Virginia
Old Dominion
Quick Stats
Map
Seal & Motto
"Sic Semper Tyrannis"
Additional Information
Latin for "Thus always to tyrants," depicting Virtue standing victorious over a fallen king, expressing Virginia's resistance to tyranny.
Adopted 1776.
Population Growth
Overview
Virginia, the 'Old Dominion,' is the cradle of American civilization. The first permanent English settlement in North America rose at Jamestown in 1607, the nation was created at Williamsburg and Philadelphia, and its most consequential leaders — Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe — were born in Virginia's red clay soil. Today it powers the digital age with the world's most trafficked internet exchange in Northern Virginia.
Historical Significance
Virginia officially joined the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state. Its history spans the full arc of American civilization — from the Powhatan Confederacy and Jamestown's founding in 1607, through the Revolutionary War battles at Yorktown where Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, to its role as the Confederacy's capital at Richmond during the Civil War, to the modern era where Northern Virginia's data centers process 70% of the world's internet traffic.
Top Cities & Hubs
Virginia Beach
Population: ~460,000The state's largest city, a major Atlantic resort destination with 35 miles of beachfront, a significant military presence anchored by Naval Air Station Oceana, and one of the largest resort strips on the East Coast.
Chesapeake
Population: ~250,000A sprawling and rapidly growing independent city — one of the nation's largest by land area — featuring a unique mix of urban centers, suburban neighborhoods, and protected Great Dismal Swamp wilderness.
Norfolk
Population: ~240,000The maritime soul of Virginia, home to Naval Station Norfolk — the world's largest naval base — a world-class Chrysler Museum of Art, a thriving Freemason District, and a long history as a vital Atlantic port.
Arlington
Population: ~240,000A dense urban county directly across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., housing the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, and Amazon's HQ2 headquarters, making it one of the most powerful square miles in the world.
Richmond
Population: ~230,000The state capital and former capital of the Confederacy, now a nationally celebrated destination for craft brewing, world-class street art, a booming biotech sector, and Class III rapids running through the heart of the city.
Key Landmarks & Economy
Did You Know?
- Virginia is the "Mother of Presidents" — 8 U.S. presidents were born here, including four of the first five: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, whose leadership shaped the republic.
- Northern Virginia's data centers process an estimated 70% of the world's daily internet traffic — more internet data flows through Loudoun County's "Data Center Alley" than anywhere else on Earth.
- The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, stretching 17.6 miles across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, combines four man-made islands, two tunnels, and two bridges and was named one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.