81 Virginia Facts and Weird Laws

Virginia is home to eight U.S. Presidents—no other state produced more United States Presidents than this state. Four out of the first U.S. presidents were born here.

Monticello and Mount Vernon, two of the state’s top attractions, are both homes of presidents.

Most of the Civil war Battlefields and the sites where the American Revolutionary War and Civil War ended are located in this state.

Rich history is only one of the many amazing things Virginia offers. 

Its natural wonders, including the Natural Bridge and the Luray Caverns, forms the center of the state’s attractions.

Today is your lucky day because we’ve compiled a list of fun facts about Virginia even locals wouldn’t want to miss.

Let’s dive into the interesting facts about Virginia.

Crazy Facts About Virginia

1. Virginia is home to eight U.S. Presidents. 
2. Virginia is the first state to grow peanuts in the U.S.
3. Nearly half the population of the U.S. lives within 500 miles of Richmond.
4. The largest office building globally, the Pentagon, is located in Virginia.
5. Virginia is the Internet capital of the world.
6. Virginia is one of the leading states with personalized license plates.
7. Virginia is one of the safest states for driving.
8. Shenandoah National Park is home to the federally endangered Shenandoah salamander.
9. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel is the world’s largest bridge complex.

Virginia Facts – Politics

1. Virginia’s political atmosphere is the most intriguing of all the states. While Democratic presidential candidates have won Virginia in the last four elections, the statewide offices remain competitive. Joe Biden carried Virginia in 2020, but the Republicans won all the statewide offices.
2. Virginia has 13 electoral votes in the electoral college. 
3. Joe Biden won Virginia with a 10.11% victory margin, the highest of any Democratic presidential candidate since the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.
4. Between 1952 to 2004, the state was reliably red. The only Democratic Party win came in 1964 during the Lyndon B. Johnson landslide.
5. Urban and suburban regions support Democrats, while the rural areas are Republican-leaning. 
6. Virginia state elections happen in odd-numbered years.
7. Virginia state had the most gerrymandered General Assembly of any state during the 2018-2019 session. 
8. Glen Youngkin, the current governor, became the first Republican candidate to win the governorship in 2009.
9. The Virginia General Assembly is the nation’s oldest. The first assembly meeting took place in 1619 at Jamestown Church. 
10. The current Virginia Constitution is the seventh. Voters approved it in 1970.
11. Virginia’s bicameral General Assembly has 140 members –100 members of the House of Representatives and 40-member senate.
12. The Supreme Court is the top court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

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Virginia Facts – History

13. The first inhabitants of this region arrived about 12,000 years ago. 
14. The native Americans in this region included the Siouan, Meherrin, and Nottoway.
15. The 1606 Virginia charter by King James I of England is the first charter in this region. It was issued after the collapse of Walter Raleigh’s colony.
16. Virginia colony ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1777, becoming the first colony to do so.
17. The capital was transferred from Williamsburg to Richmond due to security-related issues.
18. James Madison drafted the Virginia plan (in 1787) and the Bill of Rights (1789).
19. Did you know that Virginia also gave up a portion of it to form the District of Columbia? The Virginia portion was retroceded again.
20. Virginia is the mother of States due to the large numbers of American pioneers born in the state and carving out other states such as Kentucky.
21. Over 32,000 Virginians died in the American Civil War.
22. The state also adopted Jim Crow Laws and introduced the poll tax. 
23. Collis Potter Huntington’s company Newport News Shipbuilding built weapons, including ships during World War I and II.
24. During the Korean War, the Central Intelligence Agency moved from Foggy Bottom to Langley, Virginia.

Virginia Facts – Geography

25.  Virginia ranks 35th in terms of area–110,786 km².
26. The largest cities in Virginia include Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Richmond.
27. Located in the Southeastern region of the United States, Virginia borders Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington, DC, North Carolina, Maryland, and the Atlantic Ocean. 
28.  Most of the Virginia rivers drain into the Chesapeake Bay, including the James, Potomac, and Rappahannock, York. 
29. The Chesapeake Bay has three peninsulas: the Virginia Peninsula, the Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck peninsula. 
30. Between the fall line and Atlantic coast lies the Coastal plains, Tidewater.
31. Mount Rogers is the highest point in the state at 5,729 above sea level. The mountain is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains.
32. The Ridge and Valley region is home to Shenandoah Valley and the Massanutten Mountain ridge.
33. Southwest Virginia has the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau. 
34. Rivers in the Southwest region flow into the Ohio River Basin. 
35. The largest earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hit Central Virginia in 2011. 
36. The state has over 4,000 limestone caves, including Skyline Caverns and Luray Caverns.
37. The Natural Bridge of Virginia was a limestone cave roof.
38. Virginia precipitation averages 110 cm per year.
39. The state is vulnerable to bad weather, with Hurricanes, storms, and Tornadoes hitting it. 
40. The most destructive Hurricane was the 1969 Hurricane Camille which killed over 150 people.
41. The highest snowfall ever was the January 2016 Blizzard, which attained 93 inches close to Bluemont.

