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This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Virginia (disambiguation).
The Commonwealth of Virginia (pronounced /vɚˈdʒɪnjə/) is a state on the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. Virginia is the 12th-most populous state in the U.S. with over 7.7 million residents and the 35th largest in area.Martz, Michael (December 28, 2007). Virginia\'s population tops 7.7 million. Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. It is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the \'Virgin Queen\' as she never married. The Virginia Company of London founded the Virginia Colony in 1607 as the first permanent New World English colony, with the hemisphere\'s oldest legislature. Virginia\'s government is ranked with the highest grade in the nation. Virginia was one of the thirteen colonies in the American Revolution and part of the Confederacy in the American Civil War.
The capital of the commonwealth is Richmond, though Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. Virginia\'s cities are connected by the third largest highway system in the nation. While Virginia\'s population is primarily white and of Northern European ancestry, over one-fifth of residents are African American. The largest religious denomination is Baptists. Although traditionally conservative and historically part of the Southern United States, Virginia is a politically competitive state with both conservative and liberal areas. Virginia is known as the "The Old Dominion" and sometimes "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents.
Virginia has a diverse economy with several important industries, from the federal government in Northern Virginia and military bases in Hampton Roads to the many agricultural areas. The Historic Triangle includes Jamestown, Yorktown and the living museum of Colonial Williamsburg. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The growth of the technology sector has made computer chips the state\'s leading export, with the industry based on the strength of Virginia\'s public schools and universities, some of which are at the top of national rankings. University sports teams attract large followings in national competition.
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Map of Virginia\'s major cities and roads
Virginia has an area of 42,774 square miles (110,784 km²) making it the thirty-fifth largest state.Land and Water Area of States, 2000. Information Please (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-10. Virginia is bordered by Maryland and the District of Columbia to the north and east; by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east; by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south; and by Kentucky to the west and by West Virginia to the north and west. Due to a peculiarity of Virginia\'s original charter, its boundary with Maryland does not extend past the low-water mark of the southern shore of the Potomac River, meaning Maryland the District of Colombia contain the whole width of the river rather than its being split between them and Virginia.Supreme Court Rules for Virginia in Potomac Conflict. The Sea Grant Law Center. University of Mississippi (2003). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
Virginia has many National Park Service units, including one national park, the Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah was established in 1935 and encompasses the scenic Skyline Drive. Almost forty percent of the park\'s area (79,579 acres/322 km²) has been designated as Wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Other parks in Virginia, such as Great Falls Park and Prince William Forest Park are included in the many areas in the National Park System. Additionally, there are thirty-four Virginia state parks, run by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Forestry.Park Locations. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (November 9, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-26. The Chesapeake Bay, while not a national park, is protected by both state and federal legislation, and the jointly run Chesapeake Bay Program which conducts restoration on the bay and its watershed. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is protected by both Virginia and North Carolina.
The Chesapeake Bay divides the commonwealth, with Virginia\'s Eastern Shore, a separate exclave from the rest of the commonwealth. Many of Virginia\'s rivers flow into the Chesapeake. Geographically, Virginia is divided into the following four regions east to west:
Topographic map of Virginia counties
Virginia\'s long east-west axis means that metropolitan northern Virginia lies as close to New York City as to its own rural western panhandle. Lee County, at the tip of the panhandle, is closer to eight other state capitals than it is to Richmond, Virginia\'s own capital.Aumann, Mark. "Countdown: Virginia", NASCAR.COM, February 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-27.
The Virginia seismic zone has not had a history of regular activity: the earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. The largest, at 6.0 magnitude, came in 1897 in Blacksburg.Virginia earthquake not a fluke in the seismically active Southeast. Science Blog (December 2003). Retrieved on 2003-03-22. There is no volcanic activity in the state. It is located centrally on the North American Plate, where the Earth\'s crust is thicker than at the edges, which leads to fewer strong earthquakes.
The Blue Ridge Mountains have a humid continental climate.
Most of the state east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, plus the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley, has a humid subtropical climate. In the mountainous areas west of the Blue Ridge, the climate becomes humid continental.Climate of Virginia. GEOG 202. Radford University (March 14, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-11-21. Many variations occur because of the state\'s significant relief. Elevations in Virginia vary from sea level to Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m) above sea level, with major gradations occurring at the edges of the Atlantic Ocean, the end of the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny chains of the Appalachian Mountains.
