Virginia

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Commonwealth of Virginia
Flag of Virginia Seal Nickname(s): Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents Motto(s): Sic semper tyrannis
Official language(s)	English
Capital	Richmond
Largest city	Virginia Beach
Largest metro area	Northern Virginia
Area	Ranked 35th
- Total	42,774 sq mi (110,785 km²)
- Width	200 miles (320 km)
- Length	430 miles (690 km)
- % water	7.4
- Latitude	36° 32′ N to 39° 28′ N
- Longitude	75° 15′ W to 83° 41′ W
Population	Ranked 12th
- Total (2000)	7,078,515
- Density	178.8/sq mi  69.03/km² (14th)
- Median income	$53,275 (7th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mount Rogers[1] 5,729 ft  (1,747 m)
- Mean	950 ft  (290 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean[1] 0 ft  (0 m)
Admission to Union	June 25, 1788 (10th)
Governor	Tim Kaine (D)
U.S. Senators	John Warner (R) Jim Webb (D)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	VA US-VA
Web site	www.virginia.gov

The Commonwealth of Virginia (pronounced IPA: /vɚˈdʒɪnjə/) is a Southeastern state on the Atlantic Coast in the United States of America. It is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the Virgin Queen because she never married. The Virginia Colony was the first part of the Americas to be continuously inhabited by colonists from its founding as a European colony up to the American Revolution. The Virginia Company of London became incorporated as a joint stock company by a proprietary charter drawn up on April 10, 1606. The commonwealth was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution to form the United States of America.

The capital is Richmond and the most populous city is Virginia Beach. The most populous local jurisdiction is Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. Independent cities and counties function in the same manner; according to the US Census Bureau independent cities are considered county-equivalent. The largest city in land area is Suffolk, which includes a large portion of the Great Dismal Swamp. Virginia is known as the "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson), more than any other state.

Virginia has a diverse economy, with many federal and military employees in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, which have the world's largest office building and the world's largest naval base respectively. In modern times, the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia area includes Jamestown, Yorktown and the living museum of Colonial Williamsburg. Linked by the Colonial Parkway, they combine to form one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 1.2 Faults and quakes 2 History 2.1 Indigenous Americans 2.2 Virginia colony 2.3 Independent commonwealth 2.4 American Civil War 2.5 Twentieth century 3 Demographics 3.1 Ethnicity 3.2 Religion 4 Economy 4.1 Taxation 5 Transportation 6 Law and government 6.1 Historic government 6.2 Current government 6.2.1 Elections 6.2.2 Legislative Branch 6.2.3 Executive Branch 6.2.4 Judicial Branch 6.2.5 Political Subdivisions 6.2.6 Counties and cities 6.2.7 Alcoholic beverage control 6.3 Politics 6.3.1 Historical 6.3.2 Recent events 7 Important cities and towns 8 Education 8.1 Public, elementary, and secondary schools 8.2 Colleges and universities 9 Sports 10 State symbols 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External links

[edit] Geography

See also: List of Virginia counties, List of Virginia county seats, List of Virginia rivers, and Lost Counties, Cities and Towns of Virginia

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 and West Virginia to the west. Due to a peculiarity of Virginia's original charter, its northern boundary with Maryland does not extend past the low-water mark of the southern shore of the Potomac River, meaning Maryland possesses the whole width of the river rather than it being split between them. Virginia has an area of 42,774 square miles (110,785 km²) making it the 35^th largest state.^[2]

The Chesapeake Bay divides the commonwealth, with Virginia's Eastern Shore, a part of the Delmarva Peninsula, completely separate (an exclave) from the rest of the Commonwealth. Geographically, Virginia is divided into the following six regions:

• Ridge and Valley—between the Appalachian Plateau and Allegheny Plateau to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. Sometimes referred to as Valley and Ridge.
• Shenandoah Valley—located within the Ridge and Valley Region; it is referred to geographically—and culturally— as its own region.
• Blue Ridge Mountains—between the Ridge and Valley Region to the west and the Piedmont region to the east.
• Foothills—area now recognized directly between the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Pertaining to the counties of Madison, Green, Albemarle, and Nelson. Denotes a region just west of the Southwest Mountains range and north of the James river subject to its own unique microclimate.
• Piedmont—between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the Tidewater region to the east.
• Tidewater—between the fall line to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east; it includes the Eastern Shore.

Virginia's long east-west axis means that metropolitan northern Virginia lies as close to New York City and New England as to its own rural western panhandle. Lee County, at the tip of the panhandle, is closer to eight other state capitals than it is to Richmond, Virginia's own capital. Virginia has many National Park Service units, including one national park, the Shenandoah National Park, and numerous other areas in the National Park System. There are thirty-four Virginia state parks.

[edit] Climate

Main article: Climate of Virginia

The climate is considered mild compared to other areas of the United States. Most of the state east of the Blue Ridge, plus the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley, has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa). In the mountainous areas west of the Blue Ridge, the climate becomes humid continental (Koppen Dfa).

