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{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox legislature
| name           = United States Senate
| legislature    = [[113th United States Congress]]
| coa_pic        = Seal of the United States Senate.svg
| coa_caption    = [[Seal of the United States Senate]]
| logo_pic       = Flag of the United States Senate.svg
| logo_caption   = Flag of the U.S. Senate
| logo_alt       = Flag of the United States Senate
| house_type     = Upper house
| body           = United States Congress{{!}}{{nowrap|United States Congress}}
| term_limits    = None
| new_session    = {{start date|2013|01|03}}
| leader1_type   = [[Vice President of the United States|President]]
| leader1        = [[Joe Biden]]
| party1         = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election1      = January 20, 2009
| leader2_type   = [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate|President pro tempore]]
| leader2        = [[Patrick Leahy]]
| party2         = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election2      = December 17, 2012
| leader3_type   = [[Majority Leader of the United States Senate|Majority Leader]]
| leader3        = [[Harry Reid]]
| party3         = ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election3      = January 4, 2007
| leader4_type   = [[Minority Leader of the United States Senate|Minority Leader]]
| leader4        = [[Mitch McConnell]]
| party4         = ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election4      = January 4, 2007
|m embers        = 100
| structure1     = 113th United States Senate Structure.svg
| structure1_res = 250px
| political_groups1 =
 {{unbulleted list |class=nowrap
  | ''Majority'' {{smaller|(54)}}
  | {{Color box|#000090|border=darkgray}} [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] {{smaller|(52)}}
  | {{Color box|#7174e0|border=darkgray}} [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] {{smaller|(2)}}
 }}
 {{unbulleted list |class=nowrap |style=padding-top:0.3em;
  | ''Minority''
  | {{Color box|#900000|border=darkgray}} [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] {{smaller|(46)}}
 }} <!---
 {{unbulleted list |class=nowrap |style=padding-top:0.3em;
  | {{colorbox|#FFFFFF}} ''vacant'' {{smaller|(0)}}
 }}  ---->
| term_length    = 6 years
| voting_system1 = [[First-past-the-post voting|First-past-the-post]]
| last_election1 = [[United States Senate elections, 2012|November 6, 2012]]
| next_election1 = [[United States Senate elections, 2014|November 4, 2014]]
| session_room   = 111th US Senate class photo.jpg
| meeting_place  = {{br-separated entries |[[United States Senate chamber|Senate Chamber]] |[[United States Capitol]] |[[Washington, D.C.]] |[[United States]]}}
| website        = {{URL|http://www.senate.gov}}
}}

The '''United States Senate''' is a legislative chamber in the [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] [[legislature]] of the [[United States|United States of America]], and together with the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] makes up the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]. First convened in 1789, the composition and powers of the Senate are established in [[Article One of the United States Constitution|Article One]] of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]].<ref name="senate_a1_sec3">{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm#a1_sec3 | title=Constitution of the United States | publisher=Senate.gov | date=March 26, 2009 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref> Each [[U.S. state]] is represented by two senators, regardless of population, who serve staggered six-year terms. The [[United States Senate chamber|chamber]] of the United States Senate is located in the north wing of the [[United States Capitol|Capitol]], in [[Washington, D.C.]], the national capital. The House of Representatives convenes in the south wing of the same building.

The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House, including consenting to [[Treaty|treaties]] as a precondition to their [[ratification]] and consenting to or confirming appointments of [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet secretaries]], [[United States federal judge|federal judges]], [[United States federal executive departments|other federal executive officials]], [[United States armed forces|military officers]], regulatory officials, ambassadors, and other [[Uniformed services of the United States|federal uniformed officers]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm#a2_sec2 | title=Constitution of the United States | publisher=Senate.gov | date=March 26, 2009 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.sputtr.com/read/senate-confirmation-process-a-brief-overview-d41d.html?f=1qeXpurpn6Wih-SUpOGumqqnh7_U5MbozYWz4dfU3djiztnV3uSFxNrU09fc4a6Gto2n3tjby5S329Xk39fZ3Zeo2KagsIfaiqDjrJ2hrojd4dncqaWU69_cntjK4aLV59SU39bmlNfa2J_f0uHXlcfAl5yorpui2MnWlKTr Senate Confirmation Process: A Brief Overview<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> as well as trial of federal officials [[Impeachment in the United States|impeached]] by the House. The Senate is both a more deliberative<ref>[http://www.jstor.org/pss/796343]</ref> and more prestigious<ref>[http://www.jstor.org/pss/439894]</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/12/us/in-fight-for-control-of-congress-tough-skirmishes-within-parties.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | title=In Fight for Control of Congress, Tough Skirmishes Within Parties | author=Richard L. Berke | date=September 12, 1999 | publisher=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://repository.upenn.edu/curej/93/ | title=The Rapid Sequence of Events Forcing the Senate's Hand: A Reappraisal of the Seventeenth Amendment, 1890–1913 | author=Joseph S. Friedman | publisher=University of Pennsylvania | date=March 30, 2009 }}</ref> body than the House of Representatives, due to its longer terms, smaller size, and statewide constituencies, which historically led to a more collegial and less [[Partisan (political)|partisan]] atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/uoi/lsq/2008/00000033/00000002/art00003 | title=Agreeing to Disagree: Agenda Content and Senate Partisanship, 198 | doi=10.3162/036298008784311000 | publisher=Ingentaconnect.com | date=June 16, 2006 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States Senate}}
The framers of the Constitution created a bicameral Congress primarily as a compromise between those who felt that each state, since it was sovereign, should be equally represented, and those who felt the legislature must directly represent the people, as the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] did in Britain. There was also a desire to have two Houses that could act as an internal check on each other. One was intended to be a "People's House" directly elected by the people, and with short terms obliging the representatives to remain close to their constituents. The other was intended to represent the states to such extent as they retained their sovereignty except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government. The Senate was thus not intended to represent the people of the United States equally. The Constitution provides that the approval of both chambers is necessary for the passage of legislation.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec1 | title=U.S. Constitution: ''article 1, Section 1'' }}</ref>

The Senate of the United States was formed on the example of the ancient [[Roman Senate]]. The name is derived from the ''senatus'', [[Latin]] for ''council of elders'' (from ''senex'' meaning ''old man'' in Latin).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/senate | title=Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: ''senate'' | accessdate=March 22, 2012}}</ref>

James Madison made the following comment about the Senate: 
:In England, at this day, if elections were open to all classes of people, the property of landed proprietors would be insecure. An agrarian law would soon take place. If these observations be just, our government ought to secure the permanent interests of the country against innovation. Landholders ought to have a share in the government, to support these invaluable interests, and to balance and check the other. They ought to be so constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority. The senate, therefore, ought to be this body; and to answer these purposes, they ought to have permanency and stability.<ref>See [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/const/yates.htm ''Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787''] by Robert Yates</ref>

The Constitution stipulates that no constitutional amendment may be created to deprive a state of its [[equal suffrage]] in the Senate without that state's consent. The [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] and all other [[Territories of the United States|territories]] are not entitled to representation in either House of the Congress. The District of Columbia elects two [[Shadow congressperson|shadow senators]], but they are officials of the D.C. city government and not members of the U.S. Senate.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Non-voting_members_of_Congress | title=Non-voting members of Congress | accessdate=March 22, 2011}}</ref> The United States has had 50 states since 1959,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hawaii-becomes-50th-state | title=Hawaii becomes 50th state | accessdate=March 22, 2011}}</ref> thus the Senate has had 100 senators since 1959.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec1 | title=U.S. Constitution: ''article 1, Section 1'' | accessdate=March 22, 2012}}</ref>

The disparity between the most and least populous states has grown since the [[Connecticut Compromise]], which granted each state two members of the Senate and at least one member of the House of Representatives, for a total minimum of three [[Electoral College (United States)|presidential Electors]], regardless of population. In 1787, Virginia had roughly 10 times the population of Rhode Island, whereas today California has roughly 70 times the population of Wyoming, based on the [[1790 United States Census|1790]] and [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|2000 censuses]]. This means some citizens are effectively two orders of magnitude better represented in the Senate than those in other states. Seats in the House of Representatives are approximately proportionate to the population of each state, reducing the disparity of representation.
[[File:Combined--Control of the U.S. House of Representatives - Control of the U.S. Senate.png|thumb|right|600px|Historical graph of party control of the Senate and House as well as the Presidency]]<ref name="uspolitics.about">{{cite web|url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/l/bl_party_division_2.htm |title=Party In Power - Congress and Presidency - A Visual Guide To The Balance of Power In Congress, 1945-2008 |publisher=Uspolitics.about.com |date= |accessdate=September 17, 2012}}</ref>


Before the adoption of the [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Seventeenth Amendment]] in 1913, senators were elected by the individual [[State legislature (United States)|state legislatures]].<ref>Article I, Section 3: "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each senator shall have one vote."</ref> However, problems with repeated vacant seats due to the inability of a legislature to elect senators, intrastate political struggles, and even bribery and intimidation gradually led to a growing movement to amend the Constitution to allow for the direct election of senators.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Direct_Election_Senators.htm | title=U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Origins & Development > Institutional Development > Direct Election of Senators | publisher=Senate.gov | date=March 26, 2009 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref>

==Membership==

===Qualifications===
{{United States Senate}}
[[Article One of the United States Constitution|Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution]] sets three qualifications for senators: 1) they must be at least 30 years old, 2) they must have been citizens of the United States for at least the past nine years, and 3) they must be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent at the time of their election. The age and citizenship qualifications for senators are more stringent than those for representatives. In [[Federalist No. 62]], [[James Madison]] justified this arrangement by arguing that the "senatorial trust" called for a "greater extent of information and stability of character."

The Senate (not the judiciary) is the sole judge of a senator's qualifications. During its early years, however, the Senate did not closely scrutinize the qualifications of its members. As a result, three senators who failed to meet the age qualification were nevertheless admitted to the Senate: [[Henry Clay]] (aged 29 in 1806), [[Armistead Thomson Mason]] (aged 28 in 1816), and [[John Eaton (politician)|John Eaton]] (aged 28 in 1818). Such an occurrence, however, has not been repeated since.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Youngest_Senator.htm 1801–1850, November 16, 1818: Youngest Senator.] United States Senate. Retrieved November 17, 2007.</ref> In 1934, [[Rush D. Holt, Sr.]] was elected to the Senate at the age of 29; he waited until he turned 30 (on the following June 19) to take the oath of office. In November 1972, [[Joe Biden]] was elected to the Senate at the age of 29, but he reached his 30th birthday before the swearing-in ceremony for incoming senators in January 1973.

The [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] disqualifies from the Senate any federal or state officers who had taken the requisite oath to support the Constitution, but later engaged in rebellion or aided the enemies of the United States. This provision, which came into force soon after the end of the Civil War, was intended to prevent those who had sided with the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] from serving. That Amendment, however, also provides a method to remove that disqualification: a two-thirds vote of both chambers of Congress.

===Elections and term===
{{See also|List of current United States Senators|Elections in the United States}}
Originally, senators were selected by the [[State legislature (United States)|state legislatures]], not by [[Universal suffrage|popular elections]]. By the early years of the 20th century, the legislatures of as many as 29 states had provided for popular election of senators by referendums.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Direct_Election_Senators.htm | title=Direct Election of Senators | publisher=U.S. Senate official website}}</ref> Popular election to the Senate was standardized nationally in 1913 by the ratification of the [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Seventeenth Amendment]].

====Term====
Senators serve terms of six years each; the terms are staggered so that approximately one-third of the seats are up for election every two years. This was achieved by dividing the senators of the [[1st United States Congress|1st Congress]] into thirds (called [[Classes of United States Senators|classes]]), where the terms of one-third expired after two years, the terms of another third expired after four, and the terms of the last third expired after six years. This arrangement was also followed after the admission of new states into the union. The staggering of terms has been arranged such that both seats from a given state are not contested in the same general election, except when a mid-term vacancy is being filled. Current senators whose six-year terms expire on January 3, 2015, belong to [[Classes of United States Senators#Class 2|Class II]].

The Constitution set the date for Congress to convene—Article 1, Section 4, Clause 2 originally set that date for the third day of December. The [[Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twentieth Amendment]], however, changed the opening date for sessions to noon on the third day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. The Twentieth Amendment also states that Congress shall assemble at least once in every year and allows Congress to determine its [http://www.senate.gov/reference/Sessions/sessionDates.htm convening and adjournment dates] and other dates and schedules as it desires. Article 1, Section 3 provides that the President has the power to convene Congress on extraordinary occasions at his discretion.  

A member who has been elected, but not yet seated, is called a "senator-elect"; a member who has been appointed to a seat, but not yet seated, is called a "senator-designate".

====Elections====
Elections to the Senate are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]], and coincide with elections for the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]].<ref>{{USC|2|1}}</ref> Senators are elected by their state as a whole. In most states (since 1970), a [[primary election]] is held first for the Republican and Democratic parties, with the general election following a few months later. [[Ballot access]] rules for independent and minor party candidates vary from state to state. The winner is the candidate who receives a [[plurality (voting)|plurality]] of the popular vote. In some states, [[Two-round system|runoffs]] are held if no candidate wins a majority.

====Mid-term vacancies====
The [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Seventeenth Amendment]] requires mid-term vacancies in the Senate to be filled by special election. If a special election for one seat happens to coincide with a general election for the state's other seat, each seat is contested separately. A senator elected in a special election takes office as soon as possible after the election and serves until the original six-year term expires (i.e. not for a full term).

The Seventeenth Amendment also allows state legislatures to give their governors the power to appoint temporary senators until the special election takes place. The official wording provides that "the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct."

As of 2009, forty-six states permit their governors to make such appointments. In thirty-seven of these states, the special election to permanently fill the U.S. Senate seat is customarily held at the next biennial congressional election. The other nine states require that special elections be held outside of the normal two-year election cycle in some or all circumstances. In four states ([[Arizona]], [[Hawaii]], [[Utah]], and [[Wyoming]]), the governor must appoint someone of the same political party as the previous incumbent.

[[Oregon]] and [[Wisconsin]] require special elections for vacancies with no interim appointment, and [[Oklahoma]] permits the governor to appoint only the winner of a special election.<ref name="Cong. Research Svc.-Neale-2009-03-10">{{cite web | url = http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40421_20090310.pdf | publisher = Congressional Research Service | title = Filling U.S. Senate Vacancies: Perspectives and Contemporary Developments | first = Thomas H. | last = Neale | date = March 10, 2009 | page = 8 }}</ref> In September 2009, [[Massachusetts]] changed its law to enable the governor to appoint a temporary replacement for the late Senator Kennedy until the special election in January 2010.<ref name="MA Law 54-140">{{cite web | url = http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/54-140.htm | publisher = Massachusetts Great and General Court | title = Temporary Appointment of US Senator | first = Robert A. | last = DeLeo | date = September 17, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Temporary Appointment Not a Candidate">{{cite web | url = http://www.mass.gov/legis/ht04248.pdf | publisher = Massachusetts Great and General Court | title = Temporary Appointment of US Senator Shall not be a candidate in special election | first = Robert A. | last = DeLeo | date = September 17, 2009 }}</ref> In 2004, [[Alaska]] enacted legislation and a separate ballot referendum that took effect on the same day, but that conflicted with each other. The effect of the ballot-approved law is to withhold from the governor authority to appoint a senator.<ref name="Alaska appointments">{{cite web | url=http://www.adn.com/politics/story/569836.html | title=Stevens could keep seat in Senate| date=October 28, 2009 | publisher=Anchorage Daily News}}</ref> Because the 17th Amendment vests the power to grant that authority to the legislature&nbsp;– not the people or the state generally&nbsp;– it is unclear whether the ballot measure supplants the legislature's statute granting that authority.<ref name="Alaska appointments" /> As a result, it is uncertain whether an Alaska governor may appoint an interim senator to serve until a special election is held to fill the vacancy.

The temporary appointee may run in the special election in his or her own right.

===Oath===
{{Politics of the United States}}
The Constitution requires that senators take an oath or [[Affirmation in law|affirmation]] to support the Constitution.<ref>[[Article Six of the United States Constitution|United States Constitution, Article VI]]</ref> Congress has prescribed the following oath for new senators: {{quote|I, ___ ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.<ref>See: {{usc|5|3331}}; see also: [http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Oath_Office.htm U.S. Senate Oath of Office]</ref>}}

===Salary and benefits===
The annual [[Salaries of United States Senators|salary]] of each senator, as of 2013, is $174,000;<ref name="salaries">[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senate_salaries.htm Salaries.] United States Senate. Retrieved October 2, 2013.</ref> the president pro tempore and party leaders receive $193,400.<ref name="salaries"/><ref name="usgovinfo "/> In June 2003, at least 40 of the then-senators were millionaires.<ref>{{cite news | author=Sean Loughlin and Robert Yoon | url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/06/13/senators.finances | title=Millionaires populate U.S. Senate | publisher= CNN | date= June 13, 2003| accessdate=June 19, 2006}}</ref>

Along with earning salaries, senators receive retirement and health benefits that are identical to other federal employees, and are fully [[vesting|vested]] after five years of service.<ref name="usgovinfo ">{{cite web | url=http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm | title=US Congress Salaries and Benefits | publisher=Usgovinfo.about.com | date= | accessdate=October 2, 2013}}</ref> Senators are covered by the [[Federal Employees Retirement System]] (FERS) or [[Civil Service Retirement System]] (CSRS). As it is for federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions. Under FERS, senators contribute 1.3% of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2% of their salary in Social Security taxes. The amount of a senator's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of their salary. The starting amount of a senator's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of their final salary. In 2006, the average annual pension for retired senators and representatives under CSRS was $60,972, while those who retired under FERS, or in combination with CSRS, was $35,952.<ref name="usgovinfo"/>

===Political prominence===
Senators are regarded as more prominent political figures than members of the House of Representatives because there are fewer of them, and because they serve for longer terms, usually represent larger constituencies (the exception being House [[at-large]] districts, which similarly comprise entire states), sit on more committees, and have more staffers. Far more senators have been nominees for the presidency than representatives. Furthermore, three senators ([[Warren G. Harding|Warren Harding]], [[John F. Kennedy]], and [[Barack Obama]]) have been elected president while serving in the Senate, while only one Representative ([[James A. Garfield|James Garfield]]) has been elected president while serving in the House, though Garfield was also a Senator-elect at the time of his election to the Presidency, having been chosen by the Ohio Legislature to fill a Senate vacancy.

===Seniority===
{{Main|Seniority in the United States Senate}}
According to the convention of Senate seniority, the senator with the longer tenure in each state is known as the "senior senator"; the other is the "junior senator". This convention does not have official significance, though it is a factor in the selection of physical offices.<ref>{{cite web | last=Baker | first=Richard A. | title=Traditions of the United States Senate | url=http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/Traditions.pdf | work=Page 4}}</ref> In the 113th Congress, the most-senior "junior senator" is [[Tom Harkin]] of [[Iowa]], who was sworn in on January 3, 1985 and is currently 7th in [[Seniority in the United States Senate|seniority]], behind [[Chuck Grassley]] who was sworn in on January 3, 1981 and is currently 6th in seniority. With the resignation of [[John Kerry]], the most-junior "senior senator" is [[Elizabeth Warren]] of [[Massachusetts]], who was sworn in January 3, 2013, and is currently 95th in seniority, ahead of senator [[Ed Markey]] who was sworn in July 16, 2013 and is currently 98th in seniority.

===Expulsion and other disciplinary actions===
The Senate may [[List of United States senators expelled or censured|expel]] a senator by a two-thirds vote. Fifteen senators have been expelled in the history of the Senate: [[William Blount]], for treason, in 1797, and fourteen in 1861 and 1862 for supporting the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[secession]]. Although no senator has been expelled since 1862, many senators have chosen to resign when faced with expulsion proceedings&nbsp;– for example, [[Bob Packwood]] in 1995. The Senate has also censured and condemned senators; [[Censure in the United States|censure]] requires only a simple majority and does not remove a senator from office. Some senators have opted to withdraw from their re-election races rather than face certain censure or expulsion, such as [[Robert Torricelli]] in 2002.

==Majority and minority parties==
The "Majority party" is the [[political party]] that either has a majority of seats or can form a coalition or caucus with a majority of seats; if two or more parties are tied, the vice president's affiliation determines which party is the majority party. The next-largest party is known as the minority party. The president pro tempore, committee chairs, and some other officials are generally from the majority party; they have counterparts (for instance, the "ranking members" of committees) in the minority party. Independents and members of third parties (so long as they do not [[Party caucuses and conferences in the United States Congress|caucus]] with or support either of the larger parties) are not considered in determining which is the majority party.

===Seating===
The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] traditionally sits to the presiding officer's right, and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] traditionally sits to the presiding officer's left, regardless which party has a majority of seats.<ref>{{cite web | title=Seating Arrangement | url=http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/special/Desks/hdetail.cfm?id=11 | publisher=Senate Chamber Desks | accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> In this respect, the Senate differs from the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] and other parliamentary bodies in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and elsewhere.

==Officers==
{{refimprove | date=January 2011}}
[[File:Capitol-Senate.JPG|thumb|The Senate side of the [[United States Capitol]] in Washington, D.C.]]
The Vice President of the United States presides over the Senate,<ref name="senate_a1_sec3" /> but the party leaders have the real power and they control procedure. Many non-member officers are also hired to run the day-to-day functions of the Senate.

===Presiding over the Senate===
The Vice President of the United States is the [[List of Latin phrases: E|ex officio]] [[President of the Senate#United States|President of the Senate]], with authority to preside over the Senate's sessions, although he can vote only [[United States Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes|to break a tie]].<ref name="senate_a1_sec3" /> For decades the task of presiding over Senate sessions was one of the vice president's principal duties. Since the 1950s, vice presidents have presided over few Senate debates. Instead, they have usually presided only on ceremonial occasions, such as joint sessions, or at times when a tie vote on an important issue is anticipated. The Constitution authorizes the Senate to elect a [[president pro tempore of the United States Senate|president pro tempore]] ([[Latin]] for "president for a time") to preside in the vice president's absence; the most senior senator of the majority party is customarily chosen to serve in this position.<ref name="senate_a1_sec3" /> Like the vice president, the president pro tempore does not normally preside over the Senate, but typically delegates the responsibility of presiding to junior senators of the majority party, usually in blocks of one hour on a rotating basis. Frequently, freshmen senators (newly elected members) are asked to preside so that they may become accustomed to the rules and procedures of the body.

The presiding officer sits in a chair in the front of the Senate chamber. The powers of the presiding officer of the Senate are far less extensive than those of the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]. The presiding officer calls on senators to speak (by the rules of the Senate, the first senator who rises is recognized); ruling on [[point of order|points of order]] (objections by senators that a rule has been breached, subject to appeal to the whole chamber); and announcing the results of votes.

===Party leaders===
Each party elects [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate party leaders]]. Floor leaders act as the party chief spokespeople. The Senate Majority Leader is responsible for controlling the agenda of the chamber by scheduling debates and votes. Each party elects an [[Assistant party leaders of the United States Senate|assistant leader (whip)]] who works to ensure that their party's senators vote as the party leadership desires.

