Virginia

History

At the end of the 16th century when England began to colonize North America, "Virginia" was the name Queen Elizabeth I of England gave to the whole area Sir Walter Raleigh's 1584 expedition explored, an ill-defined area including, at least, all or parts of the states of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. The London Virginia Company became incorporated as a joint stock company[?] by a royal charter drawn up on April 10, 1606. They swiftly financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World which was at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Its Second Charter was officially ratified on May 23, 1609.

Virginia was given its nickname "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II of England at the time of the Restoration for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War. Virginia is one of the states that seceded[?] from the Union to become the Confederacy during the Civil War. When it did, some counties were separated as West Virginia, an act which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1870.

Virginia formally rejoined the Union on January 26, 1870 after a period of post-war military rule.

On January 13, 1990 Douglas Wilder became the first elected African American governor of a US state when he started his governorship of Virginia.

Law and Government

The capital is Richmond. See: List of Virginia Governors

Geography

See: list of Virginia counties

Virginia is bordered by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (across the Potomac River to the north, by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south, and by Kentucky to the west.

Chesapeake Bay divides the state, with the eastern portion (called 'the Eastern Shore"), a part of the Delmarva Peninsula, completely separate from the rest of the state.

Demographics

As of 2001, the population is 7,196,750.

Important Cities and Towns

Unlike any other state of the Union, under the laws in effect there, incorporated cities are independent of any county. Nearly half of the approximately 112 independent cities in the United States are in Virginia. A partial list of cities follows:

Alexandria Charlottesville Chesapeake Danville Fairfax Falls Church Lynchburg

Martinsville Norfolk Richmond Roanoke South Boston Staunton Suffolk Virginia Beach Williamsburg

Colleges and Universities

Averett College[?] Bluefield College[?] Bridgewater College[?] Christendom College[?] Christopher Newport University[?] College of Health Sciences[?] College of William and Mary Eastern Mennonite University[?] Eastern Virginia Medical School[?] Emory and Henry College[?] Ferrum College[?] George Mason University George Washington University Virginia Campus[?] Hampden-Sydney College[?] Hampton University[?] Hollins University[?] Institute of Textile Technology[?] James Madison University Liberty University[?] Longwood College[?] Lynchburg College[?] Marine Corps University[?] Mary Baldwin College[?] Marymount University[?] Mary Washington College[?]

Norfolk State University[?] Old Dominion University[?] Radford University Randolph-Macon College[?] Randolph-Macon Woman's College[?] Regent University[?] Roanoke College Saint Paul's College[?] Shenandoah University[?] Southern Virginia College[?] Sweet Briar College[?] University of Richmond[?] University of Virginia University of Virginia's College at Wise[?] Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Intermont College[?] Virginia Military Institute[?] Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia State University[?] Virginia Union University[?] Virginia Wesleyan College[?] Washington Bible Collegeand Capital Bible Seminary[?] Washington and Lee University[?]

Professional Sports Teams

The Minor League Baseball Teams are:

Potomac Cannons[?] Richmond Braves Lynchburg Hillcats[?] Norfolk Tides Danville Braves[?]

Martinsville Astros[?] Bristol White Sox[?] Pulaski Rangers[?] Salem Avalanche[?]

Miscellaneous Information

State motto: "Sic semper tyrannis." State bird: Cardinal. State flower: Dogwood. State tree: Dogwood. State song: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny."

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There is also a place named Virginia in the State of Minnesota: see Virginia, Minnesota.

External Links

• http://www.state.va.us
• Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh : 1584 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/raleigh.htm)
• The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va01.htm)
• The Second Charter of Virginia; May 23, 1609 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va02.htm)
• The Third Charter of Virginia; March 12, 1611 (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/va03.htm)

Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)

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Higgins was employed by Mr. Bray in writing for him. Secretaries of the Antiquary Society, who came to Shere on grandson Reginald was with him for a day or two every week, and place on the 21st. End of the Project Gutenberg eText Extracts from the Diary of William.