Oxford House Self-run, Self-supported Recovery Houses The 2017 Oxford House convention was a great success! More than 1,200 Oxford House residents and alumni participated the convention. (More information will be posted soon.) A 2016 Convention Panel Discussed Achieving, Maintaining and Measuring Long-term Recovery.

(Click on the link below to watch the video of the panel discussion) Panelists included two medical experts, Stuart Gitlow, M.D. And Westley Clark, M.D.; CSAT Director Kimberly Johnson; John Majer, Ph.D., addiction researcher; and three Oxford House alumni and current outreach workers – Jackson Longan, Lori Holtzclaw and Marty Walker. The wide-ranging discussion covered what long-term recovery means, how Oxford House residents achieve long-term ‘sobriety without relapse’; the role of medically-assisted recovery and other topics. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO OF THE PANEL DISCUSSION.

English English 85.87%, Spanish 6.41% Other 7.72% Virginian Area • Total 42,774.2 sq mi (110,785.67 km 2) • Width 200 miles (320 km) • Length 430 miles (690 km) •% water 7.4 • Latitude 36° 32′ N to 39° 28′ N • Longitude 75° 15′ W to 83° 41′ W Population • Total 8,411,808 (2016 est.) • 206.7/sq mi (79.8/km 2) • $61,486 (14th) • Highest point 5,729 ft (1746 m) • Mean 950 ft (290 m) • Lowest point sea level Before statehood June 25, 1788 (10th) () () • • () () 7 Republicans, 4 Democrats (): / Abbreviations, Website. Released in 2000 Virginia ( ( ),:, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) is a state in the and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the and the. Virginia is nicknamed the 'Old Dominion' due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America, and 'Mother of Presidents' because were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the are shaped by the and the, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is; is the most populous city, and is the most populous political subdivision.

Oxford is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world. With its origins in the twelfth century, Oxford has been home to successive generations of prominent students and scholars. University College, in which students on the University of Virginia program will live and study, is among the. The Virginia Program at Oxford is a Hampden-Sydney sponsored, interdisciplinary summer school program based in St. Anne's College, Oxford University. The six-week program examines the literature, history and society of late-16th and early-17th century England. Instruction follows the English system of higher education.

The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2017 is over 8.4 million. The area's history begins with, including the. In 1607 the established the as the first permanent colony. Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony's early politics and plantation economy. Virginia was one of the in the and joined the in the, during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties to form the state of. Although the Commonwealth was under for nearly a century following, both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia. The is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.

The state government was ranked most effective by the in both 2005 and 2008. It is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms.

Virginia's economy has many sectors: agriculture in the; federal agencies in, including the headquarters of the and; and military facilities in, the site of the. Geographically and geologically, Virginia is divided into five regions from east to west:,,,, and. Virginia has a total area of 42,774.2 square miles (110,784.7 km 2), including 3,180.13 square miles (8,236.5 km 2) of water, making it the 35th- by area. Virginia is bordered by and to the north and east; by the to the east; by to the south; by to the southwest; by to the west; and by to the north and west.

Virginia's boundary with Maryland and Washington, D.C. Extends to the low-water mark of the south shore of the. The southern border is defined as the, though surveyor error led to deviations of as much as three. The border with Tennessee was not settled until 1893, when was brought to the.

Geology and terrain The separates the contiguous portion of the Commonwealth from the two-county peninsula of Virginia's. The bay was formed from the drowned river valleys of the and the. Many of flow into the Chesapeake Bay, including the,,, and James, which create three peninsulas in the bay. Deciduous and evergreen trees give the their distinct color. The is a between the Atlantic coast and the. It includes the Eastern Shore and major of Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont is a series of and -based east of the mountains which were formed in the era.

The region, known for its heavy clay soil, includes the around. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a of the with the highest points in the state, the tallest being at 5,729 feet (1,746 m). The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains and includes the.

The region is based and includes. The Cumberland Plateau and the are in the southwest corner of Virginia, south of the. In this region, rivers flow northwest, with a, into the basin. The has not had a history of regular activity.

Earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 in, because Virginia is located away from the edges of the. The largest earthquake, at an estimated 5.9 magnitude, was in 1897 near.

A struck central Virginia on August 23, 2011, near. The earthquake was reportedly felt as far away as, and.

Takes place in the three mountainous regions at 45 distinct coal beds near Mesozoic basins. Over 62 million tons of other non-fuel resources, such as,, sand, or gravel, were also mined in Virginia in 2012. The state's carbonate rock is filled with more than 4,000 caves, ten of which are open for tourism. 35 million years ago, a impacted what is now eastern Virginia. The may explain and in the region. −2 Average max.

Temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm The climate of Virginia is and becomes increasingly warmer and more humid farther south and east. Seasonal extremes vary from average lows of 26 °F (−3 °C) in January to average highs of 86 °F (30 °C) in July. The Atlantic Ocean has a strong effect on eastern and southeastern coastal areas of the state.

Influenced by the, coastal weather is subject to, most pronouncedly near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. In spite of its position adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, even the coastal areas have a significant continental influence with quite large temperature differences between summer and winter, particularly given the state climate's subtropical classification, which is typical of states in the. Virginia has an annual average of 35–45 days of thunderstorm activity, particularly in the western part of the state, and an average annual precipitation of 42.7 inches (108 cm). Cold air masses arriving over the mountains in winter can lead to significant snowfalls, such as the and. The interaction of these elements with the state's topography creates distinct in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains. Virginia averages seven annually, most F2 or lower on the.

In recent years, the expansion of the southern suburbs of into has introduced an primarily caused by increased absorption of solar radiation in more densely populated areas. In the 's 2011 report, 11 counties received failing grades for air quality, with having the worst in the state, due to automobile pollution. Haze in the mountains is caused in part by coal power plants. See also: Forests cover 65% of the state, primarily with deciduous, broad leaf trees in the western part of the state and evergreens and conifers dominant the central and eastern part of Virginia. Lower altitudes are more likely to have small but dense stands of moisture-loving hemlocks and mosses in abundance, with hickory and oak in the Blue Ridge. However, since the early 1990s, infestations have eroded the dominance of oak forests.

In the lowland tidewater and piedmont, yellow pines tend to dominate, with bald cypress wetland forests in the Great Dismal and Nottoway swamps. Other common trees and plants include red bay, wax myrtle, dwarf palmetto,,,, daisies, and many species of ferns. The largest areas of wilderness are along the Atlantic coast and in the western mountains, where the largest populations of in North America are found.

The Atlantic coast regions are host to flora commonly associated with the South Atlantic pine forests and lower Southeast Coastal Plain maritime flora, the latter found primarily in eastern and central Virginia. White-tailed deer, also known as Virginia deer, graze at in Mammals include,,,,,,,,,,, and. Other mammals include: nutria, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, flying squirrel, chipmunk, brown bat, and weasel.

Birds include (the state bird), barred owls, Carolina chickadees, red-tailed hawks, ospreys, brown pelicans, quail, seagulls, bald eagles, and wild turkeys. Virginia is also home to the pileated woodpecker as well as the red-bellied woodpecker. The was reintroduced into Shenandoah National Park in the mid-1990s.

Walleye, brook trout, Roanoke bass, and blue catfish are among the 210 known species of freshwater fish. Running brooks with rocky bottoms are often inhabited by plentiful amounts of crayfish and salamanders.

The is host to many species, including, clams, oysters, and rockfish (also known as striped bass). Virginia has 30 units, such as and the, and one national park, the. Shenandoah was established in 1935 and encompasses the scenic.

Almost 40% of the park's area (79,579 acres/322 km 2) has been designated as wilderness under the. Additionally, there are 34 and 17, run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Forestry. The Chesapeake Bay, while not a national park, is protected by both state and federal legislation, and the jointly run which conducts restoration on the bay and its watershed. The extends into North Carolina, as does the, which marks the beginning of the. The story of, an ancestress of many of the, was romanticized by later artists. 'Jamestown 2007' marked Virginia's quadricentennial year, celebrating 400 years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony. The celebrations highlighted contributions from, Africans, and Europeans, each of which had a significant part in shaping Virginia's history.

Warfare, including among these groups, has also had an important role. Virginia was a focal point in conflicts from the, the and the, to the and the. Stories about historic figures, such as those surrounding and, 's childhood, or the plantation elite in the slave society of the, have also created potent myths of state history, and have served as rationales for Virginia's ideology. Main article: The first people are estimated to have arrived in Virginia over 12,000 years ago.

By 5,000 years ago more permanent settlements emerged, and farming began by 900 AD. By 1500, the had founded towns such as in the, which they referred to as.

The other major language groups in the area were the to the west, and the, who included the and, to the north and south. After 1570, the Algonquians consolidated under in response to threats from these other groups on their trade network. Powhatan controlled more than 30 smaller tribes and over 150 settlements, who shared a common language. In 1607, the native Tidewater population was between 13,000 and 14,000. Several European expeditions, including a, explored the during the 16th century. In 1583, Queen granted a charter to plant a colony north of.

In 1584, Raleigh sent an expedition to the. The name 'Virginia' may have been suggested then by Raleigh or Elizabeth, perhaps noting her status as the 'Virgin Queen,' and may also be related to a native phrase, 'Wingandacoa,' or name, 'Wingina.' Initially the name applied to the entire coastal region from South Carolina to Maine, plus the island of. Later, subsequent royal charters modified the Colony's boundaries. The was incorporated as a joint stock company by the proprietary, which granted land rights to this area. The company financed the first permanent English settlement in the ',. Named for, it was founded in May 1607.

In 1619, colonists took greater control with an elected legislature called the. With the bankruptcy of the London Company in 1624, the settlement was taken into royal authority as an English.

Was Virginia's capital from 1699 to 1780. Life in the colony was perilous, and many died during the in 1609 and the, including the, which fostered the colonists' negative view of all tribes.