===Non-member officers===
The Senate is served by several officials who are not members. The Senate's chief administrative officer is the [[Secretary of the United States Senate|Secretary of the Senate]], who maintains public records, disburses salaries, monitors the acquisition of stationery and supplies, and oversees clerks. The Assistant Secretary of the Senate aids the secretary in his or her work. Another official is the [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate|Sergeant at Arms]] who, as the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, maintains order and security on the Senate premises. The [[United States Capitol Police|Capitol Police]] handle routine police work, with the sergeant at arms primarily responsible for general oversight. Other employees include the [[Chaplain of the United States Senate|Chaplain]], who is elected by the Senate, and [[United States Senate Page|Pages]], who are appointed.

==Procedure==

===Daily sessions===
[[File:senatedesk.jpg|thumb|A typical Senate desk]]
The Senate uses [[Standing Rules of the United States Senate|Standing Rules of the Senate]] for operation. Like the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], the Senate meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. At one end of the chamber of the Senate is a [[dais]] from which the [[Presiding Officer of the United States Senate|presiding officer]] presides. The lower tier of the dais is used by clerks and other officials. One hundred desks are arranged in the chamber in a [[semicircle|semicircular]] pattern and are divided by a wide central aisle. By tradition, Republicans sit to the right of the center aisle and Democrats to the left, facing the presiding officer.<ref>CRS Report for Congress, "[http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/98-397.pdf Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais]" (updated May 6, 2008). Retrieved January 6, 2009.</ref> Each senator chooses a desk based on seniority within the party. By custom, the leader of each party sits in the front row along the center aisle. Sessions of the Senate are opened with a special prayer or invocation and typically convene on weekdays. Sessions of the Senate are generally open to the public and are broadcast live on television, usually by [[C-SPAN|C-SPAN 2]].

Senate procedure depends not only on the rules, but also on a variety of customs and traditions. The Senate commonly waives some of its stricter rules by [[unanimous consent]]. Unanimous consent agreements are typically negotiated beforehand by party leaders. A senator may block such an agreement, but in practice, objections are rare. The presiding officer enforces the rules of the Senate, and may warn members who deviate from them. The presiding officer sometimes uses the [[gavel]] of the Senate to maintain order.

{{Anchor|holds}}A "hold" is placed when the leader's office is notified that a senator intends to object to a request for unanimous consent from the Senate to consider or pass a measure. A hold may be placed for any reason and can be lifted by a senator at any time. A senator may place a hold simply to review a bill, to negotiate changes to the bill, or to kill the bill. A bill can be held for as long as the senator who objects to the bill wishes to block its consideration.

Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture. Holds are considered private communications between a senator and the Leader, and are sometimes referred to as "[[secret hold]]s". A senator may disclose that he or she has placed a hold.

The Constitution provides that a majority of the Senate constitutes a [[quorum]] to do business. Under the rules and customs of the Senate, a quorum is always assumed present unless a [[quorum call]] explicitly demonstrates otherwise. A senator may request a quorum call by "suggesting the absence of a quorum"; a clerk then calls the roll of the Senate and notes which members are present. In practice, senators rarely request quorum calls to establish the presence of a quorum. Instead, quorum calls are generally used to temporarily delay proceedings; usually such delays are used while waiting for a senator to reach the floor to speak or to give leaders time to negotiate. Once the need for a delay has ended, a senator may request unanimous consent to rescind the quorum call.

====Debate====
Debate, like most other matters governing the internal functioning of the Senate, is governed by internal rules adopted by the Senate. During debate, senators may only speak if called upon by the presiding officer, but the presiding officer is required to recognize the first senator who rises to speak. Thus, the presiding officer has little control over the course of debate. Customarily, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader are accorded priority during debates even if another senator rises first. All speeches must be addressed to the presiding officer, who is addressed as "Mr. President" or "Madam President", and not to another member; other Members must be referred to in the third person. In most cases, senators do not refer to each other by name, but by state or position, using forms such as "the senior senator from Virginia", "the gentlewoman from California", or "my distinguished friend the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee". Senators address the Senate standing next to their desk.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=juX5w6oLgcwC&dq=%22senators+address+each+other%22&q=%22address+the+chair#v=snippet&q=%22address%20the%20chair&f=false Martin B. Gold, ''Senate Procedure and Practice'', p.39]: ''Every member, when he speaks, shall address the chair, standing in his place, and when he has finished, shall sit down.''</ref>

Apart from rules governing civility, there are few restrictions on the content of speeches; there is no requirement that speeches be germane to the matter before the Senate.

The [[Standing Rules of the United States Senate|rules of the Senate]] provide that no senator may make more than two speeches on a motion or bill on the same legislative day. A legislative day begins when the Senate convenes and ends with adjournment; hence, it does not necessarily coincide with the calendar day. The length of these speeches is not limited by the rules; thus, in most cases, senators may speak for as long as they please. Often, the Senate adopts unanimous consent agreements imposing time limits. In other cases (for example, for the budget process), limits are imposed by statute. However, the right to unlimited debate is generally preserved.

====Filibuster and cloture====
{{Main|Filibuster in the United States Senate|Reconciliation (United States Congress)}}
The [[filibuster]] is a tactic used to defeat bills and motions by prolonging debate indefinitely. A filibuster may entail long speeches, dilatory motions, and an extensive series of proposed amendments. The Senate may end a filibuster by invoking [[cloture]]. In most cases, cloture requires the support of three-fifths of the Senate; however, if the matter before the Senate involves changing the rules of the body&nbsp;– this includes amending provisions regarding the filibuster&nbsp;– a two-thirds majority is required. In current practice, the threat of filibuster is more important than its use; almost any motion that does not have the support of three-fifths of the Senate effectively fails. This means that 41 senators, which could represent as little as 12.3% of the U.S. population, can make a filibuster happen. Historically, cloture has rarely been invoked because bipartisan support is usually necessary to obtain the required [[supermajority]], so a bill that already has bipartisan support is rarely subject to threats of filibuster. However, motions for cloture have increased significantly in recent years.

If the Senate invokes cloture, debate does not end immediately; instead, it is limited to 2 additional hours unless increased by another three-fifths vote. The longest filibuster speech in the history of the Senate was delivered by [[Strom Thurmond]], who spoke for over 24 hours in an unsuccessful attempt to block the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957]].<ref>Quinton, Jeff. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060614024620/http://www.jquinton.com/archives/000171.html Thurmond's Filibuster]". ''Backcountry Conservative''. July 27, 2003. Retrieved June 19, 2006.</ref>

Under certain circumstances, the [[Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974|Congressional Budget Act of 1974]] provides for a process called "[[reconciliation (United States Congress)|reconciliation]]" by which Congress can pass bills related to the budget without those bills being subject to a filibuster. This is accomplished by limiting all Senate floor debate to 20 hours.<ref>Reconciliation, {{USCSub|2|641|e}} (Procedure in the Senate).</ref>

====Voting====
When debate concludes, the motion in question is put to a vote. The Senate often votes by voice vote. The presiding officer puts the question, and Members respond either "Yea" (in favor of the motion) or "Nay" (against the motion). The presiding officer then announces the result of the voice vote. A senator, however, may challenge the presiding officer's assessment and request a recorded vote. The request may be granted only if it is seconded by one-fifth of the senators present. In practice, however, senators second requests for recorded votes as a matter of courtesy. When a recorded vote is held, the clerk calls the roll of the Senate in alphabetical order; senators respond when their name is called. Senators who were not in the chamber when their name was called may still cast a vote so long as the voting remains open. The vote is closed at the discretion of the presiding officer, but must remain open for a minimum of 15 minutes. If the vote is tied, the vice president, if present, is entitled to cast a [[United States Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes|tie-breaking vote]]. If the vice president is not present, the motion fails.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/general/Features/votes.htm | title=Yea or Nay? Voting in the Senate | publisher=Senate.gov | accessdate=April 11, 2011}}</ref>

Bills which are filibustered require a three fifth majority to overcome the cloture vote (which usually means 60 votes) and get to the normal vote where a simple majority (usually 51 votes) will approve the bill. This has caused some news media to confuse the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster with the 51 votes needed to approve a bill, with for example USA Today erroneously stating "''The vote was 58-39 in favor of the provision establishing concealed carry permit reciprocity in the 48 states that have concealed weapons laws. That fell two votes short of the 60 needed to approve the measure''".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=381 | title=How majority rule works in the U.S. Senate | publisher=Nieman Watchdog | date=July 31, 2009}}</ref>

====Closed session====
{{Main|Closed session of the United States Congress}}

On occasion, the Senate may go into what is called a secret or closed session. During a closed session, the chamber doors are closed, cameras are turned off, and the galleries are completely cleared of anyone not sworn to secrecy, not instructed in the rules of the closed session, or not essential to the session. Closed sessions are rare and usually held only when the Senate is discussing sensitive subject matter such as information critical to national security, private communications from the president, or deliberations during [[Impeachment in the United States|impeachment]] trials. A senator may call for and force a closed session if the motion is seconded by at least one other member, but an agreement usually occurs beforehand.<ref>http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS20145.pdf</ref> If the Senate does not approve release of a secret transcript, the transcript is stored in the Office of Senate Security and ultimately sent to the national archives. The proceedings remain sealed indefinitely until the Senate votes to remove the injunction of secrecy.<ref>http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/98-718.pdf</ref>

===Calendars===
The Senate maintains a Senate Calendar and an Executive Calendar.<ref>"[http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/d_three_sections_with_teasers/calendars.htm Calendars & Schedules]" via Senate.gov</ref> The former identifies bills and resolutions awaiting Senate floor actions. The latter identifies executive resolutions, treaties, and nominations reported out by Senate committee(s) and awaiting Senate floor action. Both are updated each day the Senate is in session.

===Committees===
[[File:Dirksen226.jpg|thumb|[[Dirksen Senate Office Building]] Committee Room 226 is used for hearings by the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary Committee]].]]
{{Main|U.S. Congressional committee|List of United States Senate committees}}
The Senate uses committees (and their subcommittees) for a variety of purposes, including the review of bills and the oversight of the executive branch. Formally, the whole Senate appoints committee members. In practice, however, the choice of members is made by the political parties. Generally, each party honors the preferences of individual senators, giving priority based on seniority. Each party is allocated seats on committees in proportion to its overall strength.

Most committee work is performed by 16 standing committees, each of which has jurisdiction over a field such as [[finance]] or [[International relations|foreign relations]]. Each standing committee may consider, amend, and report bills that fall under its jurisdiction. Furthermore, each standing committee considers presidential nominations to offices related to its jurisdiction. (For instance, the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Judiciary Committee]] considers nominees for judgeships, and the [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Foreign Relations Committee]] considers nominees for positions in the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]].) Committees may block nominees and impede bills from reaching the floor of the Senate. Standing committees also oversee the departments and [[Government agency#Government agencies in the United States|agencies]] of the executive branch. In discharging their duties, standing committees have the power to hold hearings and to [[subpoena]] witnesses and evidence.

The Senate also has several committees that are not considered standing committees. Such bodies are generally known as [[Select or special committee (United States Congress)|select or special committees]]; examples include the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics|Select Committee on Ethics]] and the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Special Committee on Aging]]. Legislation is referred to some of these committees, although the bulk of legislative work is performed by the standing committees. Committees may be established on an ''ad hoc'' basis for specific purposes; for instance, the [[United States Senate Watergate Committee|Senate Watergate Committee]] was a special committee created to investigate the [[Watergate scandal]]. Such temporary committees cease to exist after fulfilling their tasks.

The Congress includes joint committees, which include members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Some joint committees oversee independent government bodies; for instance, the [[United States Congress Joint Committee on the Library|Joint Committee on the Library]] oversees the [[Library of Congress]]. Other joint committees serve to make advisory reports; for example, there exists a Joint Committee on Taxation. Bills and nominees are not referred to joint committees. Hence, the power of joint committees is considerably lower than those of standing committees.

Each Senate committee and subcommittee is led by a chair (usually a member of the majority party). Formerly, committee chairs were determined purely by seniority; as a result, several elderly senators continued to serve as chair despite severe physical infirmity or even [[Dementia|senility]].<ref>See, for examples, ''American Dictionary of National Biography'' on [[John Sherman (politician)|John Sherman]] and [[Carter Glass]]; in general, Ritchie, ''Congress'', p. 209</ref> Committee chairs are elected, but, in practice, seniority is rarely bypassed. The chairs hold extensive powers: they control the committee's agenda, and so decide how much, if any, time to devote to the consideration of a bill; they act with the power of the committee in disapproving or delaying a bill or a nomination by the president; they manage on the floor of the full Senate the consideration of those bills the committee reports. This last role was particularly important in mid-century, when floor amendments were thought not to be collegial. They also have considerable influence: senators who cooperate with their committee chairs are likely to accomplish more good for their states than those who do not. The Senate rules and customs were reformed in the twentieth century, largely in the 1970s. Committee chairmen have less power and are generally more moderate and collegial in exercising it, than they were before reform.<ref>Ritchie, ''Congress'', p. 44. Zelizer, ''On Capitol Hill'' describes this process; one of the reforms is that seniority within the majority party ''can'' now be bypassed, so that chairs do run the risk of being deposed by their colleagues. See in particular p. 17, for the unreformed Congress, and pp.188–9, for the Stevenson reforms of 1977.</ref> The second-highest member, the spokesperson on the committee for the minority party, is known in most cases as the ranking member.<ref>Ritchie, ''Congress'', pp .44, 175, 209</ref> In the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Select Committee on Intelligence]] and the Select Committee on Ethics, however, the senior minority member is known as the vice chair.

Recent criticisms of the Senate's operations object to what the critics argue is obsolescence as a result of partisan paralysis and a preponderance of arcane rules.<ref>{{cite web | author=Mark Murray | url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/02/4801404-the-inefficient-senate | title=The inefficient Senate | publisher=Firstread.msnbc.msn.com | date=August 2, 2010 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Packer | first=George | url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/09/100809fa_fact_packer?currentPage=all#ixzz0vY0UxHu9 | title=Filibusters and arcane obstructions in the Senate | work=The New Yorker | date=January 7, 2009 | accessdate=October 4, 2010}}</ref>

==Functions==

===Legislation===
{{Further|Act of Congress}}
Bills may be introduced in either chamber of Congress. However, the Constitution's [[Origination Clause]] provides that "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm#a1_sec7 | title=Constitution of the United States | publisher=Senate.gov | accessdate=January 1, 2012}}</ref> As a result, the Senate does not have the power to initiate bills imposing taxes. Furthermore, the House of Representatives holds that the Senate does not have the power to originate [[appropriation bill]]s, or bills authorizing the expenditure of federal funds.<ref name=Saturno>Saturno, James. "[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31399.pdf The Origination Clause of the U.S. Constitution: Interpretation and Enforcement]", CRS Report for Congress (Mar-15-2011).</ref><ref name=Wirls>Wirls, Daniel and Wirls, Stephen. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=ifzWY2ZrNBAC&pg=PA188 The Invention of the United States Senate]'', p. 188 (Taylor & Francis 2004).</ref><ref>[[Woodrow Wilson]] wrote that the Senate has extremely broad amendment authority with regard to appropriations bills, as distinguished from bills that levy taxes. See Wilson, Woodrow. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=eWBJfdV_jv8C&lpg=PP1&dq=editions%3AXH62sjkuTc4C&pg=PA155#v=onepage&q=originate&f=false Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics]'', pp. 155-156 (Transaction Publishers 2002). According to the [[Library of Congress]], the Constitution provides the origination requirement for revenue bills, whereas tradition provides the origination requirement for appropriation bills. See Sullivan, John. "[http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.bysec/congress.html How Our Laws Are Made]", Library of Congress (accessed August 26, 2013).</ref> Historically, the Senate has disputed the interpretation advocated by the House. However, when the Senate originates an appropriations bill, the House simply refuses to consider it, thereby settling the dispute in practice.{{citation needed | date=August 2012}} The constitutional provision barring the Senate from introducing revenue bills is based on the practice of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]], in which only the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] may originate such measures.<ref name=Sargent>Sargent, Noel. "[http://www.tifis.org/oclause/Sargent.pdf Bills for Raising Revenue Under the Federal and State Constitutions]", ''[[Minnesota Law Review]]'', Vol. 4, p. 330 (1919).</ref>

Although the Constitution gave the House the power to initiate revenue bills, in practice the Senate is equal to the House in the respect of spending. As [[Woodrow Wilson]] wrote:<ref>Wilson ''Congressional Government'', Chapter III: "Revenue and Supply". Text common to all printings or "editions"; in ''Papers of Woodrow Wilson'' it is Vol.4 (1968), p.91; for unchanged text, see p. 13, ''ibid.''</ref>

{{cquote|The Senate's right to amend general appropriation bills has been allowed the widest possible scope. The upper house may add to them what it pleases; may go altogether outside of their original provisions and tack to them entirely new features of legislation, altering not only the amounts but even the objects of expenditure, and making out of the materials sent them by the popular chamber measures of an almost totally new character.}}

The approval of both houses is required for any bill, including a revenue bill, to become law. Both Houses must pass the same version of the bill; if there are differences, they may be resolved by sending amendments back and forth or by a [[conference committee]], which includes members of both bodies.

===Checks and balances===
The Constitution provides several unique functions for the Senate that form its ability to "check and balance" the powers of other elements of the Federal Government. These include the requirement that the Senate may advise and must consent to some of the president's government appointments; also the Senate must consent to all treaties with foreign governments; it tries all impeachments, and it elects the vice president in the event no person gets a majority of the electoral votes.
[[File:Andrew Johnson impeachment trial.jpg|thumb|The Senate has the power to try impeachments; shown above is [[Theodore R. Davis]]'s drawing of the impeachment trial of President [[Andrew Johnson]], 1868.]]

The president can make certain appointments only with the [[advice and consent]] of the Senate. Officials whose appointments require the Senate's approval include members of the Cabinet, heads of most federal executive agencies, [[ambassador]]s, Justices of the Supreme Court, and other federal judges. Under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, a large number of government appointments are subject to potential confirmation; however, Congress has passed legislation to authorize the appointment of many officials without the Senate's consent (usually, confirmation requirements are reserved for those officials with the most significant final decision-making authority). Typically, a nominee is first subject to a hearing before a Senate committee. Thereafter, the nomination is considered by the full Senate. The majority of nominees are confirmed, but in a small number of cases each year, Senate Committees will purposely fail to act on a nomination to block it. In addition, the president sometimes withdraws nominations when they appear unlikely to be confirmed. Because of this, outright rejections of nominees on the Senate floor are infrequent (there have been only nine Cabinet nominees rejected outright in the history of the United States).{{Citation needed | date=July 2009}}

The powers of the Senate concerning nominations are, however, subject to some constraints. For instance, the Constitution provides that the president may make an appointment during a [[Recess (motion)|congressional recess]] without the Senate's advice and consent. The [[recess appointment]] remains valid only temporarily; the office becomes vacant again at the end of the next congressional session. Nevertheless, presidents have frequently used recess appointments to circumvent the possibility that the Senate may reject the nominee. Furthermore, as the Supreme Court held in ''[[Myers v. United States]]'', although the Senate's advice and consent is required for the appointment of certain executive branch officials, it is not necessary for their removal.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS21308.pdf Recess Appointments FAQ] (PDF). US Senate, Congressional Research Service. Retrieved November 20, 2007; Ritchie, ''Congress'' p. 178.</ref>

[[File:US Senate Chamber c1873.jpg|thumb|right|[[U.S. Senate chamber]] c. 1873]]
The Senate also has a role in ratifying treaties. The Constitution provides that the president may only "make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur." However, not all international agreements are considered treaties under US domestic law, even if they are considered treaties under international law. Congress has passed laws authorizing the president to conclude [[executive agreement]]s without action by the Senate. Similarly, the president may make [[congressional-executive agreement]]s with the approval of a simple majority in each House of Congress, rather than a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Neither executive agreements nor congressional-executive agreements are mentioned in the Constitution, leading some scholars such as [[Laurence Tribe]] and [[John Yoo]]<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05bolton.html | work=The New York Times | title=Restore the Senate's Treaty Power | first1=John R. | last1=Bolton | date=January 5, 2009}}</ref> to suggest that they unconstitutionally circumvent the treaty-ratification process. However, courts have upheld the validity of such agreements.<ref>For an example, and a discussion of the literature, see [[Laurence Tribe]], "[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0017-811X%28199504%29108%3A6%3C1221%3ATTASSR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K Taking Text and Structure Seriously: Reflections on Free-Form Method in Constitutional Interpretation]", ''Harvard Law Review'', Vol. 108, No. 6. (Apr. 1995), pp. 1221–1303.</ref>

The Constitution empowers the House of Representatives to [[impeachment|impeach]] federal officials for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" and empowers the Senate to try such impeachments. If the sitting President of the United States is being tried, the [[Chief Justice of the United States]] presides over the trial. During an impeachment trial, senators are constitutionally required to sit on oath or affirmation. Conviction requires a two-thirds majority of the senators present. A convicted official is automatically removed from office; in addition, the Senate may stipulate that the defendant be banned from holding office. No further punishment is permitted during the impeachment proceedings; however, the party may face criminal penalties in a normal court of law.

In the history of the United States, the House of Representatives has impeached sixteen officials, of whom seven were convicted. (One resigned before the Senate could complete the trial.)<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Impeachment_Role.htm#4 Complete list of impeachment trials.] United States Senate. Retrieved November 20, 2007</ref> Only two presidents of the United States have ever been impeached: [[Andrew Johnson]] in 1868 and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1998. Both trials ended in acquittal; in Johnson's case, the Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction.

Under the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]], the Senate has the power to elect the vice president if no vice presidential candidate receives a majority of votes in the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]]. The Twelfth Amendment requires the Senate to choose from the two candidates with the highest numbers of electoral votes. Electoral College deadlocks are rare. In the history of the United States, the Senate has only broken a deadlock once. In 1837, it elected [[Richard Mentor Johnson]]. The House elects the president if the Electoral College deadlocks on that choice.