Many variations occur because of the state's significant relief. Elevations in Virginia vary from sea level to Mount Rogers at 5,729 ft (1,746 m) above sea level, with major gradations occurring at the edges of the Atlantic Ocean, the end of the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The usually moderating influence of the ocean from the east, powered by the Gulf Stream, is interspersed with brief moments of danger due to the potential for hurricanes near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. On the other hand, cold air masses arrive over the mountains, especially in winter, leading to significant snowfalls. However, in something of an anomaly, much of the state south of Northern Virginia has not had over one foot of snow in a single storm since the Blizzard of 1996. The interaction of these elements with the state's topography create micro-climates in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains that are slightly but noticeably distinct from each other.^[3] An additional element in recent years is the expansion of the southern suburbs of Washington into northern Virginia, creating an urban heat island due to the increased energy output of the city. However, aside from the urban stations, no global warming effects have been noted by Virginia weather stations by 2001.^[4]

Severe weather is a concern in Virginia. Hurricanes make the coastal area of Virginia vulnerable. It is fairly rare for a major hurricane to threaten the Virginia coast as hurricanes this far north tend to become somewhat weakened, but it happens (see Hurricane Gaston). Virginia is often struck with the remnants of systems which hit further south bringing torrential rain to the state. Thunderstorms are an occasional concern with the state averaging anywhere from 30-50 days of thunderstorm activity annually, with the highest area of occurrence going towards the west. Eastern Virginia has a lower rate of tornadoes, and the state averages around 2 tornadoes per year. The last tornado that Virginia experienced was around November 2006.

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Virginia Cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Lynchburg	37/22	42/27	56/30	68/43	76/51	82/60	86/64	85/62	78/56	68/44	58/35	44/28
Norfolk	48/32	50/34	58/40	67/48	75/58	83/66	87/71	85/70	79/65	69/53	61/44	52/36
Richmond	45/28	49/30	58/37	69/45	76/55	84/63	88/68	86/67	80/60	69/47	60/38	50/31
Roanoke	39/25	43/27	58/32	68/44	76/52	83/60	88/65	86/63	79/57	69/45	58/37	45/29
[1]

[edit] Faults and quakes

Main article: Virginia seismic zone

Virginia has not had a history of major seismic activity: the earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. The largest, at 6.0 magnitude, came in 1897 in Blacksburg.^[5] There is no volcanic activity in the state, and it is located centrally on the North American Plate—where the Earth's crust is thicker than at the edges—which leads to fewer strong earthquakes.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Virginia

[edit] Indigenous Americans

At the time of the English colonization of Virginia, Native American people living in what now is Virginia includes tribes known as the Cherokee, Chesepian, Chickahominy, Chiskiack, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Moobs, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Povic, Powhatan, Occoneechees, Rappahannock, Saponites and others. The natives are often divided into three groups, based to a large extent upon language differences. The largest group are known as the Algonquian who numbered over 10,000, most of whom were united in the Powhatan Confederacy led by Chief Powhatan. The other groups are the Iroquoian (numbering 2,500) and the Siouan.^[6]

[edit] Virginia colony

Main article: Colony of Virginia

At the end of the 16th century, when England began to colonize North America, Queen Elizabeth I of England (who was known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married) gave the name "Virginia" to the whole area explored by the 1584 expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh along the coast of North America, and at one time it also included Bermuda (known as Virgineola). The name eventually applied to the whole coast from South Carolina to Maine. The London Virginia Company became incorporated as a joint stock company by a proprietary charter drawn up on April 10, 1606. The charter granted lands stretching from approximately the 34th parallel (North Carolina) north to approximately the 45th parallel (U.S.-Canada border) and from the Atlantic Ocean westward. It swiftly financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World, which was at Jamestown, named in honor of King James I, in the Virginia Colony, in 1607. The settlement was founded by Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith. Its Second Charter was officially ratified on May 23, 1609. Many of the colonists died during the starving time. A dispute over how to deal with the Indians led to Bacon's Rebellion. To try to attract more settlers, Virginia used the headright system, in which each family of settlers got 50 acres per person.

Jamestown was the original capital of the Virginia Colony, and remained so until the State House burned (for the fourth time) in 1698. After the fire, the colonial capital was moved to nearby Middle Plantation, which was renamed Williamsburg in honor of William of Orange, King William III. Virginia was given the title, "Dominion", by King Charles II of England at the time of The Restoration, because it had remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War. The present moniker, "Old Dominion" is a reference to that title.

[edit] Independent commonwealth

Virginia sent delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, beginning in 1774. On June 12, 1776, the Virginia Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights written by George Mason, a document that influenced the Bill of Rights added later to the United States Constitution. Then on June 29, 1776, the convention adopted a constitution that established Virginia as a commonwealth independent of the British Empire.

Patrick Henry, of Charlotte County, served as the first Governor of the new commonwealth from 1776 to 1779, and again from 1784 to 1786. In 1780, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of then-Governor Thomas Jefferson, who was afraid that Williamsburg's location made it vulnerable to a British attack during the American Revolutionary War.