By 1624, only 3,400 of the 6,000 early settlers had survived. However, European fueled the arrival of more settlers and servants. The system tried to solve the labor shortage by providing colonists with land for each they transported to Virginia. African workers were first imported to Jamestown in 1619 initially under the rules of indentured servitude. The shift to a system of African was propelled by the legal cases of, who was sentenced to lifetime slavery in 1640 for attempting to run away, and of, who was claimed by as his servant for life in 1655. Slavery first appears in Virginia statutes in 1661 and 1662, when a law made it hereditary based on the mother's status.

Tensions and the geographic differences between the working and ruling classes led to in 1676, by which time current and former indentured servants made up as much as 80% of the population. Rebels, largely from the colony's frontier, were also opposed to the conciliatory policy towards, and one result of the rebellion was the signing at of the, which made the signatory tribes and was part of a pattern of appropriating tribal land by force and treaty. Middle Plantation saw the founding of in 1693 and was renamed as it became the colonial capital in 1699. In 1747, a group of Virginian speculators formed the, with the backing of the British crown, to start English settlement and trade in the west of the., which claimed this area as part of their colony of, viewed this as a threat, and the ensuing became part of the (1756–1763). A militia from several British colonies, called the, was led by then-Lieutenant Colonel.

1851 painting of 's speech before the on the against the The efforts to levy new taxes following the were deeply unpopular in the colonies. In the, opposition to was led by and, among others. Virginians began to with other colonies in 1773, and sent delegates to the the following year. After the House of Burgesses was dissolved by the royal governor in 1774, Virginia's revolutionary leaders continued to govern via the. On May 15, 1776, the Convention declared Virginia's independence from the British Empire and adopted 's, which was then included in a new constitution. Another Virginian,, drew upon Mason's work in drafting the national.

When the began, was selected to head the. During the war, the capital was moved to at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg's coastal location would make it vulnerable to British attack. In 1781, the combined action of and French land and naval forces trapped the British army on the, where troops under George Washington and defeated British in the. His surrender on October 19, 1781 led to and secured the independence of the colonies. Virginians were instrumental in writing the.

Drafted the in 1787 and the in 1789. The Constitution on June 25, 1788. The ensured that Virginia, with its large number of slaves, initially had the largest bloc in the. Together with the of presidents, this gave the Commonwealth national importance. In 1790, both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new, though the Virginian area was in 1846. Virginia is called 'Mother of States' because of its role in being carved into states like, which became the 15th state in 1792, and for the numbers of born in Virginia.

Civil War and aftermath. Union soldiers before Marye's Heights, in May 1863 In addition to agriculture, slave labor was increasingly used in mining, shipbuilding and other industries. The execution of in 1800, in 1831 and in 1859 marked the growing social discontent over slavery and its role in the. By 1860, almost half a million people, roughly 31% of the total population of Virginia, were enslaved. This division contributed to the start of the. Virginia voted to secede from the United States on April 17, 1861, after the and 's call for volunteers. On April 24, Virginia joined the, which chose Richmond as its capital.

After the 1861, 48 counties in the northwest separated to form a new state of, which chose to remain loyal to the. Virginian general took command of the in 1862, and led invasions into Union territory, ultimately becoming commander of all Confederate forces. During the war, more battles were fought in Virginia than anywhere else, including, the,, and the concluding. After the in April 1865, the state capital was briefly moved to, while the Confederate leadership fled to.

Virginia was formally restored to the United States in 1870, due to the work of the. During the post-war, Virginia adopted a constitution which provided for free public schools, and guaranteed political, civil, and. The populist ran an inclusive coalition until the conservative white gained power after 1883.

It passed segregationist and in 1902 rewrote the to include a and other voter registration measures that effectively most African Americans and many poor European Americans. Though their schools and public services were segregated and underfunded due to a lack of political representation, African Americans were able to unite in communities and take a greater role in Virginia society. Many and -era warships were built in, including the. New economic forces also changed the Commonwealth. Virginian invented the tobacco cigarette rolling machine in 1880 leading to new industrial scale production centered on Richmond. In 1886, railroad magnate founded, which was responsible for building six major -era battleships for the from 1907 to 1923.

During the war, submarines like attacked ships outside the port. In 1926, Dr., rector of Williamsburg's, began restoration of colonial-era buildings in the historic district with financial backing of Though their project, like others in the state, had to contend with the and, work continued as became a major tourist attraction. The was erected in 2008 to commemorate the protests which led to school desegregation. Protests started by in 1951 in against segregated schools led to the lawsuit. This case, filed by Richmond natives and, was decided in 1954 with, which rejected the segregationist doctrine of '.

But, in 1958, under the policy of ' led by the influential segregationist Senator and his, the Commonwealth prohibited local schools from receiving state funding. The gained many participants in the 1960s.

It achieved the moral force and support to gain passage of national legislation with the and the. In 1964 the ordered and others to schools.