The moderating influence of the ocean from the east, powered by the Gulf Stream, also creates the potential for hurricanes near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Cold air masses arriving over the mountains, especially in winter, can lead to significant snowfalls, such as the Blizzard of 1996. The interaction of these elements with the state\'s topography creates micro-climates in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains that are noticeably distinct.Climate of Virginia. Charles A. Grymes. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. In recent years the expansion of the southern suburbs of Washington into northern Virginia, has created an urban heat island due to the increased energy output of more densely used areas.Advisory 01/07: The Hot Get Hotter? Urban Warming and Air Quality. University of Virginia Climatology Office. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
Severe weather is a concern in Virginia. Hurricanes make the coastal area of Virginia vulnerable, but it is rare for a major hurricane to threaten the Virginia coast. Hurricanes this far north tend to become somewhat weakened, though Hurricane Gaston in 2004 inundated Richmond.Gaston impact. NOAA. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. Remnants of systems which hit further south sometimes bring torrential rain to the state. Thunderstorms are an occasional concern, with the state averaging from 35-45 days of thunderstorm activity annually. The area of most frequent occurrence is in the west.Natural Hazards : Thunderstorms. Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29. The state averages more than 85 tornadoes per year, though most are F2 and lower on the Fujita scale. Eastern Virginia has a lower rate of tornadoes than western parts of the state.Natural Hazards : Tornadoes. Virginia Business Emergency Survival Toolkit (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
Deer at Tanner Ridge Overlook in Shenandoah National Park.
Virginia is sixty-five percent covered by forests.Virginia\'s Forest Resources. Natural Resource Education Guide. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (January 21, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-08. In some mountainous areas of the state pine predominates and there is also the occasional naturally growing prickly pear cactus. Lower altitudes are more likely to have small but dense stands of moisture-loving hemlocks and mosses in abundance. Other commonly found plants include oak, hickory, chestnut, maple, tulip poplar, mountain laurel, milkweed, daisies, and many species of ferns. The once predominant American Chestnut tree was effectively brought to extinction by a fungus known as the chestnut blight during the 1930s – though the tree continues to grow, it does not reach maturity and dies back before it can reproduce. Various species of oaks superseded the chestnuts and became the dominant tree species. Gypsy moth infestations beginning in the early 1990s have eroded the dominance of the oak forests as the moths chiefly consumed oak leaves. of [http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/forests.htm Shenandoah National Park - Forests. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
Mammals include Whitetailed deer, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, opossum, groundhog, gray fox, and eastern cottontail rabbit. Though unsubstantiated, there have been some reported sightings of mountain lion in remote areas of the state.Shenandoah National Park - Mammals. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. Birds included barred owls, Carolina chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks, and wild turkeys. The Peregrine Falcon was reintroduced into Shenandoah National Park in the mid-1990s. By the end of the 20th century, there were numerous nesting pairs in the park.Shenandoah National Park - Birds. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. Freshwater fish include brook trout, longnose and blacknose dance, and the bluehead chub.Shenandoah National Park - Fish. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. The Chesapeake Bay is home to many species, including blue crabs, clams, oysters, and rockfish, also known as striped bass.Bay Biology. Chesapeake Bay Program (January 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
A 19th century depiction of Pocahontas, of the Powhatan tribe, an ancestor of many of the First Families of Virginia.
At Jamestown 2007, Virginia marked its quadricentennial year, celebrating four hundred years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony. Over the centuries Virginia has been at the front of warfare from the American Revolution and the Civil War to the Cold War and the War on Terrorism. The far-reaching social changes of the mid- to late-20th century were expressed by broad-based celebrations marking contributions of three cultures to the state: Native American, European and African.Jamestown’s Cultural Roots Focus of Smithsonian Folklife Festival; Three Cultures That Converged At Jamestown Meet Again On The National Mall. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
At the time of the English colonization of Virginia, Native American people were living in what now is Virginia. Native American tribes in Virginia included the Cherokee, Chesepian, Chickahominy, Chiskiack, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Moobs, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Povic, Powhatan, Occoneechees, Rappahannock, Saponites and others.Ramsey, Inez (March 16, 2003). Virginia\'s Indians, Past & Present. American History Resources. James Madison University. Retrieved on 2007-11-29. The natives are often divided into three groups, based to a large extent upon language differences. The largest group are known as the Algonquian who numbered over 10,000, most of whom were united in the Powhatan Confederacy led by Chief Powhatan. The other groups are the Iroquoian (numbering 2,500) and the Siouan.Native Peoples in Early Colonial Virginia. University of Richmond. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter to explore and plant a colony in North America north of Florida.Harris, Andrew (September 20, 2005). The First Virginia. Folger Shakespeare Library. Retrieved on 2007-11-28. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh explored the Atlantic coast of North America. Raleigh, or possibly the Queen herself, named the area "Virginia" after Queen Elizabeth, known as the "Virgin Queen" because she never married.Trevelyan, Raleigh [2004-01-03]. Sir Walter Raleigh, 77-78. ISBN 080507502X. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. The name eventually applied to the whole coast from South Carolina to Maine, and included Bermuda. The London Virginia Company was incorporated as a joint stock company by the proprietary Charter of 1606, which granted land rights to this area.The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606. The Avalon Project. Yale University (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24. The Company financed the first permanent English settlement in the New World, at Jamestown, named for King James I. The settlement was founded on May 13, 1607 by Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith.Jamestown - Timeline. The Literature of Justification. Lehigh University. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. In 1609 many of the early colonists died during the "starving time" after the loss of the Third Supply\'s flagship, the Sea Venture.Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 17. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0.