==Current composition and election results==
[[File:113th United States Congress Senators.svg|thumb|400px|Party membership by state for the 113th Congress<br>{{legend|#193ABE|2 Democrats}}{{legend|#672071|1 Democrat and 1 Republican}}{{legend|#A20303|2 Republicans}}{{legend|#00ff00|[[File:193ABE box with 1px wide black border.png]] 1 Independent and 1 Democrat}}{{legend|#00ff00|[[File:A20303 box with 1px wide black border.png]] 1 Independent and 1 Republican}}]]

===Current party standings===
{{Main|List of current United States Senators}}
The party composition of the Senate during the 113th Congress (since the October 31, 2013 swearing-in of Democratic Sen. [[Cory Booker]]):
{|
| style="vertical-align:top;" |
{| class=wikitable
|- valign=bottom
! colspan=2 | Affiliation
! Members
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
| align=center | 53 
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
| align=center | 45 
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
| align=center | 2<ref>[[Angus King]] and [[Bernie Sanders]] caucus with the Democrats.</ref>
|-
<!-- | 
| Vacant
| align=center | 0
|- -->
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Total
! align=center | 100
|}
|}

===113th Congress===
The [[113th United States Congress]] will run from January 3, 2013 to January 3, 2015.
* [[Proposed bills of the 113th United States Congress]]
* [[Acts of the 113th United States Congress]]

==See also==
*[[Bibliography of U.S. congressional memoirs (U.S. senators)]]
*[[Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate]]
*[[List of African-American United States Senators]]
*[[List of current United States Senators by age]]
*[[United States presidents and control of congress]]
*[[Women in the United States Senate]]{{-}}<!-- prevent images from intruding into the References section -->

==References==
<div class="references-small">
{{Reflist | colwidth=30em}}
</div>

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* [[Richard A. Baker (historian)|Baker, Richard A.]] ''The Senate of the United States: A Bicentennial History'' Krieger, 1988.
* Baker, Richard A., ed., ''First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century'' Congressional Quarterly, 1991.
* Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 1976: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (1975); new edition every 2 years
* David W. Brady and Mathew D. McCubbins. ''Party, Process, and Political Change in Congress: New Perspectives on the History of Congress'' (2002)
* [[Robert Caro|Caro, Robert A.]] ''[[The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Vol. 3: Master of the Senate]].'' Knopf, 2002.
* Comiskey, Michael. ''Seeking Justices: The Judging of Supreme Court Nominees'' U. Press of Kansas, 2004.
* Congressional Quarterly ''Congress and the Nation XII: 2005-2008: Politics and Policy in the 109th and 110th Congresses'' (2010); massive, highly detailed summary of Congressional activity, as well as major executive and judicial decisions; based on ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report'' and the annual CQ almanac.  The ''Congress and the Nation 2009-2012'' vol XIII has been announced for September 2014 publication.
**Congressional Quarterly '' Congress and the Nation: 2001–2004'' (2005);
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1997–2001'' (2002)
** Congressional Quarterly. ''Congress and the Nation: 1993–1996'' (1998)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1989–1992'' (1993)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1985–1988'' (1989)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1981–1984'' (1985)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1977–1980'' (1981)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1973–1976'' (1977)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1969–1972'' (1973)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1965–1968'' (1969)
** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1945–1964'' (1965), the first of the series
* Cooper, John Milton, Jr. ''Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations.'' Cambridge U. Press, 2001.
* Davidson, Roger H., and Walter J. Oleszek, eds. (1998). ''Congress and Its Members'', 6th ed. Washington DC: ''Congressional Quarterly.'' (Legislative procedure, informal practices, and member information)
* Gould, Lewis L. ''The Most Exclusive Club: A History Of The Modern United States Senate'' (2005)
* Hernon, Joseph Martin. ''Profiles in Character: Hubris and Heroism in the U.S. Senate, 1789–1990'' Sharpe, 1997.
* Hoebeke, C. H. ''The Road to Mass Democracy: Original Intent and the Seventeenth Amendment''. Transaction Books, 1995. (Popular elections of senators)
* Lee, Frances E. and Oppenheimer, Bruce I. ''Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation''. U. of Chicago Press 1999. 304 pp.
* McFarland, Ernest W. ''The Ernest W. McFarland Papers: The United States Senate Years, 1940–1952''. Prescott, Ariz.: Sharlot Hall Museum, 1995 (Democratic majority leader 1950–52)
* Malsberger, John W. ''From Obstruction to Moderation: The Transformation of Senate Conservatism, 1938–1952''. Susquehanna U. Press 2000
* Mann, Robert. ''The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights''. Harcourt Brace, 1996
* {{cite book | last=Ritchie | first= Donald A. | authorlink= Donald A. Ritchie | title= Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents | publisher= Harvard University Press | year=1991}}
* {{cite book | last=Ritchie | first= Donald A. | authorlink= Donald A. Ritchie | title= The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion | publisher= Oxford University Press | year= 2001 | edition=2nd}}
* {{cite book | last=Ritchie | first= Donald A. | authorlink= Donald A. Ritchie | title= The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction | publisher=Oxford University Press | year= 2010}}
* Rothman, David. ''Politics and Power the United States Senate 1869–1901'' (1966)
* Swift, Elaine K. ''The Making of an American Senate: Reconstitutive Change in Congress, 1787–1841''. U. of Michigan Press, 1996
* Valeo, Frank. ''Mike Mansfield, Majority Leader: A Different Kind of Senate, 1961–1976'' Sharpe, 1999 (Senate Democratic leader)
* VanBeek, Stephen D. ''Post-Passage Politics: Bicameral Resolution in Congress''. U. of Pittsburgh Press 1995
* Weller, Cecil Edward, Jr. ''Joe T. Robinson: Always a Loyal Democrat.'' U. of Arkansas Press, 1998. (Arkansas Democrat who was Majority leader in 1930s)
* [[Woodrow Wilson|Wilson, Woodrow]]. ''Congressional Government''. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1885; also 15th ed. 1900, repr. by photoreprint, Transaction books, 2002.
* Wirls, Daniel and Wirls, Stephen. ''The Invention of the United States Senate'' Johns Hopkins U. Press, 2004. (Early history)
* Zelizer, Julian E. ''On Capitol Hill : The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948–2000'' (2006)
* Zelizer, Julian E., ed. ''The American Congress: The Building of Democracy'' (2004) (overview)
 {{refend}}

===Official Senate histories===
* ''[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]], 1774–1989''
The following are published by the [[Historian of the United States Senate|Senate Historical Office]].
* [[Robert Byrd]]. ''The Senate, 1789–1989''. Four volumes.
** Vol. I, a chronological series of addresses on the history of the Senate
** Vol. II, a topical series of addresses on various aspects of the Senate's operation and powers
** Vol. III, Classic Speeches, 1830–1993
** Vol. IV, Historical Statistics, 1789–1992
* [[Bob Dole|Dole, Bob]]. ''Historical Almanac of the United States Senate''
* [[Mark Hatfield|Hatfield, Mark O.]], with the Senate Historical Office. ''Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789–1993'' ([http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm essays reprinted online])
* Frumin, Alan S. ''[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/riddick/index.html Riddick's Senate Procedure]''. Washington, D.C.: [[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]], 1992.

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|United States Senate.ogg|date=August 4, 2006}}
{{commons}}
* [http://www.senate.gov/ The United States Senate Official Website]
** [http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm Sortable contact data]
** [http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/special/Desks/chambermap.cfm Senate Chamber Map]
** [{{US Senate Rule URL}} Standing Rules of the Senate]
** ''[http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present]''
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/offices/pdio5.html List of Senators who died in office], via PoliticalGraveyard.com
* [http://www.webpages.ttu.edu/areifman/senatedata.htm Chart of all U.S. Senate seat-holders, by state, 1978–present], via Texas Tech University
* [http://dca.tufts.edu/features/aas A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825], via Tufts University
*[http://www.wrhammons.com/us-senators-representatives.htm Bill Hammons' American Politics Guide&nbsp;– Members of Congress by Committee and State with Partisan Voting Index]
*{{WhoRunsGov|institutions/senate}}
{{USCongress}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{United States topics}}
{{National upper houses}}
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== virgina senate ==

{{Redirect|The Old Dominion|other uses|Old Dominion (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the U.S. state}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
|Name=Virginia
|Fullname=Commonwealth of Virginia
|Flag=Flag of Virginia.svg
|Flaglink=[[Flag of Virginia|Flag]]
|Seal=Seal of Virginia.svg
|Seallink=[[Seal of Virginia|Seal]]
|Map=Virginia in United States.svg
|FlagAlt=Navy blue flag with the circular Seal of Virginia centered on it.
|SealAlt=A circular seal with the words "Virginia" on the top and "Sic Semper Tyrannis" on the bottom. In the center, a woman wearing a blue toga and Athenian helmet stands on the chest of dead man wearing a purple breastplate and skirt. The woman holds a spear and sheathed sword. The man holds a broken chain while his crown lies away from the figures. Orange leaves encircle the seal.
|MapAlt=Virginia is located on the Atlantic coast along the line that divides the Northern and Southern halves of the United States. It runs mostly east to west. It includes a small peninsula across a bay which is discontinuous with the rest of the state.
|Nickname=Old Dominion; Mother of Presidents; Mother of States
|Motto={{nowrap|[[Sic semper tyrannis]]}}<br />{{nowrap|(English: Thus Always to Tyrants)}}<ref name=factpack/>
|Former=Colony of Virginia
|Capital=[[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]
|LargestCity=[[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]]
|LargestCounty=[[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]]
|LargestMetro=[[Northern Virginia]]
|Demonym=Virginian
|Governor=[[Terry McAuliffe]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|Lieutenant Governor=[[Ralph Northam]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|Legislature = [[Virginia General Assembly|General Assembly]]
|Upperhouse = [[Senate of Virginia|Senate]]
|Lowerhouse = [[Virginia House of Delegates|House of Delegates]]
|Senators=[[Mark Warner]] (D)<br />[[Tim Kaine]] (D)
|Representative=8 Republicans,<br /> 3 Democrats
|ElectoralVotes=13
|PostalAbbreviation=VA
|OfficialLang=English
|Languages=English 94.6%, Spanish 5.4%
|AreaRank=35th
|TotalAreaUS=42,774.2
|TotalArea=110,785.67
|PCWater=7.4
|PopRank=12th
|2010Pop= 8,260,405 (2013 est)<ref name=PopEstUS/>
|DensityRank=14th
|2000DensityUS=206.7
|2000Density=79.8
|MedianHouseholdIncome=$61,044
|IncomeRank=8th
|AdmittanceOrder=10th
|AdmittanceDate=June 25, 1788
|SecededDate=April 17, 1861
|ReadmittanceDate=January 26, 1870
|TimeZone=[[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|Eastern]]: [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] [[Eastern Time Zone|−5]]/[[Eastern Daylight Time|−4]]
|Latitude=36°&nbsp;32′&nbsp;N to 39°&nbsp;28′&nbsp;N
|Longitude=75°&nbsp;15′&nbsp;W to 83°&nbsp;41′&nbsp;W
|WidthUS=200
|Width=320
|LengthUS=430
|Length=690
|HighestPoint=[[Mount Rogers]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|year=2001|accessdate=October 24, 2011}}</ref><ref name=NAVD88>Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].</ref>
|HighestElevUS=5,729
|HighestElev=1746
|MeanElevUS=950
|MeanElev=290
|LowestPoint=[[Atlantic Ocean]]<ref name=USGS/>
|LowestElevUS=0
|LowestElev=0
|ISOCode=US-VA
|Website=www.virginia.gov
}}
<!-- If you wish to alter Virginia's geographic description in the first sentence from the U.S. Census Bureau Division, please start a discussion on the talk page first! -->
'''Virginia''' <small>(</small>{{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Virginia.ogg|v|ɚ|ˈ|dʒ|ɪ|n|j|ə}}<small>)</small>, officially the '''Commonwealth of Virginia''', is a [[U.S. state]] located in the [[South Atlantic States|South Atlantic region]] of the [[United States]]. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as a former dominion of the [[English Crown]],<ref name=encolddominion>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Old_Dominion|title=Old Dominion|publisher=Encyclopedia Virginia}}</ref> and "Mother of Presidents" due to the [[List of Presidents of the United States by home state#Places of birth|most U.S. presidents]] having been born there. The geography and climate of the [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]] are shaped by the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] and the [[Chesapeake Bay]], which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]; [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] is the most populous city, and [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population {{as of|2013|lc=on}} is over 8.2 million.<ref name=PopEstUS/>

The area's history begins with [[Native American tribes in Virginia|several indigenous groups]], including the [[Powhatan]]. In 1607 the [[London Company]] established the [[Colony of Virginia]] as the first permanent [[New World]] [[Kingdom of England|English]] 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 [[Thirteen Colonies|13 Colonies]] in the [[American Revolution]] and joined the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] in the [[American Civil War]], during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties [[Wheeling Convention|seceded]] to form the state of [[West Virginia]]. Although the Commonwealth was under [[Solid South|single-party rule]] for nearly a century following [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia.<ref name=purple/>

The [[Virginia General Assembly]] is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the General Assembly|url=http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/virginiaLegislature.php?secid=20&activesec=2#!hb=1&mainContentTabs=4&content=4,includes/contentTemplate.php%3Ftid%3D52%26ctype%3Db%26cid%3D31|work=Website: Virginia General Assembly|publisher=State of Virginia|accessdate=June 5, 2013}}</ref> The state government has been repeatedly ranked most effective by the [[Pew Research Center|Pew Center on the States]].<ref name=pew/> 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 [[Shenandoah Valley]]; federal agencies in [[Northern Virginia]], including the headquarters of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]; and military facilities in [[Hampton Roads]], the site of the [[Virginia Port Authority|region's main seaport]].<!--no source for this statement: Virginia's public schools and many [[List of colleges and universities in Virginia|colleges and universities]] have contributed to growing media and technology sectors.--> Virginia's economy transitioned from primarily agricultural to industrial during the 1960s and 1970s, and in 2002 [[integrated circuit|computer chips]] became the state's leading export.<ref name=chips/>

==Geography==
{{Main|Environment of Virginia}}
Virginia has a total area of {{convert|42774.2|sqmi|km2|1}}, including {{convert|3180.13|sqmi|km2|1}} of water, making it the 35th-[[List of U.S. states by area|largest state]] by area.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc3-us-pt1.pdf |format= PDF |page= 71 |work= [[United States Census Bureau]] |date=April 2004 |title= 2000 Census of Population and Housing |accessdate= November 3, 2009}}</ref> Virginia is bordered by [[Maryland]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] to the north and east; by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east; by [[North Carolina]] and [[Tennessee]] to the south; by [[Kentucky]] to the west; and by [[West Virginia]] 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 [[Potomac River]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/SandBar/SandBar2/2.4supreme.htm|title=Supreme Court Rules for Virginia in Potomac Conflict|work=The Sea Grant Law Center|publisher=[[University of Mississippi]]|year=2003|accessdate=November 24, 2007}}</ref> The southern border is defined as the [[36°30' parallel north|36°&nbsp;30′ parallel north]], though surveyor error led to deviations of as much as three [[arcminute]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Hubbard, Jr.|2009|p=140}}</ref> The border with Tennessee was not settled until 1893, when [[Virginia v. Tennessee|their dispute]] was brought to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref>{{harvnb|Van Zandt|1976|pp=92–95}}</ref>

===Geology and terrain===
[[File:Virginia painted relief.png|thumb|262px|Virginia is divided into five geographic regions.|alt=Terrain map of Virginia divided with lines into five regions. The first region on the far left is small and only in the state's panhandle. The next is larger and covers most of the western part of the state. The next is a thin strip that covers only the mountains. The next is a wide area in the middle of the state. The left most is based on the rivers which diffuse the previous region.]]
The [[Chesapeake Bay]] separates the contiguous portion of the Commonwealth from the two-county peninsula of Virginia's [[Eastern Shore of Virginia|Eastern Shore]]. The bay was formed after the drowned river valleys of the [[Susquehanna River]] and the [[James River]].<ref name=bay>{{cite web|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs102-98/|title=Fact Sheet 102–98 – The Chesapeake Bay: Geologic Product of Rising Sea Level|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=November 18, 1998|accessdate=August 24, 2009}}</ref> Many of [[List of Virginia rivers|Virginia's rivers]] flow into the Chesapeake Bay, including the [[Potomac River|Potomac]], [[Rappahannock River|Rappahannock]], [[York River (Virginia)|York]], and James, which create three peninsulas in the bay.<ref>{{harvnb|Burnham|Burnham|2004|pp=7, 56–57}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.wm.edu/geology/virginia/rivers/rivers.html|title=Rivers and Watersheds|work=The Geology of Virginia|publisher=[[College of William and Mary]]|date=February 23, 2007|accessdate=April 11, 2008}}</ref> Geographically and geologically, Virginia is divided into five regions from east to west: [[Tidewater region of Virginia|Tidewater]], [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians|Ridge and Valley]], and [[Cumberland Plateau]].<ref name=eov>{{harvnb|The Encyclopedia of Virginia|1999|pp=2–15}}</ref>

The [[Tidewater (geographic term)|Tidewater]] is a [[Atlantic coastal plain|coastal plain]] between the Atlantic coast and the [[fall line]]. It includes the Eastern Shore and major [[estuary|estuaries]] of Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont is a series of [[sedimentary rock|sedimentary]] and [[igneous rock]]-based [[foothills]] east of the mountains which were formed in the [[Mesozoic]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pazzaglia|2006|pp=135–138}}</ref> The region, known for its heavy clay soil, includes the [[Southwest Mountains]].<ref name=agriculture>{{cite web|url=http://www.deq.state.va.us/vanaturally/guide/agriculture.html|title=Virginia's Agricultural Resources|work=Natural Resource Education Guide|publisher=Virginia Department of Environmental Quality|date=January 21, 2008|accessdate=February 8, 2008}}</ref> The Blue Ridge Mountains are a [[physiographic regions of the world|physiographic province]] of the chain of [[Appalachian Mountains]] with the highest points in the state, the tallest being [[Mount Rogers]] at {{convert|5729|ft|m}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Burnham|Burnham|2004|p=277}}</ref> The Ridge and Valley region is west of the mountains, and includes the [[Great Appalachian Valley]]. The region is [[carbonate rock]] based, and includes [[Massanutten Mountain]].<ref name=regions>{{cite web|url=http://web.wm.edu/geology/virginia/provinces/phys_regions.html|title=Physiographic Regions of Virginia|work=The Geology of Virginia|publisher=[[College of William and Mary]]|date=February 16, 2007|accessdate=April 7, 2008}}</ref> The Cumberland Plateau and the [[Cumberland Mountains]] are in the south-west corner of Virginia, below the [[Allegheny Plateau]]. In this region, rivers flow northwest, with a dendritic [[Drainage system (geomorphology)|drainage system]], into the [[Ohio River]] basin.<ref>{{harvnb|Palmer|1998|pp=49–51}}</ref>

[[File:Shenandoah green.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Deciduous and evergreen trees give the Blue Ridge Mountains their distinct color<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|p=3}}</ref>|alt=Green tree covered mountains turn blue as the progress toward the horizon.]]
The state's carbonate rock is filled with more than 4,000 caves, ten of which are open for tourism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DMR3/dmrpdfs/CAVES.pdf|format=PDF|title=Caves|publisher=Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy|date=July 2008|accessdate=August 24, 2009}}</ref>
The [[Virginia seismic zone]] has not had a history of regular earthquake activity. Earthquakes are rarely above 4.5&nbsp;in [[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]] because Virginia is located away from the edges of the [[North American Plate]]. The largest earthquake, at an estimated 5.9&nbsp;magnitude, was in 1897 near [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1897_05_31.php|title=Largest Earthquake in Virginia|date=January 25, 2008|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> A [[2011 Virginia earthquake|5.8 magnitude earthquake]] struck central Virginia on August 23, 2011, near [[Mineral, Virginia|Mineral]]. The earthquake was reportedly felt as far away as [[Toronto, Canada]], [[Atlanta, Georgia]] and [[Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.php#summary|title=Magnitude 5.8 – Virginia|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=August 23, 2011|accessdate=November 13, 2011}}</ref> [[Coal mining in the United States|Coal mining]] takes place in the three mountainous regions at 45 distinct coal beds near Mesozoic basins.<ref name=mining>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/commercedocs/COAL.pdf|format=PDF|title=Coal|publisher=Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy|date=July 31, 2008|accessdate=February 26, 2014}}</ref> Over 62 million tons of other non-fuel resources, such as [[slate]], [[kyanite]], sand, or gravel, were also mined in Virginia in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dmme.virginia.gov/dmm/PDF/DATA/Production.xls|title=Comparison of Annually Reported Tonnage Data|publisher=Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy|date=April 10, 2013|accessdate=February 26, 2014}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Virginia}}
{{climate chart|Virginia state-wide averages
|26|46|3.1
|27|48|3.1
|34|57|3.7
|43|67|3.3
|52|76|4.0
|60|83|3.7
|64|86|4.3
|63|85|4.1
|57|79|3.5
|45|69|3.4
|35|58|3.2
|28|48|3.2
|float=right
|units=imperial
|source=[[#CITEREFHaydenMichaels2000|<span style="font-size:98%">University of Virginia data 1895–1998</span>]]
}}

The climate of Virginia becomes increasingly warmer and more humid farther south and east.<ref name=Burnham>{{harvnb|Burnham|Burnham|2004|pp=1–3}}</ref> Seasonal extremes vary from average lows of {{convert|26|°F|°C|0}} in January to average highs of {{convert|86|°F|°C|0}} in July. The Atlantic ocean has a strong effect on eastern and southeastern coastal areas of the state. Influenced by the [[Gulf Stream]], coastal weather is subject to [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes]], most pronouncedly near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.<ref name=climatology>{{cite web|url=http://climate.virginia.edu/description.htm|title=Virginia's Climate|first1=Bruce P.|last1=Hayden|first2=Patrick J.|last2=Michaels|work=Department of Environmental Sciences|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]|date=January 20, 2000|accessdate=October 20, 2008|ref=CITEREFHaydenMichaels2000}}</ref>

Virginia has an annual average of 35–45 days of thunderstorm activity, particularly in the western part of the state,<ref name=tstorms>{{cite web|url=http://www.vaemergency.com/news/history/thunderstorms-lightening|title=Thunderstorms and Lightening|work=Virginia Department of Emergency Management|date=April 2, 2001|accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> and an average annual precipitation of {{convert|42.7|in|cm|0}}.<ref name=climatology/> Cold air masses arriving over the mountains in winter can lead to significant snowfalls, such as the [[Blizzard of 1996]] and [[winter storms of 2009–2010]]. The interaction of these elements with the state's topography creates distinct [[microclimate]]s in the Shenandoah Valley, the mountainous southwest, and the coastal plains.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Natural Communities of Virginia|publisher=Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation|url=http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/ncoverview.shtml|year=2006|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> Virginia averages seven [[tornado]]es annually, most F2 or lower on the [[Fujita scale]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tv3winchester.com/blogs/laurynrickettsblog/15421801.html|title=Tornadoes DO happen in Virginia!|publisher=TV3 Winchester|first=Lauryn|last=Ricketts|date=February 7, 2008|accessdate=February 13, 2009}}</ref>

In recent years, the expansion of the southern suburbs of [[Washington, D.C.]] into [[Northern Virginia]] has introduced an [[urban heat island]] primarily caused by increased absorption of solar radiation in more densely populated areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://climate.virginia.edu/advisory/2001/ad01-07.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20020922182906/http://climate.virginia.edu/advisory/2001/ad01-07.htm|archivedate=September 22, 2002|title=Advisory 01/07: The Hot Get Hotter? Urban Warming and Air Quality|publisher=University of Virginia Climatology Office|accessdate=July 30, 2007}}</ref> In the [[American Lung Association]]'s 2011 report, 11 counties received failing grades for air quality, with [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] having the worst in the state, due to automobile pollution.<ref name=polution>{{cite web|url=http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/states/virginia/|title=Report Card: Virginia|work=State of the Air: 2011|publisher=[[American Lung Association]]|date=April 27, 2011|accessdate=May 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2004/04145.htm|title=Fairfax County Residents Can Play Their Part to Reduce Air Pollution|publisher=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|date=May 26, 2004|accessdate=September 29, 2008}}</ref> Haze in the mountains is caused in part by coal power plants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/25/ST2008062500042.html|title=Debating Coal's Cost in Rural Va.|work=[[The Washington Post]]|first=David A.|last=Fahrenthold|date=June 25, 2008|accessdate=November 15, 2008}}</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
Forests cover 65% of the state, primarily with deciduous, broad leaf trees.<ref name=forests>{{cite web|url=http://www.deq.virginia.gov/vanaturally/guide/forests.html|title=Virginia's Forest Resources|work=Natural Resource Education Guide|publisher=Virginia Department of Environmental Quality|date=January 21, 2008|accessdate=February 8, 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Burnham/> However since the early 1990s, [[Gypsy moth]] infestations have eroded the dominance of oak forests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/forests.htm|title=Shenandoah National Park&nbsp;— Forests|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|date=July 25, 2006|accessdate=September 10, 2007}}</ref> In the lowland tidewater yellow pines tend to dominate, with bald cypress wetland forests in the Great Dismal and Nottoway swamps. Other common trees and plants include chestnut, maple, [[Liriodendron tulipifera|tulip poplar]], [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]], [[Asclepias|milkweed]], 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 [[Trillium grandiflorum|trillium wildflowers]] in North America are found.<ref name=Burnham/><ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|Miller|2002|pp=xi−xii}}</ref> 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 southeastern Virginia.