In the autumn of 1781, the combined action of Continental and French land and naval forces trapped the British on the Yorktown peninsula. Troops under George Washington and French Comte de Rochambeau defeated British General Cornwallis in the crucial Battle of Yorktown. The British surrender on October 19, 1781 ended the major hostilities and secured the independence of the former colonies, though sporadic fighting continued for another two years.

In 1790, both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new District of Columbia, but in an Act of the U.S. Congress dated July 9, 1846, the area south of the Potomac that had been ceded by Virginia was retroceded to Virginia effective 1847, and is now Arlington County and part of the City of Alexandria.

[edit] American Civil War

Main article: Virginia in the American Civil War

Virginia seceded from the Union (on April 17, 1861) in response to Lincoln's call for volunteers to attack the Confederate States of America after its attack on Fort Sumter. Virginia briefly operated as an independent state until it joined the Confederacy. It turned over its military on June 8 and ratified the Constitution of the Confederate States on June 19. Upon its admission, the CSA moved its capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond. In 1863, during the Civil War, 48 counties remaining loyal to the Union in the northwest of the state separated from Virginia to form the State of West Virginia, an act which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1870. More battles were fought on Virginia soil than anywhere else in America during the Civil War including the First Battle of Manassas, Second Battle of Manassas, the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of Fredricksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. Virginia formally rejoined the union on January 26, 1870, after Reconstruction.

[edit] Twentieth century

The expansion during World War II and the Cold War of government programs in the areas near Washington has profoundly affected the economy of Northern Virginia, and the subsequent growth of defense projects has also generated a local information technology industry. The Hampton Roads region has also experienced much growth.

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

[edit] Demographics

As of 2006, Virginia had an estimated population of 7,642,884, which is an increase of 78,557, or 1.0%, from the prior year and an increase of 563,854, or 8.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 276,039 people (that is 633,794 births minus 357,755 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 276,292 people into the commonwealth. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 151,748 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 124,544 people. The commonwealth has 940,899 residents who were born outside the United States (8.14% of the population), while 99,104 were born in a different state. The center of population of Virginia is located in Goochland County.^[7]

Also in 2006, 6.58% of Virginia's population were reported as under 5 years old, 24.6% under 18, and 11.2% were senior citizens-65+. Females made up over half of the population.

[edit] Ethnicity

{{US DemogTable|Virginia|03-51.csv|= | 75.70| 20.54| 0.76| 4.32| 0.15|= | 4.17| 0.42| 0.09| 0.07| 0.02|= | 74.94| 20.65| 0.74| 5.20| 0.16|= | 5.44| 0.46| 0.10| 0.09| 0.03|= | 5.84| 7.49| 4.61| 28.64| 17.09|= | 3.87| 7.27| 2.22| 28.47| 15.73|= | 39.60| 18.30| 22.10| 38.58| 24.16}} The five largest reported ancestry groups in Virginia are: African (19.6%), German (11.7%), unspecified American (11.2%), English (11.1%), Irish (9.8%).

Historically Virginia was the largest and wealthiest colony and state and the birthplace of Southern and American culture. A large proportion (about half) of Virginia's population was made up of enslaved Africans who worked its tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantations. Initially, these slaves were imported from west central Africa, primarily Angola. During the eighteenth century, however, about half of them were derived from various ethnicities located in the Niger Delta region of modern day Nigeria. With migration to Virginia of other European groups and sale of enslaved African Americans to the Deep South, by 1860 enslaved African Americans comprised only 31% of the state's population of 1.6 million.

As Paul Heinegg has shown, the majority of free people of color in colonial Virginia were descended from marriages or relationships of white women (servants or free) and black men (slave, servant or free).^[8] From 1782 to 1818, a wave of slaveholders inspired by the Revolutionary ideals of equality freed slaves, until the legislature made manumissions more difficult. A careful reading of the abstracts indicates some African Americans freed included those whose fathers were white masters; others were freed for service.^[9] By 1860 there were 58,042 free people of color (black or mulatto, as classified in the census) in Virginia. Many had gathered in the cities of Richmond and Petersburg where there were more job opportunities, but there were also numerous landowners who had working farms.

The twentieth century Great Migration of blacks from the rural South to the urban North reduced Virginia's black population to about 20%. When Douglas Wilder was elected governor of Virginia on January 13, 1990, he became the first African-American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since Reconstruction.

Today, African-Americans are concentrated in the eastern and southern Tidewater and Piedmont regions where plantation agriculture was the most dominant. The western mountains are populated primarily by people of heavily Scots-Irish ancestry. There are also sizable numbers of people of German descent in the northwestern mountains and Shenandoah Valley. Because of immigration in the late 20th century and early 21st century, there are rapidly growing populations of Hispanics (particularly Central Americans) and Asians in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington. In addition, the Hampton Roads area, in particular, has a large Filipino population. Northern Virginia has the largest Vietnamese population on the East Coast, with slightly more than 99,000 Vietnamese migrants.

