About Virginia
Quick Facts
Capital: Richmond
Population: 7,078,515
Total Area: 42,774 square miles
Top Industry: Agriculture
Named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, Virginia Colony was founded in
1607. Since then, it has been known as a land of elegance and beauty.
Virginia is actually 65% forests. These forests are brimming with
natural wildlife that adds a peaceful ambiance to Virginia.
Virginia is also known as “Mother of Presidents” because of the fact
that eight former presidents of the United States were born there.
Virginia has many large, successful industries other than agriculture.
The tourist industry is constantly booming for Virginia. Who know?
Maybe it is because of their slogan: “Virginia is for lovers”.
Virginia Transportation
In most states, the individual cities or counties own and
operate the public roads. But not in Virginia. The state government
actually owns and maintains almost 85% of all roads. For most states,
especially near D.C., the commute time is atrocious. But in Virginia,
the average commute time is just over 20 minutes.
For such a seemingly small state, Virginia has quite a few interstates:
I-77
I-581
I-81
I-66
I-395
I-95
I-495
I-195
I-295
I-85
I-264
I-664
I-64
Major Metropolitan Areas
Virginia Beach: This is Virginia’s biggest city—at a
population of 435,619. Virginia Beach is renowned for their tourism
industry. They have incredible shops, hotels, beaches, and resorts.
They even are a Guinness record holder for the longest pleasure beach
in the entire world.
Richmond: The capital of Virginia, Richmond has a population of 192,913. Taking the surrounding metropolitan area into consideration, the population has approximately 1.2 million residents. Downtown Richmond is home to many small and large businesses alike.
Norfolk: With the world’s largest naval base, Norfolk has a population
of 238,832—making it Virginia’s second largest city. It is also the
corporate headquarters for the Norfolk Southern Railway.
Chesapeake: Compared to the other towns in Virginia that were founded
in the 1600s, Chesapeake is still in infancy. Founded in 1963,
Chesapeake now has a population of 220,560.