Virginia

Virginia is the 35th largest state in the United States and the 12th most populated.U.S. Census Bureau: State Rankings - Statistical Abstract of the United States (2006) It shares borders with Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. It is comprised of 95 counties and 39 independent cities.

The first people to live in Virginia were the Native Americans. In 1607, The Virginia Company sailed from England to Jamestown in hopes of establishing the first colony in the New World, landing on Jamestown Island and the banks of what is now the James River. The new arrivals were foremost interested in gold and trade routes and saw Virginia as a resource for both.http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureid=214

The state of Virginia was the original commonwealth. This represented the period of Puritan rule under the Cromwells between 1649 and 1660.http://www.casahistoria.net/commonwealth.htm However, today commonwealth has a different meaning, representing the state's inclusion in the United States and a common interest to those who inhabit it. Furthermore the commonwealthmen are the Republicans of today.http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Fcollection=34&Itemid=27

Virginia became one of the original 13 colonies of the United States on July 4, 1776. By this time it was a well-established, sophisticated and polished city. Pioneers, hunters and prospectors had successfully been forced to the west winding up in the mountains and Ohio way. This enabled the inhabitants of Virginia to lead a gentry lifestyle.http://niahd.wm.edu/index.php?browse=entry&id=8520 Virginia quickly grew to be known for its grand plantations, fancy houses, political achievements and power struggles. With power came money and status above all else.http://niahd.wm.edu/index.php?browse=entry&id=8520

Consequently, money led to quarrels, taxes, and an inadvertent defiance of the King of England. For the next three years war waged North and South. All the while, Virginia legislators were laying out plans for a free and independent state. Virginia became the first state in the world to make it illegal to enslave another human or engage in the trafficking of people.http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/vaguide/history.html

Over a third of all battles of the American Civil War took place in Virginia. The battles of Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, Wilderness, and Bull Run were some of the costliest, both in terms of money and lives.http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/index.html

Forbes magazine named Virginia the best state in the nation for business in 2006.Forbes: The Best States For Business (July 11, 2006) The service sector provides the greatest number of jobs for Virginians and accounts for 23% of the state's income. Virginia ranks in the top 10 in the country for their production of coal, tomatoes, tobacco, peanuts, turkey, and sweet potatoes.Fact Monster: Virginia

1. Cardinal: (bird)
2. Dogwood: (flower and tree)
3. Square Dancing (dance)
4. "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia" (song)

• Dito: Virginia Web Services