[edit] Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Virginia are:

• Christian – 76%
  • Protestant – 49%
    • Baptist – 30%
    • Methodist – 7%
    • Episcopal – 3%
    • Presbyterian – 3%
    • Lutheran – 2%
    • Pentecostal – 2%
    • Other Protestant or general Protestant – 2%
  • Roman Catholic – 14%
  • Other Christian – 13%
• Jewish – 1%
• Muslim – 1%
• Other religions 4%
• Non-religious – 12%^[10]

Virginia is predominantly Protestant; Baptists account as the largest single group with 32.1% of the population being members. Roman Catholics, are the second-largest group, and also the third fastest growing. Islam, the second fastest growing group, accounts for 0.99% of the population. Buddhism and Hinduism combined form the fastest group, and largest of the "Other Religions" shown above, accounting for 1.00% of the population. About 50.0% of those practicing non-Christian faiths come from India, 5.50% from China, 3.70% from the Middle East, 2.20% from Guyana, 0.1% from Sri Lanka, and 37.9% from other nations.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Virginia

Virginia's economy is well balanced with diverse sources of income. From the Hampton Roads area to Richmond and down to Lee County in the southwest includes military installations, cattle, tobacco and peanut farming in Southside Virginia. Tomatoes recently surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia. Tobacco, peanuts and hay are also important agricultural products from the commonwealth.^[11] Wineries and vineyards in the Northern Neck and along the Blue Ridge Mountains also have become increasingly popular. Northern Virginia (once considered the state's dairy capital) hosts software, communications, consulting, defense contracting, diplomats, and considerable components of the professional government sector.

As of the 2000 census, Virginia had the highest number of counties and independent cities (15) in the top 100 wealthiest jurisdictions in the United States based upon median income, in addition, Virginia tied with Colorado as having the most counties (10) in the top 100 based on per capita income. There are seven Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Northern Virginia, and nine in the Richmond area (most of which are within the city itself.) Only five metro areas in the country have more Fortune 500 companies than the Richmond area.

Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia have the highest and second highest median household income, respectively, of all counties in the United States as of 2006. Many of Northern Virginia's well-educated population work directly for Federal agencies; many others work for defense and security contractors.^[12]

Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state.^[13] Computer chips became the state's highest-grossing export in 2006, surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco, combined. The Dulles Technology Corridor centered on the border of Fairfax County and Loudoun County near Dulles International Airport has a high concentration of Internet, communication technology and software engineering firms.

[edit] Taxation

Virginia collects personal income tax in five income brackets, ranging from 3.0% to 5.75%. The sales and use tax rate is 4%. The tax rate on food is 1.5%. There is an additional 1% local tax, for a total of a 5% combined sales tax on most Virginia purchases and a combined tax rate of 2.5% on food.^[14] Virginia's property tax is set and collected at the local government level and varies throughout the commonwealth. Real estate is taxed at the local level based on 100% of fair market value. Effective true tax rates on real estate vary and are set by locality. Tangible personal property also is taxed at the local level and is based on a percentage or percentages of original cost. Tangible personal property includes, but is not limited to, machinery and equipment, furniture, fixtures, and trucks and automobiles. The Virginia General Assembly exempted intangible personal property from taxation in 1984 by making the tax rate zero. Virginia does not collect inheritance taxes; however, its estate tax is decoupled from the federal estate tax laws, and therefore the Commonwealth imposes its own estate tax.

[edit] Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Virginia

Virginia has five major airports: Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan National, Richmond International, Norfolk International and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. Virginia is served by a network of Interstate Highways, arterial highways, several limited-access tollways, railroads, ferries, rapid transit, bridges, tunnels and even bridge-tunnels.

In the Hampton Roads area, there are three bridge-tunnel complexes known as the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Two tunnels and numerous bridges span portions of the Elizabeth River. The James River Bridge, opened in 1928, and rebuilt in the 1970s, spans the James River near its mouth and north of the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.

Interstate 95 and Interstate 81 are the two major north-south highways through Virginia. The Capital Beltway, Interstate 495, which allows through traffic to avoid passing through Washington, DC crosses the Potomac River in Alexandria and McLean. The Springfield Interchange at the junction of I95, Interstate 395, and the Capital Beltway (I495) in Springfield, south of Washington, D.C. has recently been reconstructed to improve traffic flow; widening of Woodrow Wilson Bridge will finish in mid-2008. Interstate 66, another heavily traveled route into Washington, DC, connects the Capital Beltway to I81 at Front Royal. Interstate 64 runs east-west through the state, from the terminus in Virginia's southeast in Chesapeake running northwest into Richmond, then west through Charlottesville and into West Virginia and beyond, to just over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

Virginia has Amtrak passenger rail service along several corridors, and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) maintains two commuter lines into Washington, D.C. from Fredericksburg and Manassas. The Washington Metro rapid transit system currently serves Northern Virginia as far west as Fairfax County, although expansion plans call for Metro to reach Dulles Airport in Loudoun County by 2015. The Virginia Department of Transportation operates several free ferries throughout Virginia, the most notable being the Jamestown-Scotland ferry which crosses the James River between historic Jamestown and the community of Scotland in Surry County.

[edit] Law and government

The current governor of Virginia is Tim Kaine. The State Capitol building in Richmond was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the cornerstone was laid by Governor Patrick Henry in 1785.