The House of Burgesses was established in 1619 as the colony\'s elected governance. Enslaved Africans were first brought to the colony the same year, and indentured servants, laborers contracted for a fixed period of time, were brought in numbers after Virginia introduced the headright system in 1683, in which settlers received fifty acres for each colonist they transported.
"Virginia" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.Acquiring Virginia Land By "Headright". Virginia Place (February 14, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-21. The capital was moved in 1698 to Middle Plantation, renamed Williamsburg for King William III, where the College of William and Mary had been founded in 1693.
1851 painting of Patrick Henry\'s speech before the House of Burgesses on the Virginia Resolves against the Stamp Act of 1765.
The House of Burgesses was temporarily dissolved in 1769 by the Royal governor Lord Botetourt, after Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee led committee speeches on the distresses of the British taxation without representation. In 1773 Henry and Lee formed a committee of correspondence, and in 1774 Virginia sent delegates to the Continental Congress.Signers of the Declaration (Richard Henry Lee). National Park Service (April 13, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-02. On May 12, 1776, the Virginia Convention called for independence from the British Empire.American Treasures of the Library of Congress; Draft of the Virginia Constitution. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2006-09-12. Shortly thereafter, the Virginia Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights written by George Mason, a document that influenced the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.Schwartz, Stephan A. (May, 2000). "George Mason : Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights". Smithsonian (31.2): 142. Then on June 29, 1776, the convention enacted a constitution, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, that formally declared Virginia as an independent commonwealth.The Constitution of Virginia; June 29, 1776. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School.. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
During the American Revolutionary War, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg\'s location made it vulnerable to British attack.Cooper, Jean L. (2007). A Guide to Historic Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. The History Press, 58. ISBN 1-596-29173-7. In 1781, the combined action of Continental and French land and naval forces trapped the British on the Yorktown peninsula, where troops under George Washington and French Comte de Rochambeau defeated British General Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown. The British surrender on October 19, 1781 so shifted British public opinion that it led to the end of major hostilities and secured the independence of the former colonies.The Story of Virginia; Becoming Americans. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
Virginians were instrumental in writing of the United States Constitution. James Madison, considered the Father of the Constitution, drafted the Virginia Plan in 1787, and the Bill of Rights in 1789. Virginia ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788. The three-fifths compromise ensured that Virginia initially had the largest bloc in the House of Representatives, which with the Virginia dynasty of presidents gave the commonwealth national importance.Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 114. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0. In 1790, both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new District of Columbia, though in 1847, the area south of the Potomac was retroceded to Virginia.Wallenstein, Peter (2007). Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History. University Press of Kansas, 104. ISBN 978-0-7006-1507-0. The area of Kentucky was first part of Virginia, but it successfully petitioned for separation and was admitted to the Union as a state in 1792. Virginia is sometimes called "Mother of States" because of its role in being carved into several mid-western states.Introduction to Virginia. NetState (December 11, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America.
Nat Turner\'s slave rebellion in 1831 and John Brown\'s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 showed deep social division and discontent over the issue of slavery in Virginia and its role in the plantation economy.Davis, David Brion (2006). Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. Oxford University Press, 208-210. ISBN 0-19-514073-7. Slave labor was increasingly used profitably not only in agriculture, but also in mining, shipbuilding and other industries.Davis, David Brion (2006). Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. Oxford University Press, 125. ISBN 0-19-514073-7. By 1860, almost half a million people, roughly thirty-one percent of the total population of Virginia, were enslaved.Census Data for Year 1860. Historical Census Browser. University of Virginia. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861 following Lincoln\'s call for volunteers to attack the Confederate States of America (CSA) after its attack on Fort Sumter. Virginia turned over its military and ratified the Constitution of the Confederate States in June 1861. The CSA then moved its capitol from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond. In 1863 forty-eight counties in the northwest of the state separated from Virginia to form the State of West Virginia, an act which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1870.Richard O. Curry "A House Divided"; Eric Foner, "Reconstruction", pg. 39Virginia v. West Virginia, 78 U.S. 39 (1870).