In 1967, the Court also struck down the state's ban on with. From 1969 to 1971, state legislators under Governor rewrote the constitution, after goals such as the repeal of had been achieved. In 1989, became the first African American elected as governor in the United States. The led to the expansion of national defense government programs housed in offices in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., and correlative population growth. The in was involved in various, including as the target of.

Also among the federal developments was, built during World War II as the headquarters for the Department of Defense. It was one of the targets of the; 189 people died at the site when a jet passenger plane was crashed into the building. Cities and towns.

Virginia counties and cities by population in 2010 Virginia is divided into 95 and 38, the latter acting in many ways as. This general method of treating cities and counties on par with each other is unique to Virginia; only three other exist elsewhere in the United States, each in a different state. Virginia limits the authority of cities and counties to countermand laws expressly allowed by the under what is known as. In addition to independent cities, there are also which operate under their own governments, but are part of a county. Finally there are hundreds of within the counties. Virginia does not have any further political subdivisions, such as villages or townships.

Virginia has 11;,, and are the three most populous. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and its metropolitan area has a population of over 1.2 million. As of 2010, is the most populous city in the Commonwealth, with and second and third, respectively. Norfolk forms the urban core of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has a population over 1.6 million people and is the site of the world's largest naval base,., which includes a portion of the, is the largest city by area at 429.1 square miles (1,111 km 2). Is the most populous locality in Virginia, with over one million residents, although that does not include its Fairfax, which is one of the independent cities. Fairfax County has a major urban business and shopping center in, Virginia's largest office market. Neighboring is Virginia's second most populous county, with a population exceeding 450,000, and is home to, the and., with the county seat at, is both the fastest-growing county in Virginia and has the highest median household income ($114,204) in the country as of 2010., the smallest self-governing county in the United States by land area, is an urban community organized as a county.

The area, with an estimated population of 300,399, is the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in western Virginia. The metropolitan area is home to the first, and currently has a population exceeding 1.7 million. The estimates that the state population was 8,411,808 on July 1, 2016, a 5.1% increase since the. This includes an increase from net migration of 381,969 people into the Commonwealth since the. From outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 159,627 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 155,205 people.

As of 2000, the is located in, near. Aside from Virginia, the top birth state for Virginians is, having overtaken in the 1990s, with the accounting for the largest number of migrants into the state by region.

Ethnicity The state's most populous ethnic group,, has declined from 76% in 1990 to 62.7% in 2015. In 2011, non-Hispanic Whites were involved in 50.9% of all the births.

People of settled throughout the Commonwealth during the colonial period, and others of British and Irish heritage have since immigrated. Those who self-identify as having ' are predominantly of English descent, but have ancestry that has been in North America for so long that they choose to identify simply as American. Of the English immigrants to Virginia in the 17th century, 75% came as. The western mountains have many settlements that were founded by before the. There are also sizable numbers of people of German descent in the northwestern mountains and, and German ancestry was the most popular response on the 2010, with 11.7%. 2.9% of Virginians also describe themselves as. The largest minority group in Virginia is African American, at 19.7% as of 2015.

Most African American Virginians have been descendants of enslaved Africans who worked on tobacco, cotton, and plantations. These men, women and children were brought from West and West-Central Africa, primarily from and the. The ethnic group of what is now southern were the single largest African group among slaves in Virginia. Though the black population was reduced by the, since 1965 there has been a reverse migration of blacks. According to the, the state has the highest concentration of black and white interracial marriages. More recent immigration in the late 20th century and early 21st century has fueled new communities of Hispanics and Asians.

As of 2015, 9.0% of Virginians are or Latino (of any race), and 6.5% are. The state's Hispanic population rose by 92% from 2000 to 2010, with two-thirds of Hispanics living in.

Hispanic citizens in Virginia have higher median household incomes and educational attainment than the general Virginia population. As far as Hispanic groups, there is a large population in the DC suburbs of Northern Virginia, and a large population in the region of Southeast Virginia. Northern Virginia also has a significant population of, whose major wave of immigration followed the, and, whose migration has been more recent and was induced in part by the quality school system. The community has about 45,000 in the Hampton Roads area, many of whom have ties to the and armed forces. Additionally, 0.5% of Virginians are or, and 0.1% are or other. Virginia has extended state recognition to eight resident in the state, though some lack federal recognition status.

Most Native American groups are located in the. Ethnicity Largest ancestries by county Ancestry () Non-Hispanic White 62.7% 5-year estimate. Subsaharan African 1.7% As of 2011, 49.1% of Virginia's population younger than age 1 were minorities (meaning that they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white). Languages The region is known for its dialect's strong influence on. While a more homogenized is found in urban areas, various accents are also used, including the, the, and the anachronistic of.

As of 2010, 85.87% (6,299,127) of Virginia residents age 5 and older spoke at home as a, while 6.41% (470,058) spoke, 0.77% (56,518), 0.63% (45,881), 0.57% (42,418) (which includes ), and was spoken as a by 0.56% (40,724) of the population over the age of five. In total, 14.13% (1,036,442) of Virginia's population age 5 and older spoke a other than English.