[[File:Shenandoah deer 20050521 191017 1.3008x2000.jpg|thumb|left|White-tailed deer, also known as Virginia deer, graze at Tanner Ridge in [[Shenandoah National Park]]|alt=Two red-brown colored deer graze among yellow flowers in a meadow.]]
Mammals include [[White-tailed deer]], [[American black bear|black bear]], [[beaver]], [[bobcat]], [[coyote]], [[raccoon]], [[skunk]], [[groundhog]], [[Virginia Opossum]], [[gray fox]], [[red fox]], and [[eastern cottontail rabbit]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?t=2|title=Species Information: Mammals|publisher=Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries|year=2008|accessdate=November 15, 2008}}</ref> Other mammals include: nutria, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, flying squirrel, chipmunk, brown bat, and weasel. Birds include cardinals (the State Bird), barred owls, Carolina chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks, Ospreys, Brown Pelicans, Quail, Sea gulls, Bald Eagles, and Wild Turkeys. Virginia is also home to both the large and small pileated woodpecker as well as the common woodpecker. The [[Peregrine Falcon]] was reintroduced into Shenandoah National Park in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/birds.htm|title=Shenandoah National Park&nbsp;— Birds|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|date=July 25, 2006|accessdate=September 1, 2007}}</ref> Walleye, brook trout, Roanoke bass, and blue catfish are among the 210 known species of freshwater fish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/fish/|title=Virginia Fishes|publisher=Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries|year=2008|accessdate=November 15, 2008}}</ref> Running brooks with rocky bottoms are often inhabited by plentiful amounts of crayfish and salamanders.<ref name=Burnham/> The [[Chesapeake Bay]] is host to many species, including [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crabs]], clams, oysters, and rockfish (also known as striped bass).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/baybio1.cfm|title=Bay Biology|publisher=[[Chesapeake Bay Program]]|date=January 5, 2006|accessdate=February 4, 2008}}</ref>

Virginia has 30 [[National Park Service]] units, such as [[Great Falls Park]] and the [[Appalachian Trail]], and one national park, the [[Shenandoah National Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/state/VA/index.htm|title=Virginia|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|year=2008|accessdate=November 29, 2008}}</ref> Shenandoah was established in 1935 and encompasses the scenic [[Skyline Drive]]. Almost 40% of the park's area (79,579&nbsp;acres/322&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) has been designated as wilderness under the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]].<ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|Miller|2002|p=158}}</ref> Additionally, there are 34 [[List of Virginia state parks|Virginia state parks]] and 17 [[List of Virginia state forests|state forests]], run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Forestry.<ref name=forests/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/state_park.shtml|title=Park Locations|publisher=Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation|date=November 9, 2007|accessdate=January 26, 2008}}</ref> 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]] extends into North Carolina, as does the [[Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge]], which marks the beginning of the [[Outer Banks]].<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2008|pp=152–153, 356}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Virginia}}
[[File:John Smith Saved by Pocahontas.jpg|thumb|upright|The story of [[Pocahontas]], an ancestress of many of the [[First Families of Virginia]], was romanticized by later artists.|alt=A painting of a young dark-haired Native American woman shielding an Elizabethan era man from execution by a Native American chief. She is bare-chested, and her face is bathed in light from an unknown source. Several Native Americans look on at the scene.]]
[[Jamestown 2007]] marked Virginia's quadricentennial year, celebrating 400 years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony. The celebrations highlighted contributions from [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], Europeans, and Africans, each of which had a significant part in shaping Virginia's history.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|pp=406–407}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/13/AR2007051300412.html|first1=Fredrick|last1=Kunkle|first2=Steve|last2=Vogel|title=President Bush Caps Celebration Of Success in Face of Adversity|accessdate=November 11, 2009|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 14, 2007}}</ref> Warfare, including among these groups, has also had an important role. Virginia was a focal point in conflicts from the [[French and Indian War]], the [[American Revolution]] and the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], to the [[Cold War]] and the [[War on Terrorism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/vmd/vmdintro.htm|title=Virginia Military Dead Database Introduction|work=Library of Virginia|publisher=[[Government of Virginia]]|year=2009|accessdate=April 26, 2009}}</ref> Stories about historic figures, such as those surrounding [[Pocahontas]] and [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]], [[George Washington]]'s childhood, or the plantation elite in the slave society of the [[Antebellum Era in the United States|antebellum period]], have also created potent myths of state history, and have served as rationales for Virginia's ideology.<ref>{{harvnb|Abrams|1999|p=xv}}</ref>

===Colony===
{{Main|Colony of Virginia}}
The first people are estimated to have arrived in Virginia over 12,000&nbsp;years ago.<ref>[http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/lesson_plans/Heritage%20Trail_2ed.pdf Karenne Wood, ed., ''The Virginia Indian Heritage Trail''], Charlottesville, VA: Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 2007.</ref> By 5,000 years ago more permanent settlements emerged, and farming began by 900 AD. By 1500, the [[Algonquian peoples]] had founded towns such as [[Werowocomoco]] in the [[Tidewater region of Virginia|Tidewater region]], which they referred to as ''[[Tsenacommacah]]''. The other major language groups in the area were the [[Siouan languages|Siouan]] to the west, and the [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquoians]], who included the [[Nottoway Tribe|Nottoway]] and [[Meherrin]], to the north and south. After 1570, the Algonquians consolidated under [[Chief Powhatan]] in response to threats from these other groups on their trade network.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=4–11}}</ref> Powhatan controlled more than 30&nbsp;smaller tribes and over 150&nbsp;settlements, who shared a common [[Powhatan language|Virginia Algonquian]] language. In 1607, the native Tidewater population was between 13,000 and 14,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/powhatan-indian-lifeways.htm|title=Powhatan Indian Lifeways|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|first=Lee|last=Cotton|date=July 1999|accessdate=June 26, 2008|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080924132642/http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/powhatan-indian-lifeways.htm|archivedate=September 24, 2008}}</ref>

Several European expeditions, including a [[Ajacán Mission|group of Spanish Jesuits]], explored the Chesapeake Bay during the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web|author=Glanville, Jim|url=http://www.holstonia.net/files/Conquistadors2.pdf|title=16th Century Spanish Invasions of Southwest Virginia|format=pdf|publisher=Reprinted from the ''Historical Society of Western Virginia Journal'', XVII(l): 34–42,2009 [2010]}}</ref> In 1583, Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]] granted [[Walter Raleigh]] a charter to plant a colony north of [[Spanish Florida]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|pp=8–9}}</ref> In 1584, Raleigh sent an expedition to the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic coast of North America]].<ref>{{harvnb|Moran|2007|p=8}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{harvnb|Stewart|2008|p=22}}</ref> Initially the name applied to the entire coastal region from South Carolina to Maine, plus the island of [[Bermuda]].<ref>{{harvnb|Vollmann|2002|pp=695–696}}</ref> The [[London Company]] was incorporated as a joint stock company by the proprietary [[Charter of 1606]], which granted land rights to this area. The Company financed the first permanent English settlement in the "[[New World]]", [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. Named for [[James I of England|King James I]], it was founded in May 1607 by [[Christopher Newport]].<ref>{{harvnb|Conlin|2009|pp=30–31}}</ref> In 1619, colonists took greater control with an elected legislature called the [[House of Burgesses]]. With the bankruptcy of the London Company in 1624, the settlement was taken into royal authority as an English [[crown colony]].<ref>{{harvnb|Gordon|2004|p=17}}</ref>

[[File:Colonial Williamsburg Governors Palace Front Dscn7232.jpg|thumb|left|[[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] was Virginia's capital from 1699 to 1780.|alt=A three-story red brick colonial style hall and its left and right wings during winter.]]
Life in the colony was perilous, and many died during the [[Starving Time (Jamestown)|Starving Time]] in 1609 and the [[Anglo-Powhatan Wars]], including the [[Indian massacre of 1622]], which fostered the colonists' negative view of all tribes.<ref>{{harvnb|Hoffer|2006|p=132}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Grizzard|Smith|2007|pp=128–133}}</ref> By 1624, only 3,400&nbsp;of the 6,000&nbsp;early settlers had survived.<ref>[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_james.html "The lost colony and Jamestown droughts."], Stahle, D. W., M. K. Cleaveland, D. B. Blanton, M. D. Therrell, and D. A. Gay. 1998. ''Science'' 280:564–567.</ref> However, European [[Tobacco in the American Colonies|demand for tobacco]] fueled the arrival of more settlers and servants.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|p=22}}</ref> The [[headright]] system tried to solve the labor shortage by providing colonists with land for each [[indentured servant]] they transported to Virginia.<ref>{{harvnb|Hashaw|2007|pp=76–77, 239–240}}</ref> African workers were first imported to Jamestown in 1619 initially under the rules of indentured servitude. The shift to a system of African [[History of slavery in Virginia|slavery in Virginia]] was propelled by the legal cases of [[John Punch (slave)|John Punch]], who was sentenced to lifetime slavery in 1640 for attempting to run away,<ref>{{Cite book |title=In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process: The Colonial Period |first=A. Leon |last=Higginbotham |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1975 |url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ErPg7VegkcMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=%22john+punch%22+higginbotham&ots=RD8BjPWEsA&sig=rqEqTivBBg9I3VfMuRS48157bPQ#v=onepage&q=%22john%20punch%22&f=false}}</ref> and of [[John Casor]], who was claimed by [[Anthony Johnson (colonist)|Anthony Johnson]] as his servant for life in 1655.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=History of Black Americans: From Africa to the emergence of the cotton kingdom |first=Philip S. |last=Foner |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1980 |url=http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=GR7529&chapterID=GR7529-747&path=books/greenwood}}</ref> Slavery first appears in Virginia statutes in 1661 and 1662, when a law made it hereditary based on the mother's status.<ref>{{harvnb|Hashaw|2007|pp=211–215}}</ref>

Tensions and the geographic differences between the working and ruling classes led to [[Bacon's Rebellion]] in 1676, by which time current and former indentured servants made up as much as 80% of the population.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=51–59}}</ref> Rebels, largely from the colony's frontier, were also opposed to the conciliatory policy towards [[Native American tribes in Virginia|native tribes]], and one result of the rebellion was the signing at [[Middle Plantation (Virginia)|Middle Plantation]] of the [[Treaty of 1677]], which made the signatory tribes [[tributary state]]s and was part of a pattern of appropriating tribal land by force and treaty. Middle Plantation saw the founding of [[The College of William & Mary]] in 1693 and was renamed [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] as it became the colonial capital in 1699.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=76–77}}</ref> In 1747, a group of Virginian speculators formed the [[Ohio Company]], with the backing of the British crown, to start English settlement and trade in the [[Ohio Country]] west of the [[Appalachian Mountains]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2000|p=23}}</ref> [[France]], which claimed this area as part of their colony of [[New France]], viewed this as a threat, and the ensuing [[French and Indian War]] became part of the [[Seven Years' War]] (1756–1763). A militia from several British colonies, called the [[Virginia Regiment]], was led by then-Lieutenant Colonel [[George Washington]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2000|pp=42–43}}</ref>

===Statehood===
[[File:Patrick Henry Rothermel.jpg|thumb|upright|1851 painting of [[Patrick Henry]]'s speech before the [[House of Burgesses]] on the [[Virginia Resolves]] against the [[Stamp Act of 1765]]|alt=Upper-class middle-aged man dressed in a bright red cloak speaks before an assembly of other angry men. The subject's right hand is raise high in gesture toward the balcony.]]

The [[Parliament of Great Britain|British Parliament's]] efforts to levy new taxes following the [[French and Indian War]] were deeply unpopular in the colonies. In the [[House of Burgesses]], opposition to [[No taxation without representation|taxation without representation]] was led by [[Patrick Henry]] and [[Richard Henry Lee]], among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/declaration/bio26.htm|title=Signers of the Declaration (Richard Henry Lee)|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|date=April 13, 2006|accessdate=February 2, 2008}}</ref> Virginians began to [[committee of correspondence|coordinate their actions]] with other colonies in 1773, and sent delegates to the [[Continental Congress]] the following year.<ref>{{harvnb|Gutzman|2007|pp=24–29}}</ref> After the House of Burgesses was dissolved by the royal governor in 1774, Virginia's revolutionary leaders continued to govern via the [[Virginia Conventions]]. On May 15, 1776, the Convention declared Virginia's independence from the British Empire and adopted [[George Mason]]'s [[Virginia Declaration of Rights]], which was then included in a new constitution.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=125–133}}</ref> Another Virginian, [[Thomas Jefferson]], drew upon Mason's work in drafting the national [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].<ref name=mason>{{cite journal|last=Schwartz|first=Stephan A.|title=George Mason: Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights|journal=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|issue=31.2|page=142|date=May 2000}}</ref>

When the [[American Revolutionary War]] began, [[George Washington]] was selected to head the [[Continental Army|colonial army]]. During the war, the capital was moved to [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg's coastal location would make it vulnerable to British attack.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|2007|p=58}}</ref> In 1781, the combined action of [[Continental Army|Continental]] and French land and naval forces trapped the British army on the [[Virginia Peninsula]], where troops under George Washington and [[Comte de Rochambeau]] defeated British [[General Cornwallis]] in the [[Siege of Yorktown]]. His surrender on October 19, 1781 led to [[Peace of Paris (1783)|peace negotiations in Paris]] and secured the independence of the colonies.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=131–133}}</ref>

Virginians were instrumental in writing the [[United States Constitution]]. [[James Madison]] drafted the [[Virginia Plan]] in 1787 and the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] in 1789.<ref name=mason/> [[Virginia Ratifying Convention|Virginia ratified]] the Constitution on June 25, 1788. The [[three-fifths compromise]] ensured that Virginia, with its large number of slaves, initially had the largest bloc in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. Together with the [[Virginia dynasty]] of presidents, this gave the Commonwealth national importance. In 1790, both Virginia and Maryland ceded territory to form the new [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], though the Virginian area was [[District of Columbia retrocession|retroceded]] in 1846.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|p=104}}</ref> Virginia is called "Mother of States" because of its role in being carved into states like [[Kentucky]], which became the 15th state in 1792, and for the numbers of [[American pioneer]]s born in Virginia.<ref name=Robertson/>

===Civil War and aftermath===
{{Main|Virginia in the American Civil War}}
[[Image:Union soldiers entrenched along the west bank of the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia (111-B-157).jpg|thumb|left|Union soldiers before Marye's Heights, [[Second Battle of Fredericksburg|Fredericksburg]] in May 1863|alt=Dozens of soldiers in coats and hats crowd a trench while two others stand tall to the right of the trench.]]
In addition to agriculture, slave labor was increasingly used in mining, shipbuilding and other industries.<ref>{{harvnb|Davis|2006|pp=125, 208–210}}</ref> The execution of [[Gabriel Prosser]] in 1800, [[Nat Turner's slave rebellion]] in 1831 and [[John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry]] in 1859 marked the growing social discontent over slavery and its role in the [[plantation economy]]. By 1860, almost half a million people, roughly 31% of the total population of Virginia, were enslaved.<ref name=hc>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/start.php?year=V1960|title=Census Data for Year 1860|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]|year=2007|accessdate=April 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Morgan|1998|p=490}}</ref> This division contributed to the start of the [[American Civil War]].

Virginia voted to secede from the United States on April 17, 1861, after the [[Battle of Fort Sumter]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s call for volunteers. On April 24, Virginia joined the [[Confederate States of America]], which chose Richmond as its capital.<ref name=Robertson>{{harvnb|Robertson|1993|pp=8–12}}</ref> After the 1861 [[Wheeling Convention]], 48 counties in the northwest separated to form a new state of [[West Virginia]], which chose to remain loyal to the [[Union (Civil War)|Union]]. Virginian general [[Robert E. Lee]] took command of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] 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 [[First Battle of Bull Run|Bull Run]], the [[Seven Days Battles]], [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]], and the concluding [[Battle of Appomattox Court House]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|pp=4}}</ref> After the [[Siege of Petersburg|capture of Richmond]] in April 1865, the state capital was briefly moved to [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Tripp|first=Steve|title=Lynchburg During the Civil War|url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Lynchburg_During_the_Civil_War|work=Encyclopedia of Virginia|publisher=Library of Virginia|accessdate=May 28, 2013}}</ref> while the Confederate leadership fled to [[Danville, Virginia|Danville]].<ref>{{harvnb|Robertson|1993|p=170}}</ref> Virginia was formally restored to the United States in 1870, due to the work of the [[Committee of Nine]].<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=249–250}}</ref>

During the post-war [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction era]], Virginia adopted a constitution which provided for free public schools, and guaranteed political, civil, and [[Voting rights in the United States|voting rights]].<ref>{{harvnb|Morgan|1992|pp=160–166}}</ref> The populist [[Readjuster Party]] ran an inclusive coalition until the conservative white [[Democratic Party of Virginia|Democratic Party]] gained power after 1883.<ref>{{harvnb|Dailey|Gilmore|Simon|2000|pp=90–96}}</ref> It passed segregationist [[Jim Crow laws]] and in 1902 rewrote the [[Constitution of Virginia]] to include a [[poll tax]] and other voter registration measures that effectively [[Disfranchisement after the Civil War|disfranchised]] most African Americans and many poor whites.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|pp=253–254}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Davis|2006|pp=328–329}}</ref>

===Modern era===
[[File:USS Virginia in port.jpg|thumb|Many [[Pre-Dreadnought]] and [[World War I]]-era warships were built in [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], including the [[USS Virginia (BB-13)|USS ''Virginia'']].|alt=A white battleship with three smokestacks and two tall masts sitting in port.]]
New economic forces also changed the Commonwealth. Virginian [[James Albert Bonsack]] invented the tobacco cigarette rolling machine in 1880 leading to new industrial scale production centered around Richmond. In 1886, railroad magnate [[Collis Potter Huntington]] founded [[Newport News Shipbuilding]], which was responsible for building six major [[World War I]]-era battleships for the [[U.S. Navy]] from 1907–1923.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.northropgrumman.com/heritage/index.html |title= Our Heritage |publisher= [[Northrop Grumman]] |date= December 20, 2011 |accessdate= March 28, 2012}}</ref> During the war, [[German Empire|German]] submarines like [[SM U-151|U-151]] attacked ships outside the port.<ref>{{harvnb|Feuer|1999|pp=50–52}}</ref> 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.]]<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|p=238}}</ref> Though their project, like others in the state, had to contend with the [[Great Depression]] and [[World War II]], work continued as [[Colonial Williamsburg]] became a major tourist attraction.<ref>{{harvnb|Greenspan|2009|pp=37–43}}</ref>

<!-- Commented out: [[File:Virginia Civil Rights Memorial wide.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Virginia Civil Rights Memorial]] was erected in 2008 to commemorate the protests which led to school desegregation.|alt=Bronze sculptures of seven figures marching stand around a large rectangular block of white engraved granite.]] -->
Protests started by [[Barbara Rose Johns]] in 1951 in [[Farmville, Virginia|Farmville]] against segregated schools led to the lawsuit ''[[Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County]]''. This case, filed by Richmond natives [[Spottswood William Robinson III|Spottswood Robinson]] and [[Oliver Hill]], was decided in 1954 with ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'', which rejected the segregationist doctrine of "[[separate but equal]]". But, in 1958, under the policy of "[[massive resistance]]" led by the influential segregationist Senator [[Harry F. Byrd]] and his [[Byrd Organization]], the Commonwealth prohibited [[desegregation|desegregated]] local schools from receiving state funding.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|pp=340–341}}</ref>

The [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|Civil Rights Movement]] gained many participants in the 1960s. It achieved the moral force and support to gain passage of national legislation with the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and the [[Voting Rights Act]] of 1965. In 1964 the [[United States Supreme Court]] ordered [[Prince Edward County, Virginia|Prince Edward County]] and others to [[racial integration|integrate]] schools.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2007|pp=357}}</ref> In 1967, the Court also struck down the state's ban on [[Interracial marriage in the United States|interracial marriage]] with ''[[Loving v. Virginia]]''. From 1969 to 1971, state legislators under Governor [[Mills Godwin]] rewrote the constitution, after goals such as the repeal of [[Jim Crow laws]] had been achieved. In 1989, [[Douglas Wilder]] became the first African American elected as governor in the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|Heinemann|Kolp|Parent, Jr.|Shade|2007|pp=359–366}}</ref>

The [[Cold War]] led to the expansion of national defense government programs housed in offices in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., and correlative population growth.<ref>{{harvnb|Accordino|2000|pp=76–78}}</ref> The [[Central Intelligence Agency]] in [[Langley, Virginia|Langley]] was involved in various [[Timeline of events in the Cold War|Cold War events]], including as the target of [[History of Soviet and Russian espionage in the United States|Soviet espionage activities]]. Also among the federal developments was [[the Pentagon]], built during World War II as the headquarters for the Department of Defense. It was one of the targets of the [[September 11 attacks]]; 189 people died at the site when a jet passenger plane was crashed into the building.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Christopher|url=http://www.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/112901/12279-1.shtml|title=Forensic feat IDs nearly all Pentagon victims|publisher=Stripe|date=November 29, 2001|accessdate=September 11, 2009}}</ref>

==Cities and towns==
{{Main|Political subdivisions of Virginia}}
[[File:Virginia population map.png|thumb|300px|Virginia metropolitan areas located throughout the state.|alt=A map of Virginia with areas colored in green for low population changing to red for areas of high population. The most red areas are in the very north of the state, the center of the state, and the very south-east of the state. The rest is mostly green.]]
Virginia is divided into 95 [[List of counties in Virginia|counties]] and 38 [[independent city|independent cities]], which both operate the same way since independent cities are considered to be [[county-equivalent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/co_metadata.html|title=County & County Equivalent Areas|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date=April 19, 2005|accessdate=December 8, 2007}}</ref> This method of treating cities and counties equally is unique to Virginia, with only three other [[Independent city (United States)#Other states|independent cities in the United States]] outside Virginia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/opinion/article/unique-structural-issues-make-progress-in-virginia-difficult/201616/|title=Unique structural issues make progress in Virginia difficult|date=September 28, 2009|first=Bernie|last=Niemeier|work=Virginia Business|accessdate=October 3, 2009}}</ref> Virginia limits the authority of cities and counties to countermand laws expressly allowed by the [[Virginia General Assembly]] under what is known as [[Dillon's Rule]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.edu/ien/vnrli/docs/briefs/Dillons_Rule_09.pdf|title=Dillon's Rule: Legal Framework for Decision Making|publisher=University of Virginia|accessdate=November 22, 2010}}</ref> In addition to independent cities, there are also [[List of towns in Virginia|incorporated ''towns'']] which operate under their own governments, but are part of a county. Finally there are hundreds of [[List of unincorporated towns in Virginia|unincorporated communities]] within the counties. Virginia does not have any further political subdivisions, such as villages or townships.