[edit] Historic government

In colonial Virginia, the lower house of the legislature was called the House of Burgesses. Together with the Governor's Council, the House of Burgesses made up the "General Assembly". The Governor's Council was composed of 12 men appointed by the British Monarch to advise the Governor. The Council also served as the "General Court" of the colony, a colonial equivalent of a Supreme Court. Members of the House of Burgesses were chosen by all those who could vote in the colony. Each county chose two people or burgesses to represent it, while the College of William and Mary and the cities of Norfolk, Williamsburg, and Jamestown each chose one burgess. The Burgesses met to make laws for the colony and set the direction for its future growth; the Council would then review the laws and either approve or disapprove them. The approval of the Burgesses, the Council, and the governor was needed to pass a law. 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. Founded in 1619, the Virginia General Assembly is still in existence as the oldest legislature in the New World.

Like many other states, by the 1850s Virginia featured a state legislature, several executive officers, and an independent judiciary. By the time of the Constitution of 1901, which lasted longer than any other state constitution, the General Assembly continued as the legislature, the Supreme Court of Appeals acted as the judiciary, and the eight executive officers were elected; the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, State Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration. The Constitution of 1901 was amended many times, notably in the 1930s and 1950s, before it was abandoned in favor of more modern government, with fewer elected officials, reformed local governments and a more streamlined judiciary.

[edit] Current government

Virginia currently functions under the 1971 Constitution of Virginia. It is the Commonwealth's seventh constitution. Under the Constitution, the government is composed of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

[edit] Elections

Virginia is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (The others are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey). Virginia holds elections for these offices every 4 years in the years following Presidential election years. Thus, the last year when Virginia elected a Governor was 2005; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2009, with future gubernatorial elections to take place in 2013, 2017, 2021, etc. Since 1977, Virginia has elected a Governor of the opposite political party compared to the current President of the United States of the time.

Local elections are held at varying times.

[edit] Legislative Branch

The legislative branch or state legislature is the General Assembly, a bicameral body whose 140 members make all laws of the Commonwealth. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates serve two-year terms, while members of the Virginia Senate serve four-year terms. The General Assembly also selects the Commonwealth's Auditor of Public Accounts. The statutory law enacted by the General Assembly is codified in the Code of Virginia.

[edit] Executive Branch

The most powerful officials of the executive branch are the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Attorney General. They are the only three officials elected statewide. All three officers are separately elected to four-year terms in years following Presidential elections (1997, 2001, 2005, etc) and take office in January of the following year.

The Governor serves as chief executive officer of the Commonwealth and as commander-in-chief of its militia. The Constitution does not allow a governor to succeed himself in office (though a governor is allowed to serve multiple non-consecutive terms). The Lieutenant Governor, who is not elected on the same ticket as the governor, serves as president of the Senate of Virginia and is first in the line of succession to the governor. The Attorney General is chief legal advisor to the governor and the General Assembly, chief lawyer of the Commonwealth and the head of the Department of Law. The attorney general is second in the line of succession to the governor. Whenever there is a vacancy in all three executive offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, then the Speaker of the House of the Virginia House of Delegates becomes governor.

The Office of the Governor's Secretaries helps manage the Governor's Cabinet, comprised of the following individuals, all appointed by the governor:

• Governor's Chief of Staff
• Secretary of Administration
• Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
• Secretary of Commerce and Trade
• Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Finance
• Secretary of Health and Human Resources
• Secretary of Natural Resources
• Secretary of Public Safety
• Secretary of Technology
• Secretary of Transportation
• Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness
• Counselor to the Governor

Many executive branch agencies have the authority to promulgate regulations. Proposals to create or amend state regulations are often subject to review by the executive branch.

[edit] Judicial Branch

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Court of Appeals, the General District Courts and the Circuit Courts. The Virginia Supreme Court, composed of the chief justice and six other judges is the highest court in the Commonwealth (although, as with all the states, the U.S. Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction over decisions by the Virginia Supreme Court involving substantial questions of U.S. Constitution law or constitutional rights). The Chief Justice and the Virginia Supreme Court also serve as the administrative body for the entire Virginia court system.

[edit] Political Subdivisions

Main article: political subdivisions of Virginia

The political subdivisions of Virginia are the areas into which the state is divided for political and administrative purposes. In Virginia, the political subdivisions have only the legal powers specifically granted to them by the General Assembly and set forth under the Code of Virginia.

Some are local governments; others are not. However, all local governments (cities, counties, and incorporated towns are political subdivisions of the state. All public school divisions are political subdivisions of the state, although each has local and some controlling relationships of varying types with the counties, cities and/or towns they serve. Some political subdivisions are defined geographically; others by function. Many authorities (such as water, or transportation districts) are created by specific legislation as political subdivisions of the state.

[edit] Counties and cities

Every location in Virginia is within a county or an independent city, but never both. All incorporated towns are located within counties.

The 95 counties and the 39 independent cities all have their own governments, usually a county board of supervisors or city council which choose a city manager or county administrator to serve as a professional, non-political chief administrator under the council-manager form of government. Many specifics are set forth in "charters", specific legislation adopted by the General Assembly.