English was passed as the Commonwealth's official language by statutes in 1981 and again in 1996, though the status is not mandated by the. 6% Virginia is predominantly Christian and; are the largest single group with 27% of the population as of 2008. Baptist congregations in Virginia have 763,655 members. Baptist denominational groups in Virginia include the, with about 1,400 member churches, which supports both the and the moderate; and the with more than 500 affiliated churches, which supports the Southern Baptist Convention. Are the second-largest religious group with 673,853 members. The includes most of Northern Virginia's Catholic churches, while the covers the rest.

Was frequented by and. The Virginia Conference is the of the in most of the Commonwealth, while the Holston Conference represents much of extreme Southwest Virginia.

The is responsible for the congregations of the.,,, and Episcopalian adherents each composed less than 2% of the population as of 2010. The,, and support the various. In November 2006, 15 conservative Episcopal churches voted to split from the Diocese of Virginia over the ordination of openly and clergy in other dioceses of the Episcopal Church; these churches continue to claim affiliation with the larger through. Though Virginia law allows parishioners to determine their church's affiliation, the diocese claimed the secessionist churches' buildings and properties. The resulting property law case, ultimately decided in favor of the mainline diocese, was a test for Episcopal churches nationwide. Among other religions, adherents of constitute 1% of the population, with 200 as of 2017.

Is the site of the, of the school, and the Hindu Temple. While the state's Jewish population is small, organized Jewish sites date to 1789 with. Are a growing religious group throughout the Commonwealth through immigration.

In the Commonwealth include,, and. Several Christian universities are also based in the state, including,, and. Virginia counties and cities by median household income (2010). Virginia is an state; its economy has diverse sources of income, including local and federal government, military, farming and business. Virginia has 4.1 million civilian workers, and one-third of the jobs are in the.

The unemployment rate in Virginia as of 2017 is 3.8%, which is below the national average. The second fastest job growth town in the nation is, as of 2011. The Gross Domestic Product of Virginia was $452 billion in 2013.

According to the, Virginia had the most counties in the top 100 at sixteen counties based upon median income in 2007. Is the in Virginia, having six of the twenty, including the two highest as of 2008.

According to CNN Money Magazine the highest-income town in the nation is, as of 2011. According to a 2013 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Virginia had the seventh-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.64%. The is headquartered in at, the world's largest office building. Virginia has the highest defense spending of any state per capita, providing the Commonwealth with around 900,000 jobs.

Approximately 12% of all money is spent in Virginia, the second-highest amount after California. Many Virginians work for in, which include the and the, as well as the, the and the. Many others work for, including defense and security firms, which hold more than 15,000 federal contracts.

Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of veterans of any state, and is second to in total Department of Defense employees. The area has the largest concentration of military personnel and assets of any metropolitan area in the world, including the largest naval base in the world,.

In its state government, Virginia employs 106,143 public employees, who combined have a median income of $44,656 as of 2013. Ocean tourism is an important sector of economy. Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state, and the fourth-highest number of technology workers after,, and. Became the state's highest-grossing export in 2006, surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco combined, reaching a total export value of $717 million in 2015., once considered the state's dairy capital, now hosts software, communication technology, defense contracting companies, particularly in the. The state has the highest average and peak Internet speeds in the United States, with the third-highest worldwide.

Northern Virginia's can carry up to 70% of the nation's internet traffic, and in 2015 the region was the largest and fastest growing data center market in the nation. In 2009, magazine named Virginia the best state in the nation for business for the fourth year in a row, while named it the in 2007, 2009, and 2011. Additionally, in 2014 a survey of 12,000 small business owners found Virginia to be one of the most friendly states for small businesses. Virginia has 20 companies, ranking the state eighth nationwide. Is one of the largest business districts in the nation. Tourism in Virginia supported an estimated 210,000 jobs and generated $21.2 billion in 2012.

Is the top tourist destination in the state by domestic spending, followed by,, and. Is Virginia's leading county in agriculture. As of 2007, agriculture occupied 32% of the land in Virginia and about 357,000 Virginian jobs were in agriculture, with over 47,000 farms, averaging 171 acres (0.27 sq mi; 0.69 km 2), in a total farmland area of 8.1 million acres (12,656 sq mi; 32,780 km 2). Though agriculture has declined significantly since 1960 when there were twice as many farms, it remains the largest single industry in Virginia. Tomatoes surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia in 2006, with peanuts and hay as other agricultural products.

Although it is no longer the primary crop, Virginia is still the fifth-largest producer of tobacco nationwide. Virginia is the largest producer of seafood on the, with,,, and as the largest seafood harvests by value, and,, and as the top export destinations. Harvests have increased from 23,000 bushels in 2001 to over 500,000 in 2013. Wineries and vineyards in the and along the also have begun to generate income and attract tourists.