Virginia in the American Civil War saw more battles fought than anywhere else, including the First Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Bull Run, the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. After those major battles and the capture of Richmond, the confederate capitol was moved to Danville, Virginia. With the work of the Committee of Nine during Reconstruction, Virginia formally rejoined the union on January 26, 1870, and adopted a constitution which provided for Negro suffrage, a system of free public schools, homestead exemption and guarantee of civil and political rights.Du Bois, W.E.B. [1935] (1998). Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. New York: Harcourt Brace/The Free Press (reprint), 598. ISBN 0684856573.
During the culmination of the Jim Crow era, legislators in 1901 rewrote the Constitution of Virginia to include a poll tax and other measures on voter registration that effectively disfranchised African Americans, leading to underfunding for segregated schools and services.Virginia\'s Constitutional Convention of 1901–1902. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. The impact of the new constitution could be seen by the suppression of votes: from 1900 to 1904, estimated black voting in Presidential elections dropped to zero.Pildes, Richard H. (2000). "Democracy, Anti-Democracy and the Canon". Constitutional Commentary 17: 12. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
African Americans still created vibrant communities and made progress. In 1950 the first black students attended the University of Virginia School of Law and in 1952 they gained admission to Virginia Tech.Virginia Timeline of State History. State Handbook & Guide (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-20. Despite the determination of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, Virginia declared in 1958 that desegregated schools would not receive state funding, under the policy of "massive resistance" spearheaded by Senator Harry F. Byrd.The Civil Rights Movement in Virginia: Massive Resistance. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. In 1959 Prince Edward County closed their schools rather than integrate them.
Oliver Hill oversees the swearing in of the first African American member of the Trial Bureau of the Department of Justice
The subsequent lawsuit to open the schools, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, was led by Richmond natives Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill. Their success led to proponents of massive resistance being forced to concede defeat. Virginia schools began to very slowly integrate. In addition, the Civil Rights Movement gained many participants in the 1960s and achieved the moral force to gain national legislation for protection of suffrage and civil rights for African Americans in Virginia and throughout the South. In 1971, state legislators rewrote the constitution, after goals such as legal integration and the repeal of Jim Crow laws had been achieved. On January 13, 1990, Douglas Wilder was elected Governor of Virginia and became the first African American to achieve that office since Reconstruction.
World War II and the Cold War led to massive expansion of government programs in the areas near Washington. These programs became the basis of the Northern Virginia economy, based on well-educated, professional work force. Northern Virginia was targeted in the September 11, 2001 attacks because of the Pentagon site, where one hundred eighty-five people died. In 1926, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Williamsburg\'s Bruton Parish Church, began restoration of colonial era buildings in the historic district with financial backing of John D. Rockefeller Jr. The resulting Colonial Williamsburg project is a major part of the Historic Triangle and Virginia\'s top tourist destination.Colonial Williamsburg. Virginia is for Lovers (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
Richmond skyline crossing the Manchester Bridge
Virginia is divided into independent cities and counties, which function in the same manner. According to the US Census Bureau, independent cities are considered county-equivalent.County & County Equivalent Areas. United States Census Bureau (April 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-08. Under Virginia law, all municipalities incorporated as cities are independent of any county. As of 2006, thirty-nine of the forty-two independent cities in the United States are in Virginia. Virginia does not have any political subdivisions, such as villages or townships, for areas of counties that are not within the boundaries of incorporated towns. There are hundreds of other unincorporated communities in Virginia, sometimes informally called towns.Virginia Smaller Cities, Towns, and Villages (between one-thousand and six-thousand residents). City-data.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia are the most populated areas of the state. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and the Richmond metropolitan area has a population of over 1.2 million people.Population in Greater Richmond Virginia. Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-19. Richmond is home to both a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Federal Reserve bank, and offices for international firms such as Hunton & Williams LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Reed Smith LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, CapitalOne, and Philip Morris USA.Research Bulletin 5; A Roster of World Cities. Loughborough University (28 July 1999). Retrieved on 2007-07-30. Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the commonwealth, with Norfolk and Chesapeake second and third, respectively. Norfolk forms the urban core of this metropolitan area, which is home to over 1.7 million people and the world\'s largest naval base. Some other municipalities are incorporated towns, which are not independent of a county but are located within one of the 95 counties in Virginia.