Virginia has 11 [[Virginia census statistical areas|Metropolitan Statistical Areas]]; [[Northern Virginia]], [[Hampton Roads]], and [[Richmond-Petersburg]] are the three most populous. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and its metropolitan area has a population of over 1.2&nbsp;million.<ref name=popnews/> {{As of|2010}}, [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] is the most populous city in the Commonwealth, with [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] and [[Chesapeake, Virginia|Chesapeake]] second and third, respectively.<ref name=c2009>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_PL/P1/0400000US51%7C0400000US51.16000|title=Virginia 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File|work=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date=April 1, 2010|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref> Norfolk forms the urban core of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has a population over 1.6&nbsp;million people and is the site of the world's largest naval base, [[Naval Station Norfolk]].<ref name=popnews>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/chesapeake-suffolk-track-pass-neighbors-terms-population|title=Chesapeake, Suffolk on track to pass neighbors in terms of population|first=Marc|last=Davis|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|date=January 31, 2008|accessdate=October 20, 2008}}</ref><ref name=hr/> [[Suffolk, Virginia|Suffolk]], which includes a portion of the [[Great Dismal Swamp]], is the largest city by area at {{convert|429.1|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suffolk.va.us/community/history.html|title=All About Suffolk|publisher=[[Suffolk, Virginia|Suffolk]]|date=February 12, 2007|accessdate=February 19, 2008}}</ref>

[[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] is the most populous locality in Virginia, with over one&nbsp;million residents, although that does not include its [[county seat]] Fairfax, which is one of the independent cities.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/04/AR2009070402623.html|title=To Be or Not to Be Fairfax County?|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=July 5, 2009|accessdate=August 18, 2009|first1=Sandhya|last1=Somashekhar|first2=Amy|last2=Gardner}}</ref> Fairfax County has a major urban business and shopping center in [[Tysons Corner]], Virginia's largest office market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/re_tysons.htm|title=Doing Business in Fairfax County|publisher=Fairfax County Economic Development Authority|date=June 26, 2007|accessdate=December 8, 2007}}</ref> Neighboring [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun County]], with the county seat at [[Leesburg, Virginia|Leesburg]], is both the fastest-growing county in Virginia and has the highest median household income ($114,204) in the country {{as of|2010|lc=on}}.<ref name=ltm>{{cite news|url=http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/loudoun_named_rich909est_c454ounty_in_the_nation/|title=Loudoun named richest county in the nation, again|first=Hannah|last=Hager|work=Loudoun Times-Mirror|date=November 12, 2010|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref> [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]], the smallest self-governing county in the United States by land area, is an urban community organized as a county.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112202165_pf.html|title=Silent Streams|work=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Mary|last=Battiata|date=November 27, 2005|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> The [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] area, with an estimated population of 300,399, is the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in western Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2009/tables/CBSA-EST2009-01.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (CBSA-EST2009-01)|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2009 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date=March 23, 2010|accessdate=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Virginia}}
{{US Census population
|1790= 691737
|1800= 807557
|1810= 877683
|1820= 938261
|1830= 1044054
|1840= 1025227
|1850= 1119348
|1860= 1219630
|1870= 1225163
|1880= 1512565
|1890= 1655980
|1900= 1854184
|1910= 2061612
|1920= 2309187
|1930= 2421851
|1940= 2677773
|1950= 3318680
|1960= 3966949
|1970= 4648494
|1980= 5346818
|1990= 6187358
|2000= 7078515
|2010= 8001024
|estimate= 8260405
|estyear= 2013
|footnote=Source: 1910–2010<ref>{{cite web|author=Resident Population Data |url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |title=Resident Population Data – 2010 Census |publisher=2010.census.gov |accessdate=December 22, 2012}}</ref>
}}
{| style="float:right;"
|[[File:Elizabeth River at NNSY.jpg|thumb|upright|The population of the [[Hampton Roads]] area is over 1.7 million.|alt=The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) transits the Elizabeth River at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.]]
|}

The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimates that the state population was 8,260,405 on July 1, 2013, a 3.2% increase since the [[2010 United States Census]].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/tables/NST-EST2013-01.csv|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=[http://www.census.gov/popest/ 2013 Population Estimates]|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=December 30, 2013|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref> This includes an increase from net migration of 314,832&nbsp;people into the Commonwealth since the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]]. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 159,627&nbsp;people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 155,205&nbsp;people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0015.pdf|format=PDF|title=State Resident Population—Components of Change: 2000 to 2007|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date=December 27, 2007|accessdate=April 6, 2010}}</ref> The [[center of population]] is located in [[Louisa County, Virginia|Louisa County]] outside of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].<ref name=census>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/docs/cenpop2010/CenPop2010_Mean_ST.txt|title=Population and Population Centers by State|year=2000|accessdate=May 22, 2013|format=TXT|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

===Ethnicity===
The state's most populous ethnic group, Non-Hispanic White, has declined from 76% in 1990 to 64.0% in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Virginia – Race and Hispanic Origin: 1790 to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|accessdate=April 17, 2012}}</ref><ref name=2011CensusQuickFacts>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51000.html|title=State & County QuickFacts: Virginia QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau|year=2012|accessdate=August 16, 2012|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|ref=CITEREFQuickFacts}}</ref> In 2011, non-Hispanic Whites were involved in 50.9% of all the births.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|accessdate=August 16, 2012}}</ref> People of [[English Americans|English heritage]] settled throughout the Commonwealth during the colonial period, and others of British and Irish heritage have since immigrated.<ref>{{harvnb|Miller|Schrier|Boling|Doyle|2003|pp=6, 147}}</ref> Those who self-identify as having "[[American ethnicity]]" 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Stanley |last=Lieberson |lastauthoramp=yes |first2=Mary C. |last2=Waters |title=Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites |journal=Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |volume=487 |issue=79 |year=1986 |pages=82–86 |doi=10.1177/0002716286487001004 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=David Hackett |last=Fischer |authorlink=David Hackett Fischer |title=[[Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America]] |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1989 |pages=633–639 |isbn=0-19-503794-4 }}</ref> Of the English immigrants to Virginia in the 1600s, 75% came as [[indentured servant]]s.<ref>W. J. Rorabaugh, Donald T. Critchlow, Paula C. Baker (2004). ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=VL_6X5zWOokC&pg=PA29&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false America's promise: a concise history of the United States]''. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 29. {{ISBN|0-7425-1189-8}}.</ref> The western mountains have many settlements that were founded by [[Scots-Irish American|Scots-Irish immigrants]] before the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://206.113.151.20/site/features.asp?featureid=225|title=Scots-Irish Sites in Virginia|publisher=Virginia Is For Lovers|date=January 3, 2008|accessdate=February 2, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.org/ScotsIrishHeritage/ |title=Scots-Irish Heritage – Virginia Is For Lovers |publisher=Virginia.org |year= 2011|accessdate=November 13, 2011}}</ref> There are also sizable numbers of people of German descent in the northwestern mountains and [[Shenandoah Valley]],<ref name=dutch/> and German ancestry was the most popular response on the 2010 [[American Community Survey]], with 11.7%.<ref name=ancestry>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/B04003/0400000US51.05000|title=Total Ancestry Reported|work=2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|year=2010|accessdate=September 3, 2012|ref=CITEREFancestry}}</ref> 2.9% of Virginians also describe themselves as [[biracial]].<ref name=demographics/> 

The largest minority group in Virginia is African American, at 19.7% {{As of|2012|lc=on}}.<ref name=2011CensusQuickFacts/> Most African American Virginians have been descendants of enslaved Africans who worked on tobacco, cotton, and [[hemp]] plantations. These men, women and children were brought from west-central Africa, primarily from [[Angola]] and the [[Bight of Bonny|Bight of Biafra]]. The [[Igbo American|Igbo]] ethnic group of what is now southern [[Nigeria]] were the single largest African group among slaves in Virginia.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinn|2009|p=175}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Chambers|2005|pp=10–14}}</ref> Though the black population was reduced by the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], since 1965 there has been a reverse migration of blacks [[New Great Migration|returning south]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2004/05demographics_frey/20040524_Frey.pdf|first=William H.|last=Frey|title=The New Great Migration: Black Americans' Return to the South, 1965–2000|publisher=[[Brookings Institution]]|journal=The Living Cities Census Series|date=May 2004|pages=1–3|accessdate=September 10, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> According to the [[Pew Research Center]], the state has the highest concentration of black and white interracial marriages.<ref name=blackwhite>{{cite web|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2012/03/virginia-ranks-highest-us-blackwhite-marriages|title=Virginia ranks highest in U.S. for black-white marriages|publisher=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]}}</ref>

More recent immigration in the late 20th century and early 21st century has fueled new communities of Hispanics and Asians. {{As of|2012}}, 8.4% of Virginians are [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] or Latino (of any race), and 6.0% are [[Asian people|Asian]].<ref name=2011CensusQuickFacts/> The state's Hispanic population rose by 92% from 2000 to 2010, with two-thirds of Hispanics living in [[Northern Virginia]].<ref name=demographics>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/02/virginians-census-8-million-total-1m-fairfax-county|title=Virginians in the census: 8 million total, 1M in Fairfax County|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=February 3, 2011|accessdate=February 4, 2011|first=John|last=Raby|ref=CITEREFdemographics}}</ref> Hispanic citizens in Virginia have higher median household incomes and educational attainment than the general Virginia population.<ref name=hispanics>{{cite web|url=http://www.coopercenter.org/demographics/publications/hispanic-immigrants-and-citizens-virginia|title=Hispanic Immigrants And Citizens In Virginia|first=Qian|last=Cai|work=Numbers Count|date=February 2008|accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> Northern Virginia also has a significant population of [[Vietnamese American]]s, whose major wave of immigration followed the [[Vietnam War]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Vietnamese American Place Making in Northern Virginia|first=Joseph|last=Wood|journal=Geographical Review|volume=87|issue=1|date=January 1997|pages=58–72|doi=10.2307/215658|jstor=215658}}</ref> and [[Korean American]]s, whose migration has been more recent and was induced in part by the quality school system.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wtop.com/?nid=722&sid=1374240|title=Centreville: The New Koreatown?|work=Fairfax County Times|first=Layla|last=Wilder|date=March 28, 2008|accessdate=November 30, 2009}}</ref> The [[Filipino American]] community has about 45,000 in the [[Hampton Roads]] area, many of whom have ties to the [[U.S. Navy]] and armed forces.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/locals-celebrate-philippine-independence-day|title=Locals celebrate Philippine Independence Day|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|date=June 12, 2008|first=Nora|last=Firestone|accessdate=September 30, 2008}}</ref>

Additionally, 0.5% of Virginians are American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% are Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.<ref name=2011CensusQuickFacts/> Virginia has extended state recognition to eight [[Native American tribes in Virginia|Native American tribes]] resident in the state, though all lack federal recognition status. Most Native American groups are located in the [[Tidewater region of Virginia|Tidewater region]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/22/AR2007112201416_pf.html|title=As Year's End Nears, Disappointment|first=Brigid|last=Schulte|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 23, 2007|accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto"
|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em; border:none;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Ethnicity ([[#CITEREFQuickFacts|2012]])
|rowspan=6 style="border:none"|&nbsp;
! style="background:#ccf;"|Largest Ancestries by County
! colspan="3" style="background:#ccf;"|Ancestry ([[#CITEREFancestry|2010]])
|-
|Non-Hispanic White
|align=right|64.0%
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center; width:280px;"|[[File:Virginia Ancestries by County 2010.svg|270px|alt=Virginia counties colored either red, blue, yellow, green, or purple based on the populations most common ancestry. The south-east is predominately purple for African American, while the west is mostly red for American. The north has yellow for German, with two small areas green for Irish. Yellow is also found in spots in the west. A strip in the middle is blue for English.]]<br /><span style="font-size: 80%; line-height: 1.3em">[[American Community Survey]] 5-Year Estimate</span>
| style="border-right:0;"|<div class="key" style="background:#fc0; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; border:2px solid black;">&nbsp;</div>
| style="border-left:0;"|German
|align=right|11.7%
|-
|Black or African American
|align=right|19.7%
| style="border-right:0;"|<div class="key" style="background:#2a7fff; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; border:2px solid black;">&nbsp;</div>
| style="border-left:0;"|English
|align=right|10.7%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
|align=right|8.4%
| style="border-right:0;"|<div class="key" style="background:green; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; border:2px solid black;">&nbsp;</div>
| style="border-left:0;"|Irish
|align=right|9.8%
|-
|Asian
|align=right|6.0%
| style="border-right:0;"|<div class="key" style="background:#a00; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; border:2px solid black;">&nbsp;</div>
| style="border-left:0;"|American
|align=right|9.7%
|-
|American Indian and Alaska Native&nbsp;
|align=right|0.5%
| style="border-right:0;"|<div class="key" style="background:#5a2ca0; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; border:2px solid black;">&nbsp;</div>
| style="border-left:0;"|Subsaharan African&nbsp;
|align=right|1.7%
|}
|}

===Languages===
The [[Piedmont region of Virginia|Piedmont]] region is known for its dialect's strong influence on [[Southern American English]]. While a more homogenized [[American English]] is found in urban areas, various accents are also used, including the [[Tidewater accent]], the [[Old Virginia accent]], and the anachronistic [[Early Modern English|Elizabethan]] of [[Tangier Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/niceandcurious/manyvoices.htm|title=Virginia's Many Voices|first1=Edwin S.|last1=Clay III|first2=Patricia|last2=Bangs|publisher=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|date=May 9, 2005|accessdate=November 28, 2007}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="Miller">{{cite news|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjU1OTc0Y2ViOWQ1MjJmMTA5NTQ1ODJlZTUyNzY3MmI|title=Exotic Tangier|work=[[National Review]]|first=John J.|last=Miller|date=August 2, 2005|accessdate=October 9, 2008}}</ref>

As of 2010, 85.87% (6,299,127) of Virginia residents age 5 and older spoke [[English language|English]] at home as a [[primary language]], while 6.41% (470,058) spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 0.77% (56,518) [[Korean language|Korean]], 0.63% (45,881) [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], 0.57% (42,418) [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (which includes [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]]), and [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] was spoken as a [[main language]] 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 [[mother language]] other than English.<ref name ="MLA Data">{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data|title=Virginia|publisher=[[Modern Language Association]]|accessdate=August 20, 2013}}</ref> 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 [[Constitution of Virginia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Joseph|2006|p=63}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{See also|Religion in early Virginia}}
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:15px; margin-top:0;"
|-
! style="background:#ccf;" colspan="3"|Religion (2008)
|-
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:0;"|[[Christianity|Christian]]<ref name=aris/>
|align=right|76%
|-
|rowspan="6" style="border-top:0; border-bottom:0;"|
|[[Baptist]]
|align=right|27%
|-
|[[Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholic]]&nbsp;
|align=right|11%
|-
|[[Methodism|Methodist]]
|align=right|8%
|-
|[[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]
|align=right|3%
|-
|[[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]
|align=right|2%
|-
|[[List of Christian denominations|Other Christian]]
|align=right|28%
|-
|colspan="3" style="border-top:0;"|
|-
|colspan=2|[[Buddhism]]
|align=right|1%
|-
|colspan=2|[[Hinduism]]
|align=right|1%
|-
|colspan=2|[[Judaism]]
|align=right|1%
|-
|colspan=2|[[Islam]]
|align=right|0.5%
|-
|colspan=2|[[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|align=right|18%
|}

Virginia is predominantly Christian and [[Protestantism|Protestant]]; [[Baptists]] are the largest single group with 27% of the population {{as of|2008|lc=on}}.<ref name=aris>{{cite web|title=American Religious Identification Survey|url=http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org|publisher=Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture|year=2008|accessdate=April 21, 2008}}</ref> Baptist congregations in Virginia have 763,655 members.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/51/rcms2010_51_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |accessdate=December 12, 2013}}</ref> Baptist denominational groups in Virginia include the [[Baptist General Association of Virginia]], with about 1,400&nbsp;member churches, which supports both the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] and the moderate [[Cooperative Baptist Fellowship]]; and the [[Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia]] with more than 500 affiliated churches, which supports the Southern Baptist Convention.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/node/180361|title=2nd Georgia church joins moderate Va. Baptist association|date=November 10, 2006|first=Steven G.|last=Vegh|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|accessdate=December 18, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=26884|title=SBCV passes 500 mark|date=November 20, 2007|accessdate=December 18, 2007|publisher=[[Baptist Press]]}}</ref> [[Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholics]] are the second-largest religious group with 673,853 members.<ref name="www.thearda.com"/> The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington]] includes most of Northern Virginia's Catholic churches, while the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond|Diocese of Richmond]] covers the rest.

[[File:Christchurchalexandria.jpg|thumb|left|[[Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)|Christ Church in Alexandria]] was frequented by [[George Washington]] and [[Robert E. Lee]].|alt=An 18th-century red brick church with white steeple behind a modern road in autumn.]]
The Virginia Conference is the [[Annual Conference|regional body]] of the [[United Methodist Church]] and the [[Virginia Synod]] is responsible for the congregations of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|Lutheran Church]]. [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]], [[Congregational church|Congregationalist]], and Episcopalian adherents each composed less than 2% of the population {{as of|2010|lc=on}}.<ref name="www.thearda.com"/> The [[Episcopal Diocese of Virginia]], [[Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia|Southern Virginia]], and [[Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia|Southwestern Virginia]] support the various [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal churches]].

In November 2006, 15 conservative Episcopal churches voted to split from the Diocese of Virginia over the ordination of openly [[gay bishops]] and clergy in other dioceses of the Episcopal Church; these churches continue to claim affiliation with the larger [[Anglican Communion]] through [[Anglican realignment|other bodies outside the United States]]. 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/supreme-court-wont-hear-appeal-of-dispute-over-episcopal-churchs-property-in-va/2014/03/10/8f22e72a-a886-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html|title=Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of dispute over Episcopal Church’s property in Va.|first=Michelle|last=Boorstein|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 10, 2014|accessdate=May 1, 2014}}</ref>

Among other religions, adherents of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] constitute 1% of the population, with 197 [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Virginia|congregations in Virginia]] {{as of|2014|March|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/virginia|title=USA-Virginia|work=Mormon Newsroom|publisher=[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]|date=March 14, 2014|accessdate=May 1, 2014|first=Lance|last=Walker}}</ref> [[Fairfax Station, Virginia|Fairfax Station]] is the site of the [[Ekoji Buddhist Temple]], of the [[Jodo Shinshu]] school, and the Hindu [[Durga]] Temple. While the state's Jewish population is small, organized Jewish sites date to 1789 with [[Congregation Beth Ahabah]].<ref>{{harvnb|Olitzky|1996|p=359}}</ref> [[Muslims]] are a growing religious group throughout the Commonwealth through immigration.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/state_regional/article/muslims_visibility_in_region_growing/27575/|title=Muslims' visibility in region growing|work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]|publisher=[[Charlottesville Daily Progress]]|first=Sarah|last=Alfaham|date=September 11, 2008|accessdate=May 2, 2009}}</ref> [[Megachurch]]es in the Commonwealth include [[Thomas Road Baptist Church]], [[Immanuel Bible Church]], and [[McLean Bible Church]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cgi-bin/mega/db.pl?db=default&uid=default&view_records=1&ID=*&sb=3&so=descend|title=Megachurch Search Results|publisher=Hartford Institute for Religion Research|year=2008|accessdate=November 7, 2008}}</ref> Several Christian universities are also based in the state, including [[Regent University]], [[Liberty University]], and [[Lynchburg College]].

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Virginia}}
{{See also|Virginia locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Virginia Beach waterfront.jpg|thumb|right|Ocean tourism is an important sector of [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach's]] economy.|alt=High-rise hotels line the ocean front covered with colorful beach-goers.]]
Virginia is an [[At-will employment|employment-at-will]] state;<ref>{{cite web|title=The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry: Frequently Asked Questions: Labor & Employment Law|url=http://www.doli.virginia.gov/laborlaw/laborlaw_faqs.html|accessdate=November 13, 2011}}</ref> its economy has diverse sources of income, including local and federal government, military, farming and business. Virginia has 4.1&nbsp;million civilian workers, and one-third of the jobs are in the [[service sector]].<ref name=energy>{{cite web|url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=VA|work=Energy Information Administration|title=Virginia State Energy Profiles|publisher=[[United States Department of Energy]]|date=June 26, 2008|accessdate=June 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name=ng>{{cite web|title=Virginia facts|publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|date=April 2, 2008|url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/states/state_virginia.html|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> The unemployment rate in Virginia is among the [[List of US states by unemployment rate|lowest in the nation]], at 5.2%, as of April 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deptofnumbers.com/unemployment/virginia/ |title=Virginia State Unemployment Rate and Total Unemployed |publisher=Department of Numbers |date= December 2012 |accessdate=March 3, 2013}}</ref> The second fastest job growth town in the nation is [[Leesburg, Virginia|Leesburg]], as of 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/top25s/financial/jobgrowth.html |title=Best Places to Live 2011 – Top 25: Fastest job growth – from MONEY Magazine |publisher=CNN |date=July 14, 2010 |accessdate=February 18, 2012}}</ref> The Gross Domestic Product of Virginia was $424 billion in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=GDP by State|url=http://greyhill.com/gdp-by-state|publisher=Greyhill Advisors|accessdate=September 16, 2011}}</ref> According to the [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]], Virginia had the most counties in the top 100 [[Highest-income counties in the United States|wealthiest in the United States]] based upon median income in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/drill.cfm?table=CA1-3&catable=CA1-3&lc=30&years=2005&rformat=display&areatype=LOCAL&sort=1|title=Per capita personal income|work=Regional Economic Information System|publisher=[[Bureau of Economic Analysis]]|date=April 2007|accessdate=November 24, 2007}}</ref> [[Northern Virginia]] is the [[Highest-income counties in the United States|highest-income region]] in Virginia, having six of the twenty [[Highest-income counties in the United States|highest-income counties]] in the United States, including the three highest {{As of|2011|lc=on}}.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/22/counties-rich-income-forbeslife-cx_mw_0122realestate.html Matt Woolsey, America's Richest Counties, Forbes.com, 01.22.08, 6:00 p.m. ET] Forbes.com Web site. Retrieved on February 8, 2008.</ref> According to CNN Money Magazine the highest-income town in the nation is [[Great Falls, Virginia|Great Falls]], as of 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/top25s/financial/index.html |title=Best Places to Live 2011 – Top 25: Biggest earners – from MONEY Magazine |publisher=CNN |date=July 14, 2010 |accessdate=February 18, 2012}}</ref> 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%.<ref>{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Robert|title=Top states for millionaires per capita|url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/101338309|publisher=CNBC|accessdate=25 January 2014}}</ref>

===Government===
[[File:The Pentagon January 2008.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] is headquartered in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]] at [[The Pentagon]], the world's largest office building.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301296.html|title=How the Pentagon Got Its Shape|first=Steve|last=Vogel|date=May 27, 2007|accessdate=April 21, 2009|work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>|alt=Aerial view of the huge five-sided building and its multiple rings. Parking lots and highways stretch away from it.]]
Virginia has the highest defense spending of any state per capita, providing the Commonwealth with around 900,000 jobs.<ref name=lovehate>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/05/AR2010050505205.html|title=Virginia's love-hate relationship with federal spending|first=Rosalind S.|last=Helderman|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 6, 2010|accessdate=May 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name=fedspend/> 12% of all [[Government procurement in the United States|U.S. federal procurement]] money is spent in Virginia, the second-highest amount after California.<ref name=fedspend>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/government/2012/08/03/states-that-get-most-federal-money/|title=States That Get The Most Federal Money|publisher=[[Fox Business Network]]|first1=Michael B.|last1=Sauter|first2=Lisa|last2=Uible|first3=Lisa|last3=Nelson|first4=Alexander E. M.|last4=Hess|date=August 3, 2012|accessdate=May 1, 2014}}</ref><ref name=weighdefense>{{cite news|title=Virginia weighs its dependence on defense spending|first=Nicole Anderson|last=Ellis|date=September 1, 2008|work=Virginia Business|url=http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/news/article/virginia-weighs-its-dependence-on-defense-spending/1829/|accessdate=May 26, 2010}}</ref> Many Virginians work for [[List of United States federal agencies|federal agencies]] in Northern Virginia, which include the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], as well as the [[National Science Foundation]], the [[United States Geological Survey]] and the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]. Many others work for [[government contractor]]s, including defense and security firms, which hold more than 15,000 federal contracts.<ref name=fedjobs>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587284-2,00.html|title=The Federal Job Machine|date=February 8, 2007|work=[[Time (Magazine)|Time]]|first=Justin|last=Fox|accessdate=November 7, 2007}}</ref>

Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of veterans of any state,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2012/jun/11/bob-mcdonnell/bob-mcdonnell-no-1-state-veterans-capita/|title=Bob McDonnell says Virginia is No. 1 state in veterans per capita|publisher=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]}}</ref> and is second to [[California]] in total Department of Defense employees.<ref name=weighdefense /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/eveningnews/main4530304.shtml|title=Virginia Finally Comes Into Play|date=October 17, 2008|accessdate=October 20, 2008|publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> The [[Hampton Roads]] area has the largest concentration of military personnel and assets of any metropolitan area in the world,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/vtm/hampton_roads.asp|title=Virginia Transportation Modeling Program|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Transportation]]}}</ref> including the largest naval base in the world, [[Naval Station Norfolk]].<ref name=hr>{{cite web|url=http://www.navsea.navy.mil/shipyards/norfolk/History/Home.aspx|title=NNSY History|publisher=[[United States Navy]]|date=August 27, 2007|accessdate=April 6, 2010}}</ref> In its state government, Virginia employes 106,143&nbsp;public employees, who combined have a median income of $44,656 {{as of|2013|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://datacenter.timesdispatch.com/databases/salaries-virginia-state-employees-2012/|title=Salaries of Virginia state employees 2012-13|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=June 30, 2013|accessdate=May 1, 2014}}</ref>

===Business===
Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state,<ref>{{cite news|first=Gregory|last=Poersch|title=1 of Out of 11 Workers in Virginia in Tech Industry, Highest Concentration in the Nation, AeA Says|date=April 2, 2008|agency=[[Reuters]]|work=American Electronics Association|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS44925+02-Apr-2008+PRN20080402|accessdate=October 7, 2007}}</ref> and the fourth-highest number of technology workers after [[California]], [[Texas]], and [[New York]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Marjorie |last=Censer|title=Virginia loses tech jobs but maintains highest concentration in U.S.|date=October 4, 2011|agency=[[Washington Post]]|work=TechAmerica|url=http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-10-04/business/35279112_1_tech-jobs-techamerica-foundation-jobs-in-software-services|accessdate=December 14, 2012}}</ref> [[Integrated circuit|Computer chips]] became the state's highest-grossing export in 2006, surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco combined.<ref name=chips>{{cite news|url=http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=120082&ran=25886|title=Computer chips now lead Virginia exports|first=Gregory|last=Richards|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|date=February 24, 2007|accessdate=September 29, 2008|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070310155937/http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=120082&ran=25886|archivedate=March 10, 2007}}</ref> [[Northern Virginia]], once considered the state's dairy capital, now hosts software, communication technology, defense contracting companies, particularly in the [[Dulles Technology Corridor]]. {{As of|2013}}, the state had one of the highest average Internet speeds in the world,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ww.nytimes.com/2013/12/30/technology/us-struggling-to-keep-pace-in-broadband-service.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3&ref=technology&|title=U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace in Delivering Broadband Service|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|author= Edward Wyatt}}</ref> and Northern Virginia's [[data center]]s carried 70% of the nation's internet traffic, using 2% [[Dominion Virginia Power|Dominion Power]]'s electricity for Northern Virginia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/economy/va-power-certifies-west-creek-as-potential-data-center-site/article_f2d98326-32c9-52d1-8ecc-2f3416de0542.html|title=Va. Power certifies West Creek as potential data center site|first=Peter|last=Bacqué|work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]|date=December 13, 2013|accessdate=February 25, 2014}}</ref>

Virginia companies received the fourth-highest amount of venture capital funding in the first half of 2011 after California, [[Massachusetts]], and New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/08/04/interactive-map-the-united-states-of-venture-capital/|first=Scott|last=Austin|title=Interactive Map: The United States of Venture Capital|date=August 4, 2010|accessdate=August 6, 2010|work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[Forbes Magazine]]'' named Virginia the best state in the nation for business for the fourth year in a row,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/best-states-for-business-beltway-best-states.html|first=Kurt|last=Badenhausen|title=The Best States for Business|date=September 23, 2009|accessdate=March 27, 2010|work=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> while [[CNBC]] named it the [[America's Top States For Business|top state for business]] in 2007, 2009, and 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2011-06-28-cnbc-virginia-top-state_n.htm|first=Scott|last=Cohn|title=Virginia named America's Top State for Business in 2011|date=June 28, 2011|accessdate=June 28, 2011|work=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> Virginia has 20 [[Fortune 500]] companies, ranking the state eighth nationwide.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MN_FORTUNE_500_MINNESOTA_MNOL-|title=20 Minn. companies make newest Fortune 500|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 5, 2011|accessdate=May 5, 2011|work=[[Rochester Post-Bulletin]]}}</ref> Tourism in Virginia supported an estimated 210,000 jobs and generated $21.2 billion in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2013/09/04/virginia-tourism-sets-record.html |title= Virginia tourism sets record |work= Washington Business Journal |date= September 4, 2013 |accessdate= September 5, 2013 |first= Jeff |last= Clabaugh}}</ref> [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]] is the top tourist destination in the state by domestic spending, followed by [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]], [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun County]], and [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]].<ref name=fairfaxnarrowly>{{cite web|url=http://www.sungazette.net/mclean-greatfalls-vienna-oakton/news/fairfax-narrowly-misses-out-on-no-ranking-in-va-tourism/article_816ea98e-193e-11e3-87d7-001a4bcf887a.html|title=Fairfax Narrowly Misses Out on No. 1 Ranking in Va. Tourism Spending|publisher=Sun Gazette|author=Scott McCaffrey}}</ref> [[Tysons Corner]] is one of the largest business districts in the nation.

===Agriculture===
[[File:Farmers in Rockingham County, Virginia.jpg|thumb|[[Rockingham County, Virginia|Rockingham County]] is Virginia's leading county in agriculture.<ref>{{harvnb|Blackwell|Causey|2005|p=461}}</ref>|alt=Two adult men in green and red baseball caps work with their hands while crouching down in a field of wide green leaves.]]
Agriculture occupies 32% of the land in Virginia. {{As of|2012}}, about 357,000 Virginian jobs were in agriculture, with over 47,000&nbsp;farms, averaging {{convert|171|acre|sqmi km2|2|abbr=on}}, in a total farmland area of 8.1&nbsp;million acres (12,656&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi; 32,780&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). Though agriculture has declined significantly since 1960 when there were twice as many farms, it remains the largest single industry in Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agfacts/index.shtml|title=Virginia Agriculture&nbsp;— Facts and Figures|year=2012|accessdate=December 9, 2012|publisher=Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services}}</ref> Tomatoes surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia in 2006, with peanuts and hay as other agricultural products.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/node/354831|title=Tomato moves into the top money-making spot in Virginia|date=October 17, 2007|first=Linda|last=McNatt|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|accessdate=October 18, 2007}}</ref> Although it is no longer the primary crop, Virginia is still the fifth-largest producer of tobacco nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Online_Highlights/County_Profiles/Virginia/cp99051.pdf|format=PDF|title=Virginia|work=2007 Census of Agriculture|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date=July 17, 2009|accessdate=October 6, 2009}}</ref> [[Eastern oyster]] harvests are an important part of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] economy, but declining oyster populations from disease, pollution, and overfishing have diminished catches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag165.htm|title=NOAA Working to Restore Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay|work=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|date=March 31, 2005|accessdate=February 14, 2008}}</ref> Wineries and vineyards in the [[Northern Neck]] and along the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] also have begun to generate income and attract tourists.<ref name=wine>{{cite web|url=http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdffiles/vawinery.pdf|title=Assessment of the Profitability and Viability of Virginia Wineries|date=June 2007|work=MKF Research LLC|publisher=Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services|accessdate=June 26, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref>

===Taxes===
Virginia collects personal [[income tax]] in five income brackets, ranging from 3.0% to 5.75%. The state sales and [[use tax]] rate is 4%, while the tax rate on food is 1.5%. There is an additional 1% local tax, for a total of a 5% combined [[sales tax]] on most Virginia purchases and 2.5% on most food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=salesusetax#Retail|title=Sales and Use Tax|work=Virginia Department of Taxation|date=February 23, 2010|accessdate=May 6, 2010}}</ref> Virginia's [[property tax]] 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tax.virginia.gov/Documents/Tax%20Facts%20-%20%207-1-2011.pdf|format=PDF|title=Virginia Tax Facts|publisher=Virginia Department of Taxation|date=July 1, 2011|accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Virginia}}
[[File:Colonial Williamsburg ladies.jpg|thumb|Colonial Virginian culture, language, and style are reenacted in [[Colonial Williamsburg|Williamsburg]].|alt=Five women dressed in long colonial style clothing sit on the stairs of tan and beige buildings talking. In front of them is a wooden wheelbarrow full of wicker baskets.]]
Virginia's culture was popularized and spread across America and the [[Southern United States|South]] by figures such as [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and [[Robert E. Lee]]. Their homes in Virginia represent the birthplace of America and the South.<ref>{{harvnb|McGraw|2005|p=14}}</ref> Modern Virginia culture has many sources, and is part of the [[culture of the Southern United States]].<ref>{{harvnb|Fischer|Kelly|2000|pp=102–103}}</ref> The [[Smithsonian Institution]] divides Virginia into nine cultural regions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/2007Festival/VA_Signs/SFF07_VA_Intro_Map.pdf|format=PDF|title=Roots of Virginia Culture|work=Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2007|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|date=July 5, 2007|accessdate=September 29, 2008}}</ref>

Besides the general [[cuisine of the Southern United States]], Virginia maintains its own particular traditions. [[Virginia wine]] is made in many parts of the state.<ref name=wine/> [[Smithfield ham]], sometimes called "Virginia ham", is a type of [[country ham]] which is [[Geographical indication|protected by state law]], and can only be produced in the town of [[Smithfield, Virginia|Smithfield]].<ref>{{harvnb|Williamson|2008|p=41}}</ref> [[Virginia furniture]] and architecture are typical of [[American colonial architecture]]. Thomas Jefferson and many of the state's early leaders favored the [[Neoclassical architecture]] style, leading to its use for important state buildings. The [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] and their style can also be found in parts of the state.<ref name=dutch>{{cite journal|url=http://www.vahistorical.org/publications/Abstract_1091_Keller.htm|title=Pennsylvania and Virginia Germans during the Civil War|publisher=Virginia Historical Society|first=Christian B.|last=Keller|journal=Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|volume=109|year=2001|pages=37–86|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref>

Literature in Virginia often deals with the state's extensive and sometimes troubled past. The works of [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner [[Ellen Glasgow]] often dealt with social inequalities and the role of women in her culture.<ref>{{harvnb|Gray|Robinson|2004|pp=81, 103}}</ref> Glasgow's peer and close friend [[James Branch Cabell]] wrote extensively about the changing position of gentry in the [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction era]], and challenged its moral code with ''[[Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/cabell1/summary.html|title=Summary of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice|first=Mary Alice|last=Kirkpatrick|accessdate=August 18, 2009|work=Library of Southern Literature|publisher=[[University of North Carolina]]}}</ref> [[William Styron]] approached history in works such as ''[[The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967)|The Confessions of Nat Turner]]'' and ''[[Sophie's Choice (novel)|Sophie's Choice]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/books/02styron.html|title=William Styron, Novelist, Dies at 81|first=Christopher|last=Lehmann-Haupt|date=November 2, 2006|accessdate=August 18, 2009|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[Tom Wolfe]] has occasionally dealt with his southern heritage in bestsellers like ''[[I Am Charlotte Simmons]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26738-2004Nov4.html|title=A Coed in Full|first=Michael|last=Dirda|date=November 7, 2004|accessdate=October 3, 2009|work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> [[Mount Vernon, Virginia|Mount Vernon]] native [[Matt Bondurant]] received critical acclaim for his historic novel ''[[The Wettest County in the World]]'' about moonshiners in [[Franklin County, Virginia|Franklin County]] during [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fairfax-native-matt-bondurants-book-is-now-the-movie-lawless/2012/05/27/gJQAZqy1uU_story.html |title= Fairfax native Matt Bondurant's book is now the movie 'Lawless' |first= Tom |last= Jackman |work= [[The Washington Post]] |date= May 27, 2012 |accessdate= May 28, 2012}}</ref> Virginia also names a [[Poet Laureate of Virginia|state Poet Laureate]], currently [[Sofia Starnes]] of [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]], who will serve until mid-2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/books/writers-block-blog/dp-writers-block-conversation-with-virginias-poet-laureate-20130426,0,2954528.post|title=Conversation with Virginia's Poet Laureate|first=Leah|last=Price|date=April 29, 2013|accessdate=January 29, 2014|work=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]}}</ref>

===Fine and performing arts===
{{See also|Music of Virginia}}
[[File:Wolf Trap (national park) meadow pavilion.jpg|thumb|The Meadow Pavilion is one of the theaters at [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts]].|alt=A small, boxy, wooden stage with a trapezoidal overhang stands in the center of meadow. In the foreground is a running stream with a stone embankment.]]
Rich in cultural heritage, Virginia ranks near the bottom of U.S. states in terms of public spending on the arts, at nearly half of the national average.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/Grant-Making/2010_funding_and_grantmaking.pdf|title=State Arts Agency Funding and Grant Making|publisher=National Assembly of State Arts Agencies|date=March 2010|accessdate=May 3, 2010|format=PDF}}</ref> The state government does fund some institutions, including the [[Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]] and the [[Science Museum of Virginia]]. Other museums include the popular [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] of the [[National Air and Space Museum]] and the [[Chrysler Museum of Art]].<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2008|pp=22–25}}</ref> Besides these sites, many open-air museums are located in the Commonwealth, such as [[Colonial Williamsburg]], the [[Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia|Frontier Culture Museum]], and various historic battlefields.<ref>{{harvnb|Howard|Burnham|Burnham|2006|pp=88, 206, 292}}</ref> The [[Virginia Foundation for the Humanities]] works to improve the Commonwealth's civic, cultural, and intellectual life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.edu/vfh/mission.html|title=Mission & History|work=[[Virginia Foundation for the Humanities]]|year=2007|accessdate=December 9, 2007|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070827202050/http://www.virginia.edu/vfh/mission.html|archivedate=August 27, 2007}}</ref>

Theaters and venues in the Commonwealth are found both in the cities and suburbs. The [[Harrison Opera House]], in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], is home of the [[Virginia Opera]]. The [[Virginia Symphony Orchestra]] operates in and around [[Hampton Roads]].<ref>{{harvnb|Howard|Burnham|Burnham|2006|pp=165–166}}</ref>
Resident and touring theater troupes<!---the mainstay of every theater BTW. This should probably be replaced---> operate from the [[American Shakespeare Center]] in [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|p=154}}</ref> The [[Barter Theatre]], designated the State Theatre of Virginia, in [[Abingdon, Virginia|Abingdon]] won the first ever [[Regional Theatre Tony Award]] in 1948, while the [[Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia)|Signature Theatre]] in [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]] won it in 2009. There's also a Children's Theater of Virginia, [[Theatre IV]], which is the second largest touring troupe nationwide.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://tribune-democrat.com/events/x519134240/Holiday-magic-Arcadia-play-tells-tale-of-Christmas-poem |title= Holiday magic: Arcadia play tells tale of Christmas poem |first= Ruth |last= Rice |work= [[The Tribune-Democrat]] |date= November 27, 2006 |accessdate= July 7, 2010}}</ref>

Virginia has launched many award-winning traditional musical artists and internationally successful popular music acts, as well as Hollywood actors.<ref name=factpack/> Virginia is known for its tradition in the music genres of [[Old-time music|old-time string]] and [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]], with groups such as the [[Carter Family]] and [[Stanley Brothers]], as well as [[Gospel (music)|gospel]], [[blues]], and [[shout band]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/virginia.aspx|title=The Roots and Branches of Virginia Music|work=Folkways|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|year=2007|accessdate=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Contemporary Virginia is also known for [[folk rock]] artists like [[Dave Matthews]] and [[Jason Mraz]], [[hip hop]] stars like [[Pharrell]] and [[Missy Elliott]], as well as [[thrash metal]] groups like [[GWAR]] and [[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/08/12-virginia-bands-you-should-listen-to-now.html|title=12 Virginia Bands You Should Listen to Now|first=Reggie|last=Pace|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=August 14, 2013|accessdate=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Notable performance venues include [[The Birchmere]], the [[Landmark Theater (Richmond, Virginia)|Landmark Theater]], and [[Jiffy Lube Live]].<ref>{{harvnb|Howard|Burnham|Burnham|2006|pp=29, 121, 363, 432}}</ref> [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts]] is located in [[Vienna, Virginia|Vienna]] and is the only national park intended for use as a performing arts center.<ref name=wolftrap>{{harvnb|Scott|Scott|2004|pp=307–308}}</ref>

===Festivals===
[[File:Chincoteague pony swim 2007.jpg|thumb|The annual [[Chincoteague Pony]] Swim features over 200 wild ponies swimming across the [[Assateague Channel]] into [[Chincoteague, Virginia|Chincoteague]].|alt=Dozens of brown and white ponies surge out of the shallow water onto a grassy shore crowded with onlookers.]]
Many counties and localities host [[county fair]]s and festivals. The [[Virginia State Fair]] is held at the [[Meadow Event Park]] every September. Also in September is the [[Neptune Festival]] in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]], which celebrates the city, the waterfront, and regional artists. [[Norfolk, Virginia#Parks and recreation|Norfolk's Harborfest]], in June, features boat racing and [[air show]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|pp=25, 287}}</ref> [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] also sponsors [[Celebrate Fairfax!]] with popular and traditional music performances.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/06/AR2007060601032.html|title=Live!|date=June 7, 2007|first=Marianne|last=Meyer|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=November 7, 2008}}</ref> The Virginia Lake Festival is held during the third weekend in July in [[Clarksville, VA|Clarksville]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=39216|title=Virginia Lake Festival|year=2008|publisher=Virginia Tourism Corporation|accessdate=September 8, 2008}}</ref> Wolf Trap hosts the [[Wolf Trap Opera Company]], which produces an opera festival every summer.<ref name=wolftrap/> 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 [[Eastern Shore of Virginia|Eastern Shore]] island of [[Chincoteague, Virginia|Chincoteague]] the annual Pony Swim & Auction of [[feral]] [[Chincoteague Pony|Chincoteague ponies]] at the end of July is a unique local tradition expanded into a week-long carnival. The [[Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival]] is a six-day festival held annually in [[Winchester, Virginia|Winchester]] that includes parades and [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] concerts. The [[Old-time music|Old Time]] Fiddlers' Convention in [[Galax, Virginia|Galax]], begun in 1935, is one of the oldest and largest such events worldwide. Two important film festivals, the [[Virginia Film Festival]] and the [[VCU French Film Festival]], are held annually in [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] and Richmond, respectively.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|pp=25–26}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|List of radio stations in Virginia|List of television stations in Virginia}}
[[File:USA Today building.jpg|thumb|''[[USA Today]]'', the nation's most circulated newspaper, has its headquarters in McLean.|alt=Two geometric all glass towers connected by a central atrium stand in front of a grassy walkway and under a dark and cloudy sky]]
The [[Hampton Roads]] area is the 45th-largest [[media market]] in the United States as ranked by [[Nielsen Media Research]], while the [[Richmond-Petersburg]] area is 57th and [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]-[[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] is 66th {{as of|2013|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/docs/solutions/measurement/television/2013-2014-DMA-Ranks.pdf|title=Local Television Market Universe Estimates|date=September 12, 2013|accessdate=February 26, 2014}}</ref> Northern Virginia is part of the much larger Washington, D.C. media market.

There are 36 [[List of television stations in Virginia|television stations in Virginia]], representing each major [[List of United States over-the-air television networks|U.S. network]], part of 42 stations which serve Virginia viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mondotimes.com/world/usa/tv.html?state=46|title=Virginia TV Stations|publisher=MondoTimes|year=2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> More than 720 [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]-licensed FM [[radio]] [[List of radio stations in Virginia|stations broadcast in Virginia]], with about 300 such AM stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?state=VA|title=FM Query|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=May 6, 2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?state=VA|title=AM Query|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=May 6, 2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> The nationally available [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS) is headquartered in [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]]. Independent PBS affiliates exist throughout Virginia, and the Arlington PBS member station [[WETA-TV]] produces programs such as the ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'' and ''[[Washington Week]]''.