Virginia has the fifth-highest number of wineries in the nation. Taxes Virginia collects personal in five income brackets, ranging from 3.0% to 5.75%. The state sales and rate is 4.3%, while the tax rate on food is 1.5%. There is an additional 1% local tax, for a total of a 5.3% combined on most Virginia purchases and 2.5% on most food. Virginia's is set and collected at the local government level and varies throughout the Commonwealth. Real estate is also taxed at the local level based on 100% of fair market value.

Tangible personal property also is taxed at the local level and is based on a percentage or percentages of original cost. Colonial Virginian culture, language, and style are reenacted in. Virginia's culture was popularized and spread across America and the by figures such as,, and. Their homes in Virginia represent the birthplace of America and the South. Modern Virginia culture has many sources, and is part of the. The divides Virginia into nine cultural regions. Besides the general, Virginia maintains its own particular traditions.

Is made in many parts of the state., sometimes called 'Virginia ham', is a type of which is, and can only be produced in the town of. And architecture are typical of. Thomas Jefferson and many of the state's early leaders favored the style, leading to its use for important state buildings. The and their style can also be found in parts of the state.

Literature in Virginia often deals with the state's extensive and sometimes troubled past. The works of winner often dealt with social inequalities and the role of women in her culture. Glasgow's peer and close friend wrote extensively about the changing position of gentry in the, and challenged its moral code with. Approached history in works such as and. Has occasionally dealt with his southern heritage in bestsellers like. Native received critical acclaim for his about moonshiners in during. Virginia also names a.

Fine and performing arts. The Meadow Pavilion is one of the theaters. Rich in cultural heritage, Virginia however ranks near the bottom of U.S. States in terms of public spending on the arts, at nearly half of the national average. The state government does fund some institutions, including the and the.

Other museums include the popular of the and the. Besides these sites, many open-air museums are located in the Commonwealth, such as, the, and various historic battlefields. The works to improve the Commonwealth's civic, cultural, and intellectual life.

Theaters and venues in the Commonwealth are found both in the cities and suburbs. The, in, is home of the. The operates in and around.

Resident and touring theater troupes operate from the in. The, designated the State Theatre of Virginia, in won the first in 1948, while the in won it in 2009. There is also a Children's Theater of Virginia,, which is the second largest touring troupe nationwide. Virginia has launched many award-winning traditional musical artists and internationally successful popular music acts, as well as Hollywood actors.

Virginia is known for its tradition in the music genres of and, with groups such as the and, as well as,, and. Contemporary Virginia is also known for artists like and, stars like and, as well as groups like and. Notable performance venues include, the, and. Is located in and is the only national park intended for use as a performing arts center. The annual Swim features over 200 wild ponies swimming across the into. Many counties and localities host and festivals. The is held at the every September.

Also in September is the in, which celebrates the city, the waterfront, and regional artists., in June, features boat racing and. Also sponsors with popular and traditional music performances. The Virginia Lake Festival is held during the third weekend in July in.

Wolf Trap hosts the, which produces an opera festival every summer. Each September, Bay Days celebrates the Chesapeake Bay as well as Hampton's 400-year history since 1610, and Isle of Wight County holds a County Fair on the second week of September as well. Both feature live music performances, and other unique events. On the island of the annual Pony Swim & Auction of at the end of July is a unique local tradition expanded into a week-long carnival. The is a six-day festival held annually in that includes parades and concerts.

The Fiddlers' Convention in, begun in 1935, is one of the oldest and largest such events worldwide. Two important film festivals, the and the, are held annually in and Richmond, respectively. The nation's most circulated newspaper, has its headquarters in McLean. The area is the 45th-largest in the United States as ranked by, while the area is 57th and - is 66th as of 2013. Northern Virginia is part of the much larger Washington, D.C.

Media market. There are 36, representing each major, part of 42 stations which serve Virginia viewers. More than 720 -licensed FM, with about 300 such AM stations. The nationally available (PBS) is headquartered in. Independent PBS affiliates exist throughout Virginia, and the Arlington PBS member station produces programs such as the and.

The most circulated are (142,476 daily subscribers), the (108,559), and (78,663), as of 2014. Several papers are based in, such as and. The paper with the nation's widest circulation,, with 1.83 million daily subscriptions, is headquartered in. Besides traditional forms of media, Virginia is the home base for telecommunication companies such as and. In Northern Virginia, is the dominant newspaper, since Northern VA is located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The, a, was founded by President.

Virginia's educational system consistently ranks in the top ten states on the, with Virginia students outperforming the average in all subject areas and grade levels tested. The 2011 report ranked Virginia's K–12 education fourth best in the country.

All school divisions must adhere to educational standards set forth by the, which maintains an assessment and accreditation regime known as the to ensure accountability. In 2010, 85% of high school students graduated on-time after four years. Between 2000 and 2008, school enrollment increased 5%, the number of teachers 21%. In Virginia are generally operated by the counties and cities, and not by the state.

As of 2011, a total of 1,267,063 students were enrolled in 1,873 local and regional schools in the Commonwealth, including three, and an additional 109 alternative and special education centers across 132. Besides the general public schools in Virginia, there are and selective. The Governor's Schools are a collection of more than 40 regional high schools and summer programs intended for gifted students. The Virginia Council for Private Education oversees the regulation of 320 state accredited and 130 non-accredited private schools. An additional 24,682 students receive homeschooling. As of 2011, there are 176.

