Introduction - State of Virginia
The state of Virginia sits on the central Atlantic coast in the Southeast Region of the United States. It is bordered by five states including Kentucky, Tennessee Maryland, North Carolina, and West Virginia. There were eight U.S. presidents who were born in Virginia and seven presidents who were buried there. In the kid- friendly information below you'll find quick facts such as when Virginia became a state, what cash crop Virginia relied on heavily, and where the capital is located. You will also find other interesting facts as well as historical information in the lists below.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Virginia.
State of Virginia Quick Facts
- Virginia was the 10th state in the United States.
- Virginia officially became a state on June 25th of 1788.
- Out of the 50 states, Virginia ranks 36th in size.
- The state capital of Virginia is Richmond which was also the capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
- The population of Virginia is 8,260,405 (source 2013 United States Census Bureau estimate).
- Virginia ranks as the 12th smallest state in the U.S. (source 2013 United States Census Bureau estimate).
- The state flower of Virginia is the Cornus Florida.
- The most popular state nickname is Old Dominion.
- The name for residents is Virginians.
- The largest city in Virginia is Virginia Beach.
- Since 1940, the state song has been, Carry Me Back to Old Virginny.
Interesting Virginia Facts
- At 23 miles long, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is the largest bridge and tunnel combination of its kind in the world.
- There are many lakes and bodies of water in Virginia including the Intracoastal Waterway which consists of 3,000 miles of waterway stretching from Norfolk, Va. to Miami, Fla.
- The Pentagon has about 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2) making it the largest low-rise office building in the world.
- Tobacco cash crops formed the basis of colonial Virginia's economy, making it the wealthiest of the 13 colonies.
- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sits on a picturesque hill overlooking Washington D.C at Arlington National Cemetery.
Virginia Historical Facts
- With the establishment of Jamestown in 1603, Virginia became known as "the birthplace of a nation".
- There were about 4,000 battles fought in the Civil war and more than half of them were fought in Virginia.
- The American Revolution ended in this state at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 when General Cornwallis surrendered on behalf of the British.
- The American Civil War ended in Virginia. In 1865 Robert E. Lee, commander of the army of Northern Virginia, surrendered to Union Army leader Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
- In March of 1862 one of the most famous naval battles in history took place in Hampton Roads, Virginia during the American Civil War. For the first time in history two iron clad ships, the Unions USS Monitor and the Confederate's CSS Virginia, battled. Neither ship won the battle.
- The famous speech, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" made by Patrick Henry to the Virginia Convention took place in Richmond, Virginia in 1775.