The most circulated [[List of newspapers in Virginia|native newspapers in the Commonwealth]] are [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk's]] ''[[The Virginian-Pilot]]'' (142,476 daily subscribers), the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' (108,559), and ''[[The Roanoke Times]]'' (78,663), {{As of|2014|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Highest Circulation Virginia Newspapers|work=Mondo Newspapers|url=http://www.mondotimes.com/newspapers/usa/usatop100.html|accessdate=February 26, 2014|year=2014}}</ref> Several [[Washington, D.C.]] papers are based in [[Northern Virginia]], such as ''[[The Washington Examiner]]'' and ''[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]]''. The paper with the nation's widest circulation, ''[[USA Today]]'', with 1.83 million daily subscriptions, is headquartered in [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=302485|date=April 20, 2011|work=Reading Eagle|agency=[[Associated Press]]|title=USA Today posts small circulation gain as it undergoes a revamp to counter Internet threat|accessdate=April 20, 2012}}</ref> Besides traditional forms of media, Virginia is the home base for telecommunication companies such as [[Voxant]] and [[XO Communications]]. In Northern Virginia, [[The Washington Post]] is the dominant newspaper, since Northern VA is located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Virginia}}
[[File:Rotunda-dusk.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Virginia]], a [[World Heritage Site]], was founded by President [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/442|title=Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|date=October 15, 2008|accessdate=October 14, 2008}}</ref>|alt=A red brick, Neoclassical dome with a large portico on the front and covered walkway on the sides lit up at dusk. Dark trees border the building on both sides.]]
Virginia's educational system consistently ranks in the top ten states on the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education's]] [[National Assessment of Educational Progress]], with Virginia students outperforming the average in all subject areas and grade levels tested.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/sresult.asp?mode=full&displaycat=7&s1=51|title=State Education Data Profiles|publisher=[[National Assessment of Educational Progress]]|year=2005|accessdate=December 25, 2007}}</ref> The 2011 ''[[Education Week#Quality Counts|Quality Counts]]'' report ranked Virginia's K–12 education fourth best in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2011/QualityCounts2011_PressRelease.pdf|title=Quality Counts 2011|work=[[Education Week]]|date=January 11, 2011|format=PDF|accessdate=May 5, 2011}}</ref> All school divisions must adhere to educational standards set forth by the [[Virginia Department of Education]], which maintains an assessment and accreditation regime known as the [[Standards of Learning]] to ensure accountability.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/index.shtml|title=Virginia School Report Card|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|year=2007|accessdate=February 2, 2008}}</ref> In 2010, 85% of high school students graduated on-time after four years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/30/AR2010093007174.html|title=Virginia high school graduation rate increases|date=October 1, 2010|work=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Kevin|last=Sieff|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> Between 2000 and 2008, school enrollment increased 5%, the number of teachers 21%.<ref>{{Cite news|first=George F.|last=Will|authorlink=George Will|title=Why should education be exempt from recession budgeting?|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/04/AR2010060403753.html|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 6, 2010|accessdate=May 10, 2011}}</ref>

[[Public school (government funded)|Public]] [[K–12 (education)|K–12 schools]] in Virginia are generally operated by the counties and cities, and not by the state. {{As of|2011|April}}, a total of 1,267,063&nbsp;students were enrolled in 1,873&nbsp;local and regional schools in the Commonwealth, including three [[charter school]]s, and an additional 109&nbsp;alternative and special education centers across 132&nbsp;[[List of school divisions in Virginia|school divisions]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=All&schoolName=All|format=PDF|title=State Report Cards|work=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|date=April 28, 2011|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://doe.virginiainteractive.org/vdoe_directories/PublicSchoolsByDivisions.aspx|title=Virginia Public Schools&nbsp;— By Division|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|year=2010|accessdate=April 6, 2010}}</ref> Besides the general public schools in Virginia, there are [[Governor's Schools (Virginia)|Governor's Schools]] and selective [[magnet school]]s. The Governor's Schools are a collection of more than 40 regional high schools and summer programs intended for gifted students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/governors_school_programs/index.shtml|title=Governor's School Program|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|year=2010|accessdate=February 12, 2010}}</ref> The Virginia Council for Private Education oversees the regulation of 320&nbsp;state accredited and 130&nbsp;non-accredited private schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vcpe.org/2011-02-20%20VCPE%20Accredited.pdf|format=PDF|title=State Recognized Accredited Schools|publisher=Virginia Council for Private Education|date=February 20, 2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vcpe.org/2011-03-08%20VCPE%20Non-Accredited.pdf|format=PDF|title=Non-Accredited Schools|publisher=Virginia Council for Private Education|date=March 8, 2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> An additional 24,682 students receive homeschooling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/enrollment/home_school_religious_exempt/2010_2011.xls|format=XLS|title=Home-Schooled Students and Religious Exemptions|date=December 16, 2010|accessdate=May 5, 2011|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Education]]}}</ref>

{{As of|2011}}, there are 176&nbsp;[[List of colleges and universities in Virginia|colleges and universities in Virginia]].<ref name=nces>{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=VA|title=College Navigator&nbsp;— Search Results|work=[[National Center for Education Statistics]]|publisher=[[United States Department of Education]]|year=2011|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref> In the ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranking of public colleges, the [[University of Virginia]] is second and [[The College of William & Mary]] is sixth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public|title=Top Public National Universities 2010|work=[[U.S. News and World Report]]|date=April 15, 2010|accessdate=July 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wm.edu/about/history/|title=History & Traditions|publisher=[[College of William and Mary]]|year=2008|accessdate=October 22, 2008}}</ref> [[Virginia Commonwealth University]] is ranked the top public graduate school in fine arts, while [[James Madison University]] has been recognized as the top regional public master's program in [[Southern United States|The South]] since 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-fine-arts-schools/rankings |title=Rankings&nbsp;— Fine Arts&nbsp;— Graduate Schools|work=[[U.S. News and World Report]]|date=April 15, 2010|accessdate=July 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jmu.edu/jmuweb/general/news/general8824.shtml|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070830075957/http://www.jmu.edu/jmuweb/general/news/general8824.shtml|archivedate=August 30, 2007|title=JMU Holds Top Public Regional Rank for 14th Year in 'U.S. News' Survey|work=Public Affairs|publisher=[[James Madison University]]|date=August 17, 2007|accessdate=April 11, 2008}}</ref> The [[Virginia Military Institute]] is the oldest state [[military academy|military college]] and a top ranked public [[liberal arts college]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/127669|title='Just like the guys': A decade of women at VMI|work=[[The Roanoke Times]]|first=Jay|last=Conley|date=August 12, 2007|accessdate=October 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Roanoke Times]]|title=HVMI retains U.S. News' rank as No. 3|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/174003|first=Jay|last=Conley|date=August 22, 2008|accessdate=September 30, 2008}}</ref> [[George Mason University]] is the largest university in Virginia with over 32,000&nbsp;students.<ref>{{cite web|title=In head count, George Mason edges VCU |year=2009|publisher=Richmond Times-Disbatch|url=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/education/article/GMUU15_20091014-221605/299431/|accessdate=July 1, 2009}}</ref> [[Virginia Tech]] and [[Virginia State University]] are the state's [[land-grant university|land-grant universities]]. Virginia also operates 23 [[Virginia Community College System|community colleges]] on 40 campuses serving over 260,000&nbsp;students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vccs.edu/WhoWeAre/FastFacts/tabid/79/Default.aspx|title=Fast Facts|publisher=Virginia's Community Colleges|year=2008|accessdate=August 3, 2009}}</ref> There are 129 private institutions, including [[Washington and Lee University]], [[Randolph College]], [[Hampden–Sydney College]], [[Emory & Henry College]], [[Roanoke College]], and the [[University of Richmond]], [[Randolph-Macon College]].<ref name=nces/>

==Health==
[[File:A.D. Williams Clinic and West Hospital.jpg|thumb|The A.D. Williams Clinic and West Hospital at [[VCU Medical Center]] in Richmond|alt=A red brick high-rise building with several wings and levels in front of a bright blue sky with a traffic light and street sign visible at the bottom.]]
Virginia has a mixed health record, and is ranked as the 20th overall healthiest state according to the 2011 United Health Foundation's Health Rankings.<ref name=ahr>{{cite web|title=Virginia|work=America's Health Rankings 2011|publisher=United Health Foundation|date=|url=http://www.americashealthrankings.org/VA/2011|accessdate=October 6, 2012}}</ref> Virginia also ranks 21st among the states in the rate of premature deaths, 7,100 per 100,000. In 2008, Virginia reached its lowest ever rate of [[infant mortality]], at 6.7 deaths per&nbsp;1,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080401672.html|title=Infant Mortality in Virginia Falls to All-Time Low|first=Anita|last=Kumar|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 4, 2009|accessdate=August 4, 2009}}</ref> 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 [[health insurance]]. According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]'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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Virginia – 2009 Overweight and Obesity (BMI)|publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]|year=2010|url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/display.asp?cat=OB&yr=2009&qkey=4409&state=VA|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Virginia – 2007 Exercise|publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]|year=2010|url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/display.asp?cat=EX&yr=2009&qkey=4347&state=VA|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> About 30% of Virginia's 10- to 17-year-olds are overweight or obese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/healthFamily/obesity.php|title=Measuring Virginia's Obesity Rates|publisher=Virginia Performs|year=2009|accessdate=March 25, 2009}}</ref> Virginia banned smoking in bars and restaurants in January 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/30/restaurant-owners-to-brace-for-smoke-ban|title=Va. restaurant owners bracing for smoke ban|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=November 30, 2009|accessdate=May 6, 2011|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> 19% of Virginians smoke tobacco.<ref name=ahr/> Residents of [[Virginia's 8th congressional district]] share the longest average [[life expectancy]] rate in the nation, over 83 years.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.measureofamerica.org/the-measure-of-america-2010-2011-book/quick-facts/ |title= Quick Facts |year= 2012 |work= American Human Development Project |publisher= Social Science Research Council |accessdate= January 19, 2012}}</ref>

There are 89&nbsp;[[List of hospitals in Virginia|hospitals in Virginia]] listed with the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/hospital-results.aspx?state=VA&htype=0&stype=GENERAL&|title=Hospital Compare|publisher=[[United States Department of Health and Human Services]]|date=December 11, 2010|accessdate=April 12, 2011}}</ref> Notable examples include [[Inova Fairfax Hospital]], the largest hospital in the [[Washington Metropolitan Area]], and the [[VCU Medical Center]], located on the medical campus of [[Virginia Commonwealth University]]. The University of Virginia Medical Center, part of the [[University of Virginia Health System]], is highly ranked in [[endocrinology]] according to ''[[U.S.News & World Report]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/listings/hospitals/6344000|title=University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville|work=Best Hospitals|publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|year=2007|accessdate=February 6, 2008}}</ref> [[Sentara Norfolk General Hospital]], part of the [[Hampton Roads]] based [[Sentara Health System]] and a teaching institution of [[Eastern Virginia Medical School]], was the site of the first successful [[in-vitro fertilization]] birth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/listings/hospitals/6340620|title=Sentara Norfolk General Hospital-Sentara Heart Hospital, Norfolk, Va.|work=Best Hospitals|publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|year=2007|accessdate=February 6, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-05-12-testtube-baby-usat_x.htm|title=America's first 'test-tube baby'|first=Liz|last=Szabo|work=[[USA Today]]|date=May 12, 2004|accessdate=February 6, 2008}}</ref> Virginia has a ratio of 127 [[primary care physician]]s per 10,000 residents, which is the 16th highest nationally.<ref name=ahr/> Virginia was one of five states to receive a perfect score in disaster preparedness according to a 2008 report by the [[Trust for America's Health]], based on criteria such as detecting pathogens and distributing vaccines and medical supplies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/va._gets_high_disaster_preparedness_marks/25973/|title=Va. gets high disaster preparedness marks|date=December 9, 2008|accessdate=December 10, 2008|first=Keith|last=Walker|publisher=Inside NoVA}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transportation in Virginia}}
[[File:Virginia Railway Express train.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Virginia Railway Express]] runs commuter lines in Northern Virginia.|alt=Blue and silver train engine with red and white accent lines moves closer leading a series of similarly colored passenger cars with shrubs and a sound wall in the background.]]

Because of the 1932 [[Byrd Road Act]], the state government controls most of Virginia's roads, instead of a local county authority as is usual in other states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/98-r29.pdf|format=PDF|title=Beyond the Byrd Road Act: VDOT's Relationship with Virginia's Urban Counties|first=Amy A.|last=O'Leary|date=April 1998|accessdate=October 3, 2009|work=[[Virginia Department of Transportation]]}}</ref> {{As of|2011}}, the [[Virginia Department of Transportation]] owns and operates {{convert|57867|mi|km}} of the total {{convert|70105|mi|km}} of roads in the state, making it the third largest state highway system in the United States.<ref name=vdot>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiadot.org/about/vdot_hgwy_sys.asp|title=Virginia's Highway System|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Transportation]]|date=January 12, 2011|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref> Although the Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes [[Northern Virginia]], 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&nbsp;minutes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091800777.html|title=A Ranking Writ In Brake Lights: D.C. 2nd in Traffic|first=Jonathan|last=Mummolo|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 19, 2007|accessdate=March 29, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/transportation/trafficCongestion.php|title=Measuring Traffic Congestion in Virginia|publisher=Virginia Performs|date=April 9, 2009|accessdate=April 30, 2009}}</ref>

Virginia has [[Amtrak]] passenger rail service along several corridors, and [[Virginia Railway Express]] (VRE) maintains two commuter lines into Washington, D.C. from [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] and [[Manassas, Virginia|Manassas]]. VRE is one of the nation's fastest growing commuter rail services, handling nearly 20,000 passengers a day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr-gridlock/2010/10/vre_sets_ridership_record.html|title=VRE sets ridership record|work=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Jennifer|last=Buske|date=October 14, 2010|accessdate=April 12, 2011}}</ref> The [[Washington Metro]] rapid transit system serves Northern Virginia as far west as communities along I-66 in Fairfax County, with [[Silver Line (Washington Metro)|expansion plans]] to reach [[Tysons Corner]] by 2013, and [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun County]] by 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/federal-va-officials-object-to-underground-metro-station-at-dulles-airport/2011/04/13/AF6SK7kD_story.html|title=Federal, Va. officials object to underground Metro station at Dulles airport|first=Kafia A.|last=Hosh|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=April 15, 2011|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref> Major freight railroads in Virginia include [[Norfolk Southern]] and [[CSX Transportation]]. Commuter buses include the [[Fairfax Connector]] and the [[Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus]]. 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 [[Surry County, Virginia|Surry County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/ferry.asp|title=Ferry Information|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Transportation]]|date=December 4, 2007|accessdate=February 14, 2008}}</ref>

Virginia has five major airports: [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington Dulles International]] handling over 23 million passengers a year, and [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Reagan Washington National]] which both serve the [[Washington metropolitan area]] and most of Northern Virginia, [[Norfolk International Airport|Norfolk International]] serving the Hampton Roads area, [[Richmond International Airport|Richmond International]], and [[Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport]]. Several other airports offer limited commercial passenger service, and sixty-six public airports serve the state's aviation needs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doav.virginia.gov/airports.htm|title=Airports|publisher=Virginia Department of Aviation|year=2006|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> The [[Virginia Port Authority]]'s main seaports are those in [[Hampton Roads]], which carried {{convert|17726251|ST|t|lk=on}} of bulk cargo in 2007, the sixth most of United States ports.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hamptonroadsperforms.org/indicators/economy/ports.php|title=Port/Maritime|publisher=Virginia Performs|year=2009|accessdate=May 2, 2009}}</ref> The [[Eastern Shore of Virginia]] is the site of [[Wallops Flight Facility]], a rocket testing center owned by [[NASA]], and the [[Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport]], a commercial spaceport.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodwin|2012|p=305}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/16/AR2006121600880.html|title=At Va. Spaceport, Rocket Launches 1,000 Dreams|first=Michael E.|last=Ruane|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 17, 2006|accessdate=September 10, 2009}}</ref> [[Space tourism]] is also offered through [[Vienna, Virginia|Vienna]]-based [[Space Adventures]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003675354_spacetours21.html?syndication=rss|title=Travel agency launches tourists on out-of-this-world adventures|first=Kim|last=Hart|date=April 21, 2007|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|accessdate=May 26, 2008}}</ref>

==Law and government==
{{Main|Government of Virginia}}
[[File:Va State Capitol.JPG|thumb|The [[Virginia State Capitol]], designed by [[Thomas Jefferson]] and begun by Governor [[Patrick Henry]] in 1785, is home to the [[Virginia General Assembly]].|alt=All white Neoclassical building with pediment and six columns rises on a grassy hill with a large American elm tree in the left foreground. Two boxier, but similarly styled wings are attached at the building's rear.]]
In colonial Virginia, free men elected the lower house of the legislature, called the [[House of Burgesses]], which together with the Governor's Council, made the "General Assembly". Founded in 1619, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] is still in existence as the oldest legislature in the Western Hemisphere.<ref name=burgesses>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/06/AR2006050601099_pf.html|title=Latest Budget Standoff Met With Shrugs|first1=Rosalind S.|last1=Helderman|first2=Chris L.|last2=Jenkins|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 7, 2006|accessdate=November 24, 2007}}</ref> The modern government is ranked by the [[Pew Research Center|Pew Center on the States]] with an A− in terms of its efficiency, effectiveness, and infrastructure. This is the second time Virginia received the highest grade in the nation, which it shares with two others.<ref name=pew>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/03/ST2008030303550.html|title=Government Takes Top Honors in Efficiency|first=Sandhya|last=Somashekhar|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 4, 2008|accessdate=March 11, 2008}}</ref>

Since 1971, the government has functioned under the seventh [[Constitution of Virginia]], which provides for a strong legislature and a unified judicial system. Similar to the [[federal government of the United States|federal structure]], the government is divided in [[Separation of powers|three branches]]: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature is the [[Virginia General Assembly|General Assembly]], a bicameral body whose 100-member [[Virginia House of Delegates|House of Delegates]] and 40-member [[Senate of Virginia|Senate]] write the laws for the Commonwealth. The Assembly is stronger than the executive, as it selects judges and justices. The Governor and [[Lieutenant Governor of Virginia|Lieutenant Governor]] are elected every four years in separate elections. Incumbent [[List of Virginia Governors|governors]] cannot run for re-election, however the Lieutenant Governor and [[Attorney General of Virginia|Attorney General]] can, and governors may serve non-consecutive terms.<ref name=constitution>{{cite journal|title=Commentaries on the Constitution of Virginia by A. E. Dick Howard|first=Albert L.|last=Strum|journal=The American Political Science Review|volume=71|issue=2|date=June 1977|pages=714–715|jstor=1978427|doi=10.2307/1978427|last2=Howard|first2=A. E. Dick}}</ref> The judicial system, the oldest in America, consists of a hierarchy from the [[Supreme Court of Virginia]] and the [[Court of Appeals of Virginia]] to the [[Virginia Circuit Court|Circuit Courts]], the trial courts of general jurisdiction, and the lower [[Virginia General District Court|General District Courts]] and [[Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court|Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/cib.pdf|format=PDF|title=Virginia Courts In Brief|publisher=Virginia Judicial System|date=May 5, 2009|accessdate=August 17, 2009}}</ref>

The [[Code of Virginia]] is the statutory law, and consists of the codified legislation of the General Assembly. The [[Virginia State Police]] is the largest [[List of law enforcement agencies in Virginia|law enforcement agency in Virginia]]. The [[Virginia Capitol Police]] is the oldest police department in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vcp.state.va.us/message.htm|title=Message from the Chief|year=2008|first=Kimberly|last=Lettner|publisher=The Division of Capitol Police|accessdate=September 10, 2009}}</ref> The [[Virginia National Guard]] consists of 7,500&nbsp;soldiers in the [[Virginia Army National Guard]] and 1,200&nbsp;airmen in the [[Virginia Air National Guard]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vko.va.ngb.army.mil/VirginiaGuard/history/overview.html|title=Serving Commonwealth and Country|first1=John W.|last1=Listman, Jr.|first2=Lt. Col. Chester C.|last2=Carter, III|publisher=[[Virginia Army National Guard]]|date=August 20, 2007|accessdate=February 11, 2008}}</ref> Since the resumption of [[capital punishment in Virginia]] in 1982, [[List of individuals executed in Virginia|107 people have been executed]], the second highest number in the nation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-condemned-women-20100924,0,1991421.story|title=Virginia's execution of a woman may signal shift in national thinking|first=Carol J.|last=Williams|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 23, 2010|accessdate=September 24, 2010}}</ref> The "total crime risk" is 28% lower than the national average.<ref name=quick>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/local-explorer/quick-facts?search=VA|title=Quick Facts for Virginia|work=[[The Washington Post]]|year=2009|accessdate=September 11, 2009}}</ref> Since Virginia ended prisoner parole in 1995, the rate of [[recidivism]] has fallen to 28.3%, among the lowest nationwide.<ref>{{cite news|title=Va. returning prisoners to jail at lower-than-average rate, study shows|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=April 13, 2011|first=Michael S.|last=Rosenwald}}</ref>  Virginia is an [[Open carry in the United States|open-carry state]].