There are exceptions to the general structure for counties and cities, notably the City of Richmond, which has a popularly-elected mayor who serves as chief executive separate from the city council, an innovative arrangement which has caused some local turmoil under the first mayor so-elected, former Governor Lawrence D. Wilder. As of November 2007, the courts were in the process of clarifying the duties and powers, and limitations thereupon in response to multiple lawsuits filed by other locally elected officials. ^[15]

[edit] Alcoholic beverage control

Virginia is an alcoholic beverage control state. Distilled spirits, plus wine greater than 14% alcohol by volume, are available for off-premises sale solely in state-owned and operated retail outlets, or on premises in licensed eating establishments governed by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Virginia's ABC Board, as it is known, also licenses off-premises sale of beer and some wines by retailers.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of Virginia

[edit] Historical

After the American Civil War (1861-1865), Virginia was in political turmoil. 48 former counties now in West Virginia were gone, soon to be joined by two more. Although the Commonwealth of Virginia unsuccessfully appealed ot the U.S. Supreme Court, these 50 counties joined the earlier Lost counties of Virginia. In the remaining area, many citizens, mostly males of African American heritage, were newly enfranchised to vote. Many others, primarily former Confederates, were initially disenfranchised.

Elections resumed after 5 years as U.S. Military District, and control was chaotic. In the late 1870s, a coalition of Conservative Democrats, Republicans and African Americans was assembled and the Readjuster Party took power for about 10 years. After U.S. Senator William Mahone and the Readjuster Party lost control of Virginia politics around 1883, the Democratic Party disfranchised African Americans by the turn of the century. Whites in Virginia continued to vote for the Democratic Party, which held a nearly unchallenged majority of state and most federal offices through the middle of the 20th century. The Byrd Organization headed by Harry F. Byrd Sr. largely controlled statewide politics. Through the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans regained the franchise and other rights. Conservative whites began to leave the Democratic Party.

In 1970, Republican A. Linwood Holton Jr. became the first Republican governor in the 20th century, effectively ending the influence of the Byrd Organization. Holton was succeeded by two other Republican governors in the 1970s.

Virginia has voted for Republicans in every presidential election since 1952 except for the Democratic landslide in 1964. Virginia's current streak of voting for Republicans in ten consecutive presidential elections since 1968, when Richard Nixon began the Southern Strategy, is the longest among the former Confederate States. Virginia was the only such state to vote for Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Despite Virginia's support of Republican presidential candidates and reputation as a conservative state, voters elected Democratic candidates for all three gubernatorial races in the 1980s. In addition, Democratic representatives maintained large majorities in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. Many Democratic state representatives from rural and suburban districts had conservative stances on various issues.

In the 1990s Virginia experienced some political realignment, electing conservative Republicans George Allen and Jim Gilmore to the Governorship from 1994 until 2002. Republicans captured both houses of the General Assembly and built large majorities. Republican representatives replaced Conservative and moderate Democrats from rural and suburban areas. Within the Republican party, more conservative office holders supplanted the remnants of the less conservative "mountain-valley" faction of Holton, so named because many members were from the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia.

[edit] Recent events

Recently, Democrats have been gaining votes in Virginia. The Republican majorities in the General Assembly have narrowed, particularly in the Senate, where Democrats now occupy 17 out of the 40 seats^[16]. In 2004, John Kerry won 45.48% of the vote in Virginia, the highest percentage of any Democrat since Jimmy Carter. Kerry won Fairfax County, long a Republican stronghold, and fared much better in the rest of Northern Virginia than Al Gore did in 2000. Though Northern Virginia continues to trend Democratic, most of rural Virginia, once a Democratic stronghold, has been trending Republican, balancing out the state's politics and reflecting the national urban-rural split. Portions of Southwest Virginia influenced by unionized coal mines, college towns such as Charlottesville and Blacksburg, and southeastern counties in the Black Belt Region have remained more likely to vote Democratic.

In 2005 and 2006, Democrats Tim Kaine (running for Governor) and Jim Webb (in a race for Senator) won nearly all jurisdictions within the region. Alexandria resident Mark Warner had not won so many jurisdictions when winning the governorship in 2001. By contrast, Warner performed comparatively strongly in rural areas, particularly Southwest Virginia. His campaign had stressed respect for rural cultural values and strategies for economic development.

In 2007, the Democrats regained control of the State Senate, and narrowed the Republican majority in the House of Delegates to 7 or 8 votes.^[17]

Some political analysts have predicted that Virginia could become a more competitive state in future presidential elections, as the number of Democrats in the north have begun to balance the number of Republicans in other parts of the state. The election of Jim Webb as one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators in the Congressional midterm elections of 2006 seemed to reinforce this prediction. His election also indicated widespread voter disaffection with the Republican Party. In that midterm election, the Virginia Senate race was the last decided. Through it the Democratic Party secured a majority in the United States Senate.

John Warner, a Republican, holds Virginia's other seat in the U.S. Senate. Republicans also hold 8 out of 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Northern Virginia, the most staunchly Democratic areas were placed in the 8th Congressional District represented by Jim Moran leaving behind traditionally Republican leaning areas in the 11th Congressional District represented by Thomas M. Davis and the 10th Congressional District represented by Frank Wolf. The predominately African American 3rd Congressional District represented by Robert C. Scott stretches from the Richmond metropolitan area to Hampton Roads and is surrounded by Republican-controlled districts.

