabeth I, “Virgin Queen” of England, by Sir Walter Raleigh
Nicknames: Cavalier State, Old Dominion, and Mother of Presidents, Mother of States, Mother of Statesmen