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of Virginia}}
{{See also|Political party strength in Virginia}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:2em; font-size:90%;"
|+ '''Presidential elections results'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=51&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – New York|publisher=US Election Atlas|accessdate=January 10, 2010|author=Leip, David}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
!Year
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]]
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 2012|2012]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|47.28% ''1,822,522''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''51.16%''' ''1,971,820''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|46.33% ''1,725,005''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''52.63%''' ''1,959,532''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''53.68%''' ''1,716,959''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|45.48% ''1,454,742''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''52.47%''' ''1,437,490''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|44.44% ''1,217,290''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 1996|1996]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''47.10%''' ''1,138,350''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|45.15% ''1,091,060''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 1992|1992]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''44.97%''' ''1,150,517''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|40.59% ''1,038,650''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 1988|1988]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''59.74%''' ''1,309,162''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|39.23% ''859,799''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 1984|1984]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''62.29%''' ''1,337,078''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|37.09% ''796,250''
|-
| [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''53.03%''' ''989,609''
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|40.31% ''752,174''
|-
|}
Over the 20th century, Virginia shifted from a largely rural, [[Politics of the Southern United States|politically Southern]] and conservative state to a more urbanized, pluralistic, and politically moderate environment. Up until the 1970s, Virginia was a racially divided [[single-party state]] dominated by the [[Byrd Organization]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5001263885|title="Sheep without a Shepherd": The New Deal Faction in the Virginia Democratic Party|first=James R.|last=Sweeney|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|volume=29|year=1999|accessdate=March 31, 2008|doi=10.1111/1741-5705.00043|page=438|issue=2}}</ref> The [[History of slavery in Virginia|legacy of slavery in the state]] effectively [[disfranchisement|disfranchised]] African Americans until after passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Promise and prejudice: Wise County, Virginia and the Great Migration, 1910–1920|first=Michael H.|last=Burchett|journal=The Journal of Negro History|volume=82|issue=3|date=Summer 1997|doi=10.2307/2717675|jstor=2717675|pages=312–327}}</ref> Enfranchisement and immigration of other groups, especially Hispanics, have placed growing importance on minority voting,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/node/172411|title=Webb, Allen court Hispanic, white-collar voters in N. Va.|date=October 25, 2006|first=Dale|last=Eisman|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|accessdate=March 29, 2008}}</ref> while voters that identify as "white working-class" declined by three percent between 2008 and 2012.<ref name=obama12/> Regional differences play a large part in Virginia politics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/12/AR2008021203200_pf.html|title=In Virginia, Results Signal A State in Play for November|first1=Bill|last1=Turque|first2=Ovetta|last2=Wiggins|first3=Nikita|last3=Stewart|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=February 13, 2008|accessdate=September 29, 2008}}</ref> Rural southern and western areas moved to support the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in response to its "[[southern strategy]]", while urban and growing suburban areas, including much of [[Northern Virginia]], form the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] [[base (politics)|base]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States|first1=Gary|last1=Miller|first2=Norman|last2=Schofield|journal=The American Political Science Review|volume=97|issue=2|date=May 2003|pages=245–260|jstor=3118207}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/10/ST2007121001571.html|title=Tensions Could Hurt Majority in Va. Senate|first=Tim|last=Craig|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 11, 2007|accessdate=December 23, 2007}}</ref> Democratic support also persists in union-influenced parts of [[Southwest Virginia]], college towns such as [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] and [[Blacksburg, Virginia|Blacksburg]], and the southeastern [[Black Belt Region]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=African American Legislative Politics in Virginia|first1=Michael L.|last1=Clemons|first2=Charles E.|last2=Jones|journal=[[Journal of Black Studies]]|volume=30|issue=6, Special Issue: African American State Legislative Politics|date=July 2000|pages=744–767|doi=10.1177/002193470003000603|jstor=2645922}}</ref>

[[Political party strength in Virginia]] has likewise been in flux. In the [[Virginia state elections, 2007|2007 state elections]], Democrats regained control of the [[Senate of Virginia|State Senate]], and narrowed the Republican majority in the [[Virginia House of Delegates|House of Delegates]] to eight seats.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/07/AR2007110700553_2.html|title=Kaine Hails 'Balance' in New Political Landscape|first1=Tim|last1=Craig|first2=Anita|last2=Kumar|date=November 8, 2007|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=November 7, 2007}}</ref> Yet [[Virginia elections, 2009|elections in 2009]] resulted in the election of Republican [[Bob McDonnell]] as [[Governor of Virginia|Governor]] by a seventeen point margin, the election of a Republican [[Lieutenant Governor of Virginia|Lieutenant Governor]] and [[Attorney General of Virginia|Attorney General]], as well as Republican gains of six seats in the House of Delegates.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110300371.html|title=GOP reclaims Virginia|first1=Rosalind S.|last1=Helderman|first2=Anita|last2=Kumar|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 4, 2009|accessdate=November 4, 2009}}</ref> 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 [[Bill Bolling]] as the tie-breaker.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/11/10/gop_claims_va_senate_majority_after_dem_concedes/|title=GOP claims Va. Senate majority after Dem concedes|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|first=Bob|last=Lewis|date=November 10, 2011|accessdate=November 15, 2011}}</ref> Following the [[Virginia elections, 2013|2013 elections]], Democrat [[Terry McAuliffe]] was elected Governor by two and half percentage points,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://apps.washingtonpost.com/elections/guide/2013/VA/general/|title=Decision 2013: Virginia general election results|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 6, 2013|accessdate=November 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57611013/mcauliffe-wins-nailbiter-virginia-governors-race/|title=McAuliffe wins nailbiter Virginia governor's race|work=[[CBS News]]|date=November 6, 2013|accessdate=November 6, 2013}}</ref> while Democrat [[Ralph Northam]] was elected Lieutenant Governor by almost double digits.<ref name="elections.huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2013/results?rr|title=2013 Elections: Governor, Mayor, Congress|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=November 6, 2013|accessdate=November 6, 2013|first=Aaron|last=Bycoffe}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/virginia-election-results_n_4175432.html|title=Virginia Election Results: Terry McAuliffe Beats Ken Cuccinelli In Governor's Race|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=November 6, 2013|accessdate=November 6, 2013|first=Paige|last=Lavender}}</ref> Republicans, however, maintained their super-majority (68–32) in the House of Delegates.<ref name="elections.huffingtonpost.com"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=SWR&map=CTY|title=2013: Virginia House of Delegates election results|work=Virginia Board of Elections|date=November 12, 2013|accessdate=November 12, 2013}}</ref> State election seasons traditionally start with the annual [[Shad Planking]] event in [[Wakefield, Virginia|Wakefield]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30248457/|title=Shad Planking kicks Virginia race into gear|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|first=Mark|last=Murray|date=April 16, 2009|accessdate=May 7, 2009}}</ref>

In federal elections since 2006, both parties have seen successes. Republican Senator [[George Allen (U.S. politician)|George Allen]] lost close races in [[Virginia United States Senate election, 2006|2006]], to Democratic newcomer [[Jim Webb]], and again in [[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2012|2012]], to Webb's replacement, former Governor [[Tim Kaine]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-the-aftermath-of-the-2012-election-battleground-virginias-political-winners-and-losers/2012/11/11/0ea30b1c-2c17-11e2-b631-2aad9d9c73ac_story.html|title=In the aftermath of the 2012 election, battleground Virginia's political winners and losers|first=Bob|last=Lewis|work=[[Washington Post]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=November 11, 2012|accessdate=November 24, 2012}}</ref> In [[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008|2008]], the Democrats took both U.S. Senate seats when former Governor [[Mark Warner]] was elected to replace retiring Republican [[John Warner]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110404091.html|title=Warner Rolls Past His Fellow Former Governor|first=Anita|last=Kumar|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 5, 2008|accessdate=November 5, 2008}}</ref> Virginia, which has 13 electoral votes, was won by Democrat [[Barack Obama]] in [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] and [[United States presidential election, 2012|2012]], after being won by Republican candidates in the previous ten [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]].<ref name=obama12>{{cite news |url= http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-07/obama-repeats-victory-in-former-republican-stronghold-virginia |title= Obama Repeats Win in Former Republican Stronghold Virginia |work= [[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |first= Heidi |last= Przybyla |date= November 7, 2012 |accessdate= November 24, 2012}}</ref> In the [[Virginia elections, 2010|2010 elections]], Republicans picked up three House seats from Democrats. Of the state's [[List of United States Representatives from Virginia|11 seats]] in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], Republicans hold eight and Democrats hold three. Virginia is considered a "[[swing state]]" in future presidential elections.<ref name=purple>{{cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/44/2007/10/12/the_purpling_of_america.html|title=Painting America Purple|first=Dan|last=Balz|authorlink=Dan Balz|date=October 12, 2007|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=November 24, 2007}}
</ref>

==Sports==
{{See also|List of professional sports teams in Virginia}}
[[File:Glennon Hands off to Ore 2007 ECU crop.jpg|thumb|alt=A quarterback hands off the football to his running back. The team is dressed in Chicago maroon and burnt orange jerseys with white pants.|The [[Virginia Tech Hokies football]] team has the second longest [[List of Virginia Tech Hokies bowl games|bowl game streak]] in the nation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2013/12/va-techucla-set-sun-bowl-dec-31|title=Va. Tech-UCLA is set for Sun Bowl on Dec. 31|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|accessdate=December 11, 2013|date=December 8, 2013|first=Andy|last=Bitter}}</ref>]]
Virginia is the most populous U.S. state without a [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports league]] franchise.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.facilityplanners.com/news/pdf/Professional%20Sports%20in%20Hampton%20Roads.pdf|format=PDF|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080226215152/http://www.facilityplanners.com/news/pdf/Professional+Sports+in+Hampton+Roads.pdf|archivedate=February 26, 2008|title=Region Works to Attract Franchise Area Makes "Short List" for Existing Team's Move|date=July 19, 2001|first=Harry|last=Minium|work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|accessdate=December 9, 2007}}</ref> The reasons for this include the lack of any dominant city or market within the state, the proximity of [[Sports in Washington, D.C.|teams in Washington, D.C.]] and [[Sports in North Carolina|North Carolina]], and a reluctance to publicly finance stadiums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/urbanissues/bg1223.cfm|date=October 2, 1998|title=Cities in Denial: The False Promise of Subsidized Tourist and Entertainment Complexes|first=Ronald D.|last=Utt|work=[[The Heritage Foundation]]|accessdate=October 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/professional/football/redskins/virginia-contemplates-making-play-for-new-redskins-stadium/article_10394059-d05a-5bb8-91d5-a15be072eea3.html |title= Virginia contemplates making play for new Redskins stadium |work= [[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |first= Michael |last= Phillips |date= August 17, 2013 |accessdate= September 5, 2013}}</ref> [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] is host to the two highest-level minor league teams in the state: The [[Triple-A (baseball)|AAA]] [[Norfolk Tides]] and the [[American Hockey League|AHL's]] [[Norfolk Admirals]], winners of the [[2012 Calder Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8031201/norfolk-admirals-sweep-toronto-marlies-first-calder-cup-title |title= Norfolk Admirals win Calder Cup |work= [[ESPN]] |date= June 9, 2012 |accessdate= September 11, 2012 |agency= [[Associated Press]]}}</ref> The [[San Francisco Giants]]' [[Double-A (baseball)|AA team]], the [[Richmond Flying Squirrels]], began play at [[The Diamond (Richmond, Virginia)|The Diamond]] in 2010, replacing the AAA [[Richmond Braves]], who relocated after 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/minors/minors_baseball/article/BASE02_20100401-221608/334637/|title=Squirrels will nest at Diamond for several years|first=John|last=O'Connor|date=April 2, 2010|work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]|accessdate=April 27, 2010}}</ref> Additionally, the [[Washington Nationals]], [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Seattle Mariners]], [[Chicago White Sox]], and [[Atlanta Braves]] also have Single-A and Rookie-level [[farm team]]s in Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.org/baseball/|title=Baseball in Virginia|publisher=[[Virginia is for Lovers]]|year=2011|accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref>

The [[Washington Redskins]] have Redskins Park, their headquarters, in [[Ashburn, Virginia|Ashburn]] and their training facility is in Richmond,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.roanoke.com/sports/2167786-12/washington-redskins-go-home-to-spruced-up-facility.html |title= Washington Redskins go home to spruced-up facility |work= [[The Roanoke Times]] |date= August 22, 2013 |accessdate= September 5, 2013 |first= Michael |last= Phillips}}</ref> and the [[Washington Capitals]] train at [[Kettler Capitals Iceplex]] in [[Ballston, Arlington, Virginia|Ballston]]. Virginia has many professional caliber golf courses including the [[Greg Norman]] course at Lansdowne Resort and Kingsmill Resort, home of the [[Kingsmill Championship]]. [[NASCAR]] currently schedules [[Sprint Cup Series|Sprint Cup]] races on two tracks in Virginia: [[Martinsville Speedway]] and [[Richmond International Raceway]]. Current Virginia drivers in the series include [[Jeff Burton]], [[Denny Hamlin]], and [[Elliott Sadler]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.org/nascar/|title=NASCAR in Virginia|work=[[Virginia is for Lovers]]|year=2011|accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref>

Virginia does not allow state appropriated funds to be used for either operational or capital expenses for intercollegiate athletics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2004-02-18-athletic-spending-cover_x.htm|title=Athletic spending grows as academic funds dry up|first1=MaryJo|last1=Sylwester|first2=Tom|last2=Witosky|date=February 18, 2004|work=[[USA Today]]|accessdate=August 16, 2010}}</ref> Despite this, both the [[Virginia Cavaliers]] and [[Virginia Tech Hokies]] have been able to field competitive teams in the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] and maintain modern facilities. [[Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry|Their rivalry]] is followed statewide. Several other universities compete in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]], particularly in the [[Colonial Athletic Association]]. Three [[historically black colleges and universities|historically black schools]] compete in the Division II [[Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association]], and two others compete in the Division I [[Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference]]. Several smaller schools compete in the [[Old Dominion Athletic Conference]] and the [[USA South Athletic Conference]] of NCAA Division III. The NCAA currently holds its [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] [[NCAA Division III national football championship|championships in football]], men's basketball, volleyball and softball in [[Salem, Virginia|Salem]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-12-13-focus-salem_x.htm|title=Virginia town is big game central|first=Erik|last=Brady|work=[[USA Today]]|date=December 14, 2006|accessdate=February 6, 2008}}</ref>

==State symbols==
{{Main|List of Virginia state symbols}}
[[File:Virginia new sign.jpg|thumb|The Virginia welcome sign at the Virginia welcome center on [[Interstate 95|I-95]] employs the state bird, the [[Northern Cardinal|cardinal]], and the state tree and flower, the [[Cornus florida|dogwood]].|alt=A large square metal sign, mostly white, with the words Virginia Welcomes You in blue and red. In the center a red cardinal bird sits on a branch with two white flowers around it.]]
The state nickname is its oldest symbol, though it has never been made official by law. Virginia was given the title "[[Dominion]]" by King [[Charles II of England]] at the time of [[The Restoration]], because it had remained loyal to the crown during the [[English Civil War]], and the present moniker, "Old Dominion" is a reference to that title. The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents", is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as [[Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state of birth|President of the United States]], including four of the first five.<ref name=factpack/>

The state's motto, ''[[Sic semper tyrannis|Sic Semper Tyrannis]]'', 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.<ref name=factpack>{{cite web|url=http://legis.state.va.us/1_cap_class/class_media/4_5_pdfs/factpack-1.pdf|title=Factpack|publisher=[[Virginia General Assembly]]|date=January 11, 2007|accessdate=October 14, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> The majority of the other symbols were made official in the late 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legis.state.va.us/1_cap_class/9-12/9_12_emb_symb.html|title=Capitol Classroom|publisher=[[Virginia General Assembly]]|date=December 13, 2007|accessdate=April 12, 2008}}</ref> The [[Virginia reel (dance)|Virginia reel]] is among the [[square dance]]s classified as the [[List of U.S. state dances|state dance]].<ref name=eov/> Virginia currently has no [[List of U.S. state songs|state song]]. In 1940, Virginia made "[[Carry Me Back to Old Virginny]]" the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/berrier/wb/146590|title=Carry me back to the state song search|work=[[The Roanoke Times]]|date=January 11, 2008|accessdate=September 10, 2009|first=Ralph|last=Berrier}}</ref> Various alternatives, including a version of "[[Oh Shenandoah]]", have met with resistance in the [[Virginia House of Delegates]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-54991|title=Proposed state song doesn't bring down the House|first=Michael|last=Sluss|date=March 2, 2006|accessdate=October 14, 2008|work=The Roanoke Times}}</ref>
{|border="0" style="margin:auto;"
|-
|valign="top"|
* [[List of U.S. state mammals|Mammal]]: [[Townsend's big-eared bat|Virginia Big-Eared Bat]]
* [[List of U.S. state beverages|Beverage]]: [[Milk]]
* [[List of U.S. state ships|Boat]]: [[Chesapeake Bay deadrise]]
* [[List of U.S. state birds|Bird]]: [[Northern Cardinal|Cardinal]]
* [[List of U.S. state dances|Dance]]: [[Square dance|Square dancing]]
|valign="top"|
* [[List of U.S. state mammals|Dog]]: [[American Foxhound]]
* [[List of U.S. state fish|Fish]]: [[Brook trout]], [[Striped bass]]
* [[List of U.S. state flowers|Flower]]/[[List of U.S. state trees|Tree]]: [[Cornus florida|Dogwood]]
* [[List of U.S. state fossils|Fossil]]: ''[[Chesapecten jeffersonius]]''
* [[List of U.S. state insects|Insect]]: [[Eastern Tiger Swallowtail|Tiger swallowtail]]
|valign="top"|
* [[List of U.S. state mottos|Motto]]: [[Sic semper tyrannis|Sic Semper Tyrannis]]
* [[List of U.S. state nicknames|Nickname]]: The Old Dominion
* [[List of U.S. state shells|Shell]]: [[Eastern oyster]]
* [[List of U.S. state slogans|Slogan]]: [[Virginia is for Lovers]]
* [[List of U.S. state tartans|Tartan]]: [[Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan|Virginia Quadricentennial]]
|}
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|United States|Virginia}}
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Virginia]] 
*[[History of Virginia]] 
*[[History of Virginia on stamps]]
*[[Virginia in the American Civil War]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

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* {{Cite book|last=Hoffer|first=Peter Charles|year=2006|title=The Brave New World: A History of Early America|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press|JHU Press]]|location=Baltimore|isbn=0-8018-8483-7|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=bX0t5dMokXYC|title=The Virginia Handbook|edition=3|first1=Blair|last1=Howard|first2=Mary|last2=Burnham|first3=Bill|last3=Burnham|publisher=Hunter Publishing|location=Edison, NJ|year=2006|isbn=1-58843-512-1|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|title=American Boundaries: The Nation, the States, the Rectangular Survey|first=Bill|last=Hubbard, Jr.|year=2009|url=http://books.google.com/?id=LMacwod5KLwC&pg=PA140|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|location=Chicago|isbn=0-226-35591-8|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Joseph|first=John Earl|title=Language and Politics|publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]]|location=Edinburgh|year=2006|isbn=0-7486-2453-8|url=http://books.google.com/?id=pJu5veUAo7kC&pg=PA63|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=McGraw|first=Eliza|title=Two Covenants: Representations of Southern Jewishness|publisher=[[Louisiana State University Press]]|location=Baton Rouge|date=June 24, 2005|isbn=0-8071-3043-5|url=http://books.google.com/?id=EzR13rJBwc4C&pg=PA14|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Kerby A.|first2=Arnold|last2=Schrier|first3=Bruce D.|last3=Boling|first4=David N.|last4=Doyle|title=Irish immigrants in the land of Canaan|url=http://books.google.com/?id=bq79_YZ8ViIC|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2003|isbn=0-19-504513-0|location=New York|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Moran|first=Michael G.|title=Inventing Virginia: Sir Walter Raleigh and the Rhetoric of Colonization, 1584–1590|publisher=[[Peter Lang (publishing company)|Peter Lang]]|location=New York|year=2007|isbn=0-8204-8694-9|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Morgan|first=Lynda|title=Emancipation in Virginia's Tobacco Belt, 1850–1870|publisher=[[University of Georgia Press]]|location=Athens, GA|year=1992|isbn=0-8203-1415-3|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Morgan|first=Philip D.|title=Slave Counterpoint|location=Chapel Hill|publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]]|year=1998|isbn=0-8078-4717-8|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Palmer|first=Tim|title=America by Rivers|publisher=[[Island Press]]|year=1998|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=1-55963-264-X|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ctA1eNFvI-oC&pg=PA49|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pazzaglia|first=Frank James|title=Excursions in Geology and History: Field Trips in the Middle Atlantic States|publisher=[[Geological Society of America]]|year=2006|location=Boulder, CO|isbn=0-8137-0008-6|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vQdHRNitfOoC&pg=PA135|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pinn|first=Anthony B.|title=African American Religious Cultures|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2009|isbn=1-57607-470-6|url=http://books.google.com/?id=xEEIY4Q1ZAIC&pg=PA175|location=Santa Barbara, CA|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Olitzky|first=Kerry|authorlink=Kerry Olitzky|title=The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook|location=Westport, CT|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]]|year=1996|isbn=0-313-28856-9|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|title=Guide to the National Park Areas|first1=David L.|last1=Scott|first2=Kay W.|last2=Scott|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Z8DCRmgPOewC&pg=PA307|publisher=Globe Pequot|location=Guilford, CT|year=2004|isbn=0-7627-2988-0|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=WNEYCRIIQy4C&pg=PA152|title=Moon Virginia: Including Washington, D.C.|first=Julian|last=Smith|publisher=[[Moon Publications|Avalon Travel]]|location=Berkeley, CA|edition=4|year=2008|isbn=1-59880-011-6|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Robertson|first=James I.|authorlink=James I. Robertson, Jr.|title=Civil War Virginia: Battleground for a Nation|year=1993|publisher=[[University of Virginia Press]]|location=Charlottesville|isbn=0-8139-1457-4|url=http://books.google.com/?id=RKDkDZ6GLPcC|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Stewart|first=George|title=Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States|authorlink=George R. Stewart|year=2008|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York|isbn=1-59017-273-6|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Van Zandt|first=Franklin K.|title=Boundaries of the United States and the several States|year=1976|publisher=U.S. Govt. Print. Off.|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=skxAAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Vollmann|first=William T.|authorlink=William T. Vollmann|title=Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith|url=http://books.google.com/?id=hh0WYbclptAC&pg=PA695|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2002|location=New York|isbn=0-14-200150-3|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|last=Wallenstein|first=Peter|authorlink=Peter Wallenstein|title=Cradle of America: Four Centuries of Virginia History|publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]]|location=Lawrence, KS|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7006-1507-0|url=http://books.google.com/?id=qiwSAAAAYAAJ|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=pnuFW6zT0T8C&pg=PA41|title=The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book|first=CiCi|last=Williamson|publisher=[[Keen communications|Menasha Ridge Press]]|location=Birmingham, AL|year=2008|isbn=0-89732-657-1|ref=harv}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Virginia}}
* {{tlp|dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Virginia}}
* [http://encyclopediavirginia.org/about Encyclopedia Virginia]

;Government
* [http://portal.virginia.gov/ State Government website]
* [http://legis.state.va.us/ Virginia General Assembly]
* [http://www.courts.state.va.us/ Virginia's Judicial system]
* [http://legis.state.va.us/Laws/search/Constitution.htm Constitution of Virginia]
* [http://www.mycountycourthouse.com/virginia/ Virginia State and County Government Websites]

;Tourism and recreation
* [http://www.virginia.org/ Virginia Tourism Website]
* [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/state_park.shtml Virginia State Parks]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/VAmainstreet/ Virginia Main Street Communities Travel]

;Culture and history
* [http://www.vahistorical.org/ Virginia Historical Society]
* [http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/index.php Virginia's First People]
* [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/VAGuide/frame.html WPA Guide to the Old Dominion]
* [http://www.lva.virginia.gov/ Library of Virginia]

;Maps and Demographics
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=VA USGS geographic resources of Virginia]
* [http://climate.virginia.edu/ Virginia State Climatology Office]
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/va.htm Virginia State Fact Sheet]
*{{osmrelation|224042}}
{{clear}}

{{Navboxes
|title = <span style="font-size:11pt;">Topics related to Virginia</span> <br /> ''The Old Dominion''
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{{s-bef|before=[[New Hampshire]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of statehood]]|years=Ratified [[Constitution of the United States of America|Constitution]] on June 25, 1788 (10th)}}
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