Virginia's Lieutenant Governor is a Republican. Republican Robert McDonnell became Attorney General of Virginia by 360 votes following a legally mandated recount of ballots for that race in 2005. Most elected officials are Republicans in the state's largest city, Virginia Beach, which has a population in excess of 450,000. Most elected officials, including a majority of the county board of supervisors, in the state's most populous locality, Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, with a population in excess of one million, are Democrats.

Under the state constitution, incumbent governors cannot run for re-election In the November 2005 election to succeed Democratic Governor Mark Warner, Democrat Tim Kaine (Richmond) beat Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (Scott County) and longtime Republican State Senator Russ Potts (Winchester), who ran as an independent. Kaine was inaugurated as governor on January 14, 2006.

[edit] Important cities and towns

Main articles: List of cities in Virginia and List of towns in Virginia

See also: List of U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in Virginia and Political subdivisions of Virginia

Under the laws in effect in Virginia, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent of any county. As of 2006, 39 of the 42 independent cities in the United States are in Virginia. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and the Greater Richmond Region has a population of over 1.3 million people. Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia are the most populated areas of the state.

Because Richmond is home to both a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Federal Reserve bank, as well as offices for international firms such as Hunton & Williams, LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, CapitalOne, Philip Morris USA, and numerous other banks and brokerages, Richmond has been cited as having evidence of being a Global city.^[18]

Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the commonwealth, with Norfolk and Chesapeake second and third, respectively. Norfolk forms the urban core of this metropolitan area, which is home to over 1.7 million people and the world's largest naval base. Some other municipalities are incorporated towns, which are not independent of a county but are located within one of the 95 counties in Virginia. Although it is not incorporated as a city, Fairfax County is the most populous locality in Virginia, estimated in 2005 to have slightly over one million residents. Fairfax has a major urban business and shopping center in Tysons Corner. It and its western neighbor, Loudoun County are ranked as two of the most affluent counties in the nation. Loudoun County also ranked as the fastest-growing county in the United States.

Arlington County, which lies across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. and originally part of the District, is an urban community; it is much like a city but remains organized as a county, and has no towns within its borders. It is the smallest self-governing county in the United States, by land area. Neighboring Alexandria has a historic seaport district. Roanoke, the largest city in southwestern Virginia, is known as the Star City. In addition, it was once a major hub for several railroads and is currently a technological leader in the region.

Virginia does not have any political subdivisions, such as villages or townships, for areas of counties that are not within the boundaries of incorporated towns. There are also hundreds of other unincorporated communities in Virginia (sometimes informally called towns).

[edit] Education

[edit] Public, elementary, and secondary schools

See also: List of school divisions in Virginia

[edit] Colleges and universities

Main article: List of colleges and universities in Virginia

According to the popular U.S. News and World Report annual college rankings, two of the top 10 public national universities in the United States are located in Virginia, with only California having more in the top 10. The University of Virginia, a World Heritage Site founded by Thomas Jefferson, is ranked #2 and the College of William and Mary, the second-oldest college in America, is ranked #6.

Additionally, James Madison University is perennially named the #1 public master's level university in The South. Virginia is also home to the Virginia Military Institute, the oldest state military college in the U.S. and the Nation's #1 public liberal arts college for three consecutive years.^{[19] [20]}

Virginia Commonwealth University is the largest university in Virginia with over 30,000 students,^[21] followed closely by George Mason University. Virginia Tech and Virginia State University are the land-grant universities of the state.

[edit] Sports

Virginia is by far the most populous U.S. state without a major professional sports league franchise. The reasons for this include the proximity of Washington, D.C. which has franchises in all four major sports, and the lack of any dominant city or market within the state. There have been proposals to locate stadiums for Washington teams in Northern Virginia or to locate teams in the Hampton Roads area, but none have come to fruition. When Jack Kent Cooke decided to build a replacement for the aging RFK Stadium as home of the Washington Redskins, he considered a site in Alexandria until public opposition developed. An attempt to bring a National Hockey League expansion franchise to Norfolk in the 1990s was rejected by the NHL. The Houston Astros were nearly sold and relocated to Northern Virginia in 1996, but Major League Baseball owners stepped in and scuttled the proposed transaction in order to give Houston time to approve a new stadium deal. A proposal to relocate the Montreal Expos to Norfolk was considered by Major League Baseball in 2004. MLB had also considered a site near Washington Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County as a possible new home for the Expos. However, a reluctance by state officials to dedicate funds to the project along with concern about traffic helped lead MLB to select Washington as the Expos' new home. The ownership of the Florida Marlins has mentioned Norfolk as one of the cities to which it could relocate the team.

Washington-based sports teams are popular throughout much of Virginia. Professional teams based in North Carolina (the Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Panthers, and Charlotte Bobcats) also have followings in the southern part of Virginia. The Atlanta Braves are one of the more popular baseball teams in much of Virginia, perhaps in part because of the location of a farm team, the Richmond Braves. The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles also have followings due to their proximity to the state, and the Cincinnati Reds have fans in Southwest Virginia.