In the 2017 ranking of national public universities, the is ranked No. 2, the is No. 71, and is No. Virginia Commonwealth is also ranked the No. 1 public graduate school in fine arts, while is ranked the No. 8 regional university in. The is the oldest state.

And Virginia Tech are the state's. Virginia also operates 23 on 40 campuses serving over 260,000 students.

There are 129 private institutions in the state, including nationally ranked liberal arts colleges at No. 11, the at No. 27, and the Virginia Military Institute at No. Is Virginia's largest university, with an enrollment total of greater than 110,000 students.

Part of the based and a teaching institution of, was the site of the first successful birth. Virginia has a mixed health record, and is ranked as the 26th overall healthiest state according to the 2013 United Health Foundation's Health Rankings.

Virginia also ranks 21st among the states in the rate of premature deaths, 6,816 per 100,000. In 2008, Virginia reached its lowest ever rate of, at 6.7 deaths per 1,000. There are however racial and social health disparities, in 2010 African Americans experienced 28% more premature deaths than whites, while 13% of Virginians lack any. According to the 's 2009 survey, 26% of Virginians are obese and another 35% are overweight. 78% of residents claim to have exercised at least once in the past three months. About 30% of Virginia's 10- to 17-year-olds are overweight or obese. Virginia banned smoking in bars and restaurants in January 2010.

19% of Virginians smoke tobacco. Residents of share the longest average rate in the nation, over 83 years. There are 89 listed with the. Notable examples include, the largest hospital in the, and the, located on the medical campus of. The University of Virginia Medical Center, part of the, is highly ranked in according to. Virginia has a ratio of 127 per 10,000 residents, which is the 16th highest nationally.

Virginia was one of five states to receive a perfect score in disaster preparedness according to a 2008 report by the, based on criteria such as detecting pathogens and distributing vaccines and medical supplies. Located at the confluence of major bridges, roads, bus lines, and subway lines, in is the biggest choke point of the system.

Arlington accounts for 40% of Virginia's public transit trips. Because of the 1932, the state government controls most of Virginia's roads, instead of a local county authority as is usual in other states. As of 2011, the owns and operates 57,867 miles (93,128 km) of the total 70,105 miles (112,823 km) of roads in the state, making it the third largest state highway system in the United States.

Although the Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes, has the second worst traffic in the nation, Virginia as a whole has the 21st-lowest congestion and the average commute time is 26.9 minutes. Virginia hit usage before the year 2000, making it one of the first such states. The main terminal of is one of the few surviving examples of.

Virginia has passenger rail service along several corridors, and (VRE) maintains two commuter lines into Washington, D.C. VRE is one of the nation's fastest growing commuter rail services, handling nearly 20,000 passengers a day. The rapid transit system serves Northern Virginia as far west as communities along I-66 in Fairfax County, with to reach by 2017. Major freight railroads in Virginia include and. Commuter buses include the and the. The Virginia Department of Transportation operates several free ferries throughout Virginia, the most notable being the Jamestown-Scotland ferry which crosses the James River in. Virginia has five major airports: and in Northern Virginia, both of which handle over 20 million passengers a year;; and and serving the Hampton Roads area.

Several other airports offer limited commercial passenger service, and sixty-six public airports serve the state's aviation needs. The 's main seaports are those in, which carried 17,726,251 (16,080,984 ) of bulk cargo in 2007, the sixth most of United States ports. The is the site of, a rocket testing center owned by, and the, a commercial spaceport. Is also offered through -based. Law and government.

The, designed by and, is home to the. In colonial Virginia, free men elected the lower house of the legislature, called the, which together with the Governor's Council, made the 'General Assembly'. Founded in 1619, the is still in existence as the oldest legislature in the Western Hemisphere. In 2008, the government was ranked by the with an A− in terms of its efficiency, effectiveness, and infrastructure, tied with and.

This was the second consecutive time that Virginia received the highest grade in the nation. Since 1971, the government has functioned under the seventh, which provides for a strong legislature and a unified judicial system.

Similar to the, the government is divided in: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature is the, a bicameral body whose 100-member and 40-member write the laws for the Commonwealth.

The Assembly is stronger than the executive, as it selects judges and justices. The Governor and are elected every four years in separate elections.

Incumbent cannot run for re-election, however the Lieutenant Governor and can, and governors may serve non-consecutive terms. The judicial system, the oldest in America, consists of a hierarchy from the and the to the, the trial courts of general jurisdiction, and the lower and. The is the statutory law, and consists of the codified legislation of the General Assembly. The is the largest. The is the oldest police department in the United States. The consists of 7,500 soldiers in the and 1,200 airmen in the. Since the resumption of in 1982,, the second highest number in the nation.

