Virginia

History: Native Americans are believed to have arrived in Virginia about 12,000 years ago. By 5000 years ago, they had settled and started farming, eventually leading to the Siouan, Iroquoian, and Powhatan tribes. After initial exploration by the Spanish and English, Queen Elizabeth I granted a royal charter for an English settlement in the New World. Jamestown was founded in 1607 and Virginia became the first English colony. Virginia was a leading supporter of independence from Great Britain. After the Revolutionary War, Virginians were very important in writing the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Virginia formally joined the U.S. as the 10^th state on June 25, 1788. It seceded from the U.S. in 1861 and joined the Confederacy; Virginia rejoined the U.S. in 1870. Virginia is one of only four states that calls itself a ‘Commonwealth’.

Economy: With rising European demand for tobacco, Virginia became very wealthy in the 1600s and 1700s. It developed the plantation system for efficient tobacco cultivation, however this also led to the large-scale importation of slaves. Farmers today also produce soybeans, corn, flowers and cotton. The seafood industry is the largest on the East Coast, with scallops, oysters, blue crabs and clams being harvested. Virginia is a leading producer of electronics, computers, software, and communications technology. Military facilities and defense contracting are also important.

Climate: Virginia has mostly a humid subtropical climate, hot and humid in the summer but cold and windy in the winter (especially along the coast). In the mountains in the western part of the state, the climate changes to humid continental, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Virginia often has severe weather such as tornados, tropical cyclones, torrential rain, and heavy winter storms.

Geography: Virginia consists of five regions (going from east to west): Tidewater (the coastal plain along Chesapeake Bay), Piedmont (foothills), Blue Ridge Mountains (includes Mt. Rogers, high-point of the state at 5729 ft), Ridge and Valley (includes the Shenandoah Valley), and the Cumberland Plateau (which drains northwest into the Ohio River).

Fun Facts:

The earliest legislature (House of Burgesses) and the 2^nd earliest university (College of William and Mary) in the U.S. were founded in Virginia.
The first peanuts in the U.S. were grown in Virginia.
Virginia is known as the ‘Mother of Presidents’ because eight Presidents came from there: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson.
The Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial native to the U.S.
Richmond was the capitol of the Confederacy during the Civil War; the first (Bull Run) and last (Appomattox) battles of the War were fought in Virginia.
Virginia is the largest state without any major league sports team.

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