Virginia Facts – Flora, And Fauna

42. Nearly 62% of Virginia is covered by forest. Hardwood forests dominate other plants.
43. Hickory and Oak are native to Western Virginia and the mountainous regions.
44. Yellow Pines dominate the Piedmont and Tidewater regions. 
45.  Other plants include the flowering dogwood (State tree), red spruce, tulip-poplar, and Atlantic White cedar.
46. Dandelions, Virginia creeper, milkweed, ferns, daisies, and ferns thrive in this state.
47. The Thompson Wildlife area in Fauquier has the nation’s highest population of trillium wildflowers.
48. Federal lands in Virginia include 30 National Park Service units such as the Appalachian Trail, Great Falls Park, and Shenandoah park.
49. Over 70 mammal species in this state include white-tail deer, gray fox, bobcats, raccoons, coyotes, and skunks. 

50. Reptiles include beavers, weasels, groundhogs, and Allegheny woodrats.
51. Virginia’s big-eared bat is the state’s animal.
52. Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial native to North America.
53. Porpoises, whales, and dolphins are aquatic mammals living in Virginia waters.
54. Virginia is home to over 400 species of birds.
55.  Virginia rail and sandpipers are some of the waterbirds in this state.
56. Inland birds include cardinal (state bird), Warbles, and woodpeckers.
57.  Birds of the prey include broad-winged hawks, osprey, and barred owls. 
58. Peregrine falcon is the endangered bird species in this state.
59. Virginia is home to over 500 freshwater and saltwater fish species, including smallmouth bass, brook trout, Roanoke bass, blue-spotted sunfish, and estuarine fish.
60. There are over 30 snake species in this region, but the northern watersnake is the most common.

Virginia Facts – Demographics

61. Virginia is the 12th most populous state with over 8,631,393 people.
62. The largest city by population in Virginia is Virginia Beach. 
63. Richmond is the  state capital city of Virginia.
64. Virginia has a population density of 202 people per square mile.
65. Virginia state is home to eleven metropolitan statistical areas.
66. The median age in Virginia is around 37 years.
67. Seventy-three percent of Virginians are Christians, 6% subscribe to other faiths, while 20% don’t subscribe to any religion.
68. West Virginia and Kentucky were formerly part of Virginia. 
69. Whites are the dominant racial group in this state, followed by African Americans.

Virginia Facts – Economy

70.  Virginia’s economy depends on high-tech, military, and farming.
71. Before Covid, Virginia had a 2.9% unemployment rate.
72. The Pentagon-the world’s largest office building- is located in Arlington, Virginia.
73. The Hampton Roads metropolitan area has the highest number of military personnel.
74. Langley, Virginia, is the headquarters of the Central Intelligence agency. 
75. The U.S. Geological Survey is located in Reston.
76. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office plus the National Science Foundation are located in Alexandria.
77. Over 20 Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters in Virginia.
78. Virginia is one of the leading data centers globally. 
79. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Virginia.
80. Virginia produces one of the highest volumes of wine in the country.
81. Virginia is one of the chief producers of seafood in the country.

Famous Locations in Virginia 

1. Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, located in Virginia, had beautiful hiking trails and sceneries such as the Blue Ridge Mountains.
2. Colonial Williamsburg recreates the state during the American Revolutionary War like no other place anywhere in the state.

3. Virginia Beach boasts large golden sand and other sceneries, including the Virginia Aquarium.
4. Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington, D.C., is where popular Americans are buried, including President John F. Kennedy.

5. Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, is filled with the family portraits of George and Martha Washington.
6. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville is one of the most visited presidential homes in the country. 
7. Luray Caverns in Luray has beautiful limestone sceneries and the Luray Valley Museum. 
8. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has over 22,000 modern and contemporary art.
9. Colonial National Historic Park houses Jamestown –the oldest North American town. It is also home to Yorktown, where the American Revolution ended.
10. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center houses the Space Shuttle Discovery plus thousands of aircraft and artifacts.
11. Thomas Jefferson built Richmond state capitol between 1785-1788.
12. Natural Bridge of Virginia is one of the oldest tourist destinations in the country.

Famous People From Virginia 

• George Washington, the First President of the United States (POTUS).
• Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell. He was the Third POTUS.
• James Madison, the Fourth POTUS.
• James Monroe, born Monroe Hall, Virginia, was the Fifth POTUS
• William Henry Harrison, the 9th POTUS.
• John Tyler, the 10th POTUS.
• Zachary Taylor, the 12th POTUS.
• Woodrow Wilson was the 28th POTUS.
• Pharrell Williams, born in Virginia Beach, is a singer.
• Ariel Winter, born in Fairfax, is an actress.
• Camila Mendes, born in Charlottesville, is an actress and singer.
• Mama Dragun, born in 1996, is a makeup artist.

Common Misconceptions About Virginia

Virginians are not big on education

No, there are over 60 colleges in Virginia specifically for that.

Virginia is a small state

How small is a state ranking 35th in the country in terms of area? This state is not small. There was a time when it was the largest.

Virginia is expensive

This notion is true for some parts of the state, but prices are reasonable outside these regions.

Weird Laws in Virginia 

Many of the laws below were passed a long time ago, but they still exist in many Virginia cities, but many of them go unenforced. It is easier to pass laws than to revoke them, so some very strange laws remain on the books. Read the Craziest Laws in the United States, if you want more.

Here are some of our favorites.

1. A coin toss is illegal in Richmond. You shouldn’t flip a coin to determine who pays for coffee.
2. It’s illegal to use profane language on calls and messages.
3. Children should go trick-or-treating on Halloween.
4. In Culpeper, It’s illegal to wash your mule on the sidewalk.
5. Spitting on a seagull may land you in legal trouble.
6. Sex outside marriage is a class 4 misdemeanor.
7. Having sex with lights on is illegal.
8. It’s illegal to hunt any animal on Sunday apart from Raccoons (fair game until 2 am).
9. Parking on railroads may land you in trouble.
10. It’s illegal to tickle a lady.

Final Thought

Home to the highest number of U.S. Presidents, Virginia is a wonder-filled state you can visit to learn history, tour picturesque destinations, or enjoy top-class hotel services.

Langley, Virginia, is famous as the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, but as you can see, the state is dotted with breathtaking features. 

What do you love about Virginia?

Virginia Stats And Facts

Capital	Richmond
Population	2020 (8,631,393)
Governor	Glenn Youngkin ( Republican Party)
Date Of Admission	June 25, 1788
U.S. Senators	Tim Kaine (D) Mark Warner (D)
US House of Representatives	11 (of 435 Seats)
State Nickname	Old DominionMother of StatesMother of Presidents
State Motto	“Sic Semper Tyrannis” means “thus always to tyrants”
State Song	“Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” by Jim Papoulis
State Flower	American Dogwood
State Freshwater Fish	Brook Trout
State Bird	Northern Cardinal
State Tree	American Dogwood
State Mammal	Virginia Big-eared bat
State Insect	Tiger swallowtail butterfly
State Rock	Nelsonite
State Folk Dance	Square Dance
State Fossil	Chesapecten jeffersonius
Neighbor States	West Virginia North Carolina MarylandTennessee Kentucky

Frequently Asked Questions About Virginia

What are the five interesting things about Virginia? 

• Virginia is the mother of Kentucky and West Virginia.
• Virginia was the battlefield for nearly half of the civil wars.
• Berkeley Plantation in Charles City is home to the first Thanksgiving.
• Virginia is home to eight U.S. Presidents.
• Virginia is home to the second oldest U.S. college, William & Mary college.

What are the 3 facts about Virginia?

• Virginia was named in honor of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I.
• Jamestown, established for silk cultivation, is the oldest town in the state.
• Virginia is the chief producer of Tobacco.

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• Virginia Senator Tim Kaine Bio | Contact | Quotes
• Virginia Mark Warner Bio | Contact | Quotes
• Virginia Unemployment Insurance Benefits Guide

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References

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia

[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Virginia

[3] https://www.attractionsofamerica.com/attractions/virginia.php