The 'total crime risk' is 28% lower than the national average. Since Virginia ended prisoner parole in 1995, the rate of has fallen to 28.3%, among the lowest nationwide. Virginia is an. See also:,,,,, and Presidential elections results Year 44.43% 1,769,443 49.75% 1,981,473 47.28% 1,822,522 51.16% 1,971,820 46.33% 1,725,005 52.63% 1,959,532 53.68% 1,716,959 45.48% 1,454,742 52.47% 1,437,490 44.44% 1,217,290 47.10% 1,138,350 45.15% 1,091,060 44.97% 1,150,517 40.59% 1,038,650 59.74% 1,309,162 39.23% 859,799 62.29% 1,337,078 37.09% 796,250 53.03% 989,609 40.31% 752,174 Over the 20th century, Virginia shifted from a largely rural, and conservative state to a more urbanized, pluralistic, and politically moderate environment. Up until the 1970s, Virginia was a racially divided dominated by the. The effectively African Americans until after passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.

Enfranchisement and immigration of other groups, especially Hispanics, have placed growing importance on minority voting, while voters that identify as 'white working-class' declined by three percent between 2008 and 2012. Regional differences play a large part in Virginia politics. Rural southern and western areas moved to support the in response to its ', while urban and growing suburban areas, including much of, form the. Democratic support also persists in union-influenced in, college towns such as and, and the southeastern.

Has likewise been in flux. In the, Democrats regained control of the, and narrowed the Republican majority in the to eight seats. Yet resulted in the election of Republican as by a seventeen-point margin, the election of a Republican and, as well as Republican gains of six seats in the House of Delegates. In 2011, the Republican caucus took over two-thirds (68–32) of the seats in the House of Delegates, and a majority of the Senate based on the Lieutenant Governor as the tie-breaker. Following the, Democrat was elected Governor by two percentage points, and Democrat was elected Lieutenant Governor by double digits. Republicans, however, maintained their super-majority (68–32) in the House of Delegates. State election seasons traditionally start with the annual event in.

In federal elections since 2006, both parties have seen successes. Republican Senator lost close races in, to Democratic newcomer, and again in, to Webb's replacement, former Governor. In, Democrats won both seats; former Governor was elected to replace retiring Republican.

The state went Republican in 13 out of 14 from 1952 to 2004, including 10 in a row from 1968 to 2004. However, Democrat carried Virginia's 13 in both the and presidential elections.

In the, Republicans won three seats from the Democrats. Of the state's in the House of Representatives, Republicans hold seven and Democrats hold four.

Virginia is considered a ' in future presidential elections. In the, Democrat carried Virginia, marking the third consecutive win for the at the presidential level and the first time the state gave its electoral votes to a Democrat who did not win the national Electoral Vote,. In contrast, the state gave the smallest percentage of Virginian votes for any presidential nominee since. The team has the second-longest in the nation.

Virginia is the most populous U.S. State without a franchise. The reasons for this include the lack of any dominant city or market within the state, the proximity of and, and a reluctance to publicly finance stadiums. However, in recent years, the city of has proposed designed to lure a major league franchise. Is host to two minor league teams: The and the 's. The ', the, began play at in 2010, replacing the AAA, who relocated after 2008. Additionally, the,,,,,, and also have Single-A and Rookie-level in Virginia.

The have Redskins Park, their headquarters, in and their training facility is in Richmond, and the train at in. Virginia has many professional caliber golf courses including the course at Lansdowne Resort and Kingsmill Resort, home of the, an tournament. Currently schedules races on two tracks in Virginia: and.

Virginia natives currently competing in the series include and. Virginia does not allow state appropriated funds to be used for either operational or capital expenses for intercollegiate athletics.

Despite this, both the and have been able to field competitive teams in the and maintain modern facilities. Is followed statewide. Compete in, particularly in the,, and. Three compete in the Division II, and two others compete in the Division I.

Several smaller schools compete in the and the of NCAA Division III. The NCAA currently holds its, men's basketball, volleyball and softball in. State symbols. The state slogan, ',' was developed in 1968 and is featured on the state's welcome signs The state nickname is its oldest symbol, though it has never been made official by law. Virginia was given the title ' by King at the time of, because it had remained loyal to the crown during the, and the present moniker, 'Old Dominion' is a reference to that title.

Charles' supporters were called, and 'The Cavalier State' nickname was popularized after the to romanticize the antebellum period. Sports teams from the are called the. The other nickname, 'Mother of Presidents', is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as, including four of the first five. The state's motto,, translates from Latin as 'Thus Always to Tyrants', and is used on the state seal, which is then used on the flag. While the seal was designed in 1776, and the flag was first used in the 1830s, both were made official in 1930. The majority of the other symbols were made official in the late 20th century. The is among the classified as the.

In March 2015, after 20 years without a, Virginia received two: ' (official traditional state song) and ' (official popular state song). In 1940, Virginia made ' the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus. •: •:, •: •: •: •: •:, • /: •: •: •: •: The Old Dominion •: • Slogan: •: ', ' •. • Abrams, Ann Uhry (1999).. Boulder, CO:..

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