Virginia has been a hub of NASCAR racing since the series' inception. NASCAR Grand National (now NEXTEL Cup) Champion of 1962 and 1963 Rex White was born in Norfolk. Current Virginia drivers in the series include brothers Jeff Burton and Ward Burton of South Boston, Chesterfield's Denny Hamlin, Chesapeake's Ricky Rudd, and Emporia's Elliot Sadler. Virginia is also home to two tracks currently on the Cup schedule, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Former Virginia Cup tracks include South Boston Speedway, Langley Speedway, Southside Speedway, and Old Dominion Speedway.

Virginia does not allow state appropriated funds to be used for either operational or capital expenses for intercollegiate athletics. Despite this, both the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech have been able to field competitive teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and maintain modern facilities. Both regularly have attendance over 60,000 at home football games. Virginia has several other universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA. Notable successes include James Madison University's Division I-AA national championship in football in 2004 and George Mason University's advancement to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 2006.

Three historically black schools compete in the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and two others compete in Division I MEAC. Several smaller schools compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the USA South Athletic Conference of NCAA Division III. The NCAA currently holds its Division III championships in football, men's basketball, volleyball and softball in Salem.

Virginia is home to many minor league clubs, especially in baseball and soccer. Virginia has many professional caliber golf courses including Upper Cascades, Kingsmill Resort and the new Greg Norman course at Lansdowne Resort. Other favorites include Old Trail GC, Winton Country Club, and Devils Knob at Wintergreen Resort.

Club	Sport	League
Alexandria Wind Jammers	Basketball	American Basketball Association
Bluefield Orioles	Baseball	Appalachian League
Bristol White Sox	Baseball	Appalachian League
Danville Braves	Baseball	Appalachian League
Lynchburg Hillcats	Baseball	Carolina League
Norfolk Tides	Baseball	International League
Potomac Nationals	Baseball	Carolina League
Richmond Braves	Baseball	International League
Salem Avalanche	Baseball	Carolina League
Peninsula Pilots	Baseball	Coastal Plain League
Petersburg Generals	Baseball	Coastal Plain League
Eleven Collegiate Teams	Baseball	Valley Baseball League
Norfolk Admirals	Ice hockey	American Hockey League
Richmond Renegades	Ice hockey	Southern Professional Hockey League
Hampton Roads Piranhas	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Hampton Roads Piranhas	Soccer	W-League
Northern Virginia Majestics	Soccer	W-League
Northern Virginia Royals	Soccer	USL Second Division
Richmond Kickers	Soccer	USL Second Division
Richmond Kickers Destiny	Soccer	W-League
Richmond Kickers Future	Soccer	USL Premier Development League
Virginia Legacy	Soccer	USL Premier Development League

[edit] State symbols

Main article: List of Virginia state symbols

• State motto: "Sic semper tyrannis" (Thus always to tyrants)
• State bird: Cardinal
• State dog: American Foxhound
• State nickname: Old Dominion
• State flower: Dogwood
• State tree: Dogwood
• State insect: Tiger swallowtail
• State bat: Virginia Big-Eared Bat
• State song: none; the former state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny/Virginia", was retired in 1997
• State dance: Square Dance
• State boat: Chesapeake Bay deadrise
• State fish: Brook trout
• State shell: Oyster
• State fossil: Chesapecten jeffersonius
• State beverage: milk
• State flag: Flag of the Commonwealth
• State seal: The Great Seal.

[edit] See also

• Virginia is for Lovers
• Appalachia
• List of historic houses in Virginia
• List of people from Virginia
• List of school divisions in Virginia
• Lost counties
• New South
• Scouting in Virginia
• Virginia census statistical areas
• Virginia State Police
• Democratic Party of Virginia
• Republican Party of Virginia

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Fiske, John, Old Virginia and Her Neighbours, Cambridge University Press, and Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston & New York, 1897, in two volumes.
• Billings, Warren M., A Little Parliament - The Virginia General Assembly in the Seventeenth Century, Library of Virginia &c., Richmond, 2004, ISBN 0-88490-202-1
• Price, A. David., "Love & Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and The Start of a New Nation", Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., New York, 2003.
• Boyer, S. Paul., Clark Jr., E. Clifford., Kett, Joseph., Salisbury, Neal., Sitkoff, Harvard., and Woloch, Nancy. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston & New York, 2000, Fourth Edition.

[edit] External links

• State Government website
• Virginia Tourism Website
• Virginia Historical Markers
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Virginia
• The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606
• The Second Charter of Virginia; May 23, 1609
• The Third Charter of Virginia; March 12, 1611
• Virginia Historical Society
• Geography of Virginia
• Virginia State Climatology Office
• Virginia State Parks
• Interactive Virginia for Kids
• Virginia State Fact Sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• National Geographic Magazine Jamestown/Werowocomoco Interactive

Preceded by New Hampshire

List of U.S. states by date of statehood Ratified Constitution on June 25, 1788 (10th)

Succeeded by New York

Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond (capital)

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