Downtown Staunton in the Shenandoah Valley
Although it is not incorporated as a city, Fairfax County is the most populous locality in Virginia, with over one million residents.Fairfax County QuickFacts. United States Census Bureau (August 31, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08. Fairfax has a major urban business and shopping center in Tysons Corner, Virginia\'s largest office market.Doing Business in Fairfax County. Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (June 26, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08. Neighboring Loudoun County, with the county seat at Leesburg, is the fastest-growing county in the United States.Davenport, Coral. "In a fast-growing county, sprawl teaches hard lessons", Christian Science Monitor, January 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-08. Arlington County, which lies across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. and was originally part of the District of Columbia, is an urban community. It is much like a city but remains organized as a county, and has no towns within its borders. It is the smallest self-governing county in the United States, by land area.Arlington County Shopping (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-08. The adjacent city of Alexandria has a historic seaport district.Alexandria Seaport Foundation (November 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
Roanoke is the largest city in western Virginia.Group Tours. Virginia\'s Roanoke Valley. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. The Roanoke MSA is the fourth largest region in Virginia although with a population of 292,983, smaller than the three economically dominant areas in the eastern parts of the state.Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. United States Census Bureau (July 1, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-19. Suffolk, which includes a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, is the largest city geographically.All About Suffolk. Suffolk (February 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 691,737 | ||
| 1800 | 807,557 | 16.7% | |
| 1810 | 877,683 | 8.7% | |
| 1820 | 938,261 | 6.9% | |
| 1830 | 1,044,054 | 11.3% | |
| 1840 | 1,025,227 | -1.8% | |
| 1850 | 1,119,348 | 9.2% | |
| 1860 | 1,219,630 | 9.0% | |
| 1870 | 1,225,163 | 0.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,512,565 | 23.5% | |
| 1890 | 1,655,980 | 9.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,854,184 | 12.0% | |
| 1910 | 2,061,612 | 11.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,309,187 | 12.0% | |
| 1930 | 2,421,851 | 4.9% | |
| 1940 | 2,677,773 | 10.6% | |
| 1950 | 3,318,680 | 23.9% | |
| 1960 | 3,966,949 | 19.5% | |
| 1970 | 4,648,494 | 17.2% | |
| 1980 | 5,346,818 | 15.0% | |
| 1990 | 6,187,358 | 15.7% | |
| 2000 | 7,078,515 | 14.4% | |
As of 2006, Virginia had an estimated population of 7,642,884, which is an increase of 78,557, or one percent, from the prior year and an increase of 563,854, or eight percent, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 276,039 people (that is 633,794 births minus 357,755 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 276,292 people into the commonwealth. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 151,748 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 124,544 people. The center of population of Virginia is located in Goochland County.Population and Population Centers by State. United States Census Bureau (2000). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
English was passed as the commonwealth\'s official language by statutes in 1981 and 1996, and by law in 2006, though the status is not mandated by the Constitution of Virginia.Virginia ProEnglish. ProEnglish.org (November 20, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-20. English is the only language spoken by 6,201,784 (86.9%) Virginians, though it is spoken very well by an additional 536,508 (7.5%) for a total of 94.3% of the commonwealth which speaks English. Spanish has the most speakers of other languages, with 412,416 (5.8%). 240,332 (3.4%) speak Asian and Pacific Islander languages, including Vietnamese and Filipino.Virginia Selected Social Characteristics in the United States. United States Census Bureau (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
The five largest reported ancestry groups in Virginia are: African (19.6%), German (11.7%), unspecified American (11.4%), English (11.1%), and Irish (9.8%).Virginia - QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000. United States Census Bureau (2000). Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
Most of Virginia\'s African-American population are descendants of enslaved Africans who worked its tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantations. Initially, they were imported from west central Africa, primarily Angola. During the eighteenth century, however, half were derived from various ethnicities located in the Niger Delta region of modern day Nigeria.Hall, Gwendolyn Midlo (2005). Slavery and African Ethnicities in the Americas: Restoring the Links. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. The twentieth century Great Migration of blacks from the rural South reduced Virginia\'s black population to about twenty percent.Virginia - ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2006. United States Census Bureau (2006). Retrieved on
