Virginia, state, United States: Facts and Figures

Area, 40,817 sq mi (105,716 sq km). Pop. (2020) 8,631,393, a 6.7% increase since the 2010 census. As of the 2020 census, the state's population was: White alone, 69.4%; Black alone, 19.9%; Hispanic or Latino, 9.8%; American Indian and Alaska native alone, 0.5%; Asian alone, 6.9%; Two or More Races, 3.2%. Capital, Richmond. Largest city, Virginia Beach. Statehood, June 25, 1788 (10th of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution). Highest pt., Mt. Rogers, 5,729 ft (1,747 m); lowest pt., sea level. Nickname, Old Dominion. Motto, Sic Semper Tyrannis [Thus Always to Tyrants]. State bird, cardinal. State flower, flowering dogwood. State tree, flowering dogwood. Abbr., Va.; VA

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Desegregation and Growth
• Politics and Industry in the Early Twentieth Century
• Postwar Political Reform and a New Economy
• Slavery, Insurrection, and Civil War
• Virginia's Role in the New Nation
• The American Revolution
• Tidewater Plantations and Westward Migration
• A Royal Colony
• Early Settlements of the Virginia Company
• Government, Politics, and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography