Virginia is the tenth state in the United States. His nickname is “Old Dominion” or “Mother of Presidents”. Eight US presidents come from the state on the east coast. Today he is one of the strongest “Red States”. Nonetheless, the Democrats won the 2019 general election.
- The US state of Virginia was the politically leading state in the USA in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
- Parts of Virginia are part of Washington, DC Federal District
- For the first time in 20 years, the Democrats have dominated the House of Delegates and the Senate since 2019. Democrat Ralph Northam has been Governor of Virginia since January 2018.
Richmond – The US state Virginia got its name in honor of the English Queen Elizabeth I, the “virgin queen”. It has historically been home to eight presidents including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and James Madison.
The founding of the tenth US state was preceded by settlements that go back to the 17th century: In 1607, the “Virginia Company” founded by the British King James I proclaimed the first settlement of Jamestown. The most important natives were the Powhatan, who settled near the coast.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: Overview of state Virginia, including major cities and most commonly used abbreviations of Virginia.
Virginia: The most important historical data
In the Civil War of 1861, Virginia joined the eleven Confederate States, which seceded from the rest of the United States. The capital Richmond was also the seat of government of the Confederate and was to become one of the most important scenes of the Civil War.
In 1863 the western counties became an independent state of West Virginia. On January 26, 1870, the Union resumed Virginia.
In the years after the Civil War, the state’s history was shaped by the Democrats. At the time they were more conservative than the Republicans, who were considered to be the anti-civil war party. From 1952 Virginia was firmly in Republican hands, with the exception of the 1964 elections with Lyndon B. Johnson, 2008 and 2012 with Barack Obama and 2016 with Hillary Clinton.
Virginia: Geography, Cities, and Landscapes
Virginia is on the Atlantic coast of the USA. The state borders North Carolina and Tennessee to the south and Maryland and the District of Columbia to the north. Kentucky and West Virginia mark the western border. Geographically, the state stretches from the Atlantic coastal plain over the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, to the mountain ranges of the Blue Rich Mountains in the Appalachian Mountains.
According to COUNTRYAAH.COM, Richmond has been the capital since 1788 with around 204, 000 inhabitants, but not the largest city. The following locations have a denser population structure:
- Virginia Beach, approx. 438, 000 residents
- Norfolk, population approx. 243, 000
- Chesapeake, population approx. 222, 000
- Arlington, population approximately 208, 000
The Pentagon is on the state territory of Virginia: The headquarters of the US Department of Defense is in Arlington, right on the border with Washington DC on the Potomac River.
Virginia: population structure
In 2019, 8, 536, 000 people lived in Virginia. The majority of the population are whites, around eleven percent of them come from German-speaking countries. 19. 6 percent are African-Americans, 6 percent Hispanics and 5 percent Asians.
Virginia: Major Industries
Virginia is considered one of the most economically successful US states. The real gross domestic product per capita is 58, 768 US dollars (as of 2016). This puts “The Old Dominion” in 15th place in a national comparison. The cultivation of tobacco, cotton, peanuts, maize and wheat in particular makes a significant contribution to economic strength. In addition, animal husbandry, oyster fishing and the mining of mineral resources are important sources of income.
Virginia: Role in the 2020 US Election
Virginia provides 13 of a total of 538 electors. According to experts, there could be a surprise for Republicans in the 2020 US election : In 2018, Ralph Northam, a Democrat, came to power. A year later, the party was also able to bring the House of Delegates and the Senate into majority hands.
