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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 . In the American Lung Association 's 2011 report , 11 counties received failing grades for air quality , with Fairfax County having the worst in the state , due to automobile pollution . Haze in the mountains is caused in part by coal power plants .
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= = = Flora and fauna = = =
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Forests cover 65 % of the state , primarily with deciduous , broad leaf trees in the western part of the state and <unk> and conifers dominant the central and eastern part of Virginia . 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 . However , since the early 1990s , Gypsy moth infestations have eroded the dominance of oak forests . In the lowland tidewater and piedmont , yellow pines tend to dominate , with bald cypress wetland forests in the Great Dismal and Nottoway swamps . Other common trees and plants include red bay , wax myrtle , dwarf palmetto , tulip poplar , mountain laurel , 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 wildflowers in North America are found . 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 eastern and central Virginia .
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Mammals include white @-@ tailed deer , black bear , beaver , bobcat , coyote , raccoon , skunk , groundhog , Virginia opossum , gray fox , red fox , and eastern cottontail rabbit . 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 , seagulls , bald eagles , and wild turkeys . Virginia is also home to the pileated woodpecker as well as the red @-@ bellied woodpecker . The peregrine falcon was reintroduced into Shenandoah National Park in the mid @-@ 1990s . Walleye , brook trout , Roanoke bass , and blue catfish are among the 210 known species of freshwater fish . Running brooks with rocky bottoms are often inhabited by plentiful amounts of crayfish and salamanders . The Chesapeake Bay is host to many species , including blue crabs , clams , oysters , and rockfish ( also known as striped bass ) .
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Virginia has 30 National Park Service units , such as Great Falls Park and the Appalachian Trail , and one national park , the Shenandoah National Park . Shenandoah was established in 1935 and encompasses the scenic Skyline Drive . Almost 40 % of the park 's area ( 79 @,@ 579 acres / 322 km2 ) has been designated as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System . Additionally , there are 34 Virginia state parks and 17 state forests , run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Forestry . 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 .
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= = History = =
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" Jamestown 2007 " marked Virginia 's <unk> year , celebrating 400 years since the establishment of the Jamestown Colony . The celebrations highlighted contributions from Native Americans , Africans , and Europeans , each of which had a significant part in shaping Virginia 's history . 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 Civil War , to the Cold War and the War on Terrorism . Stories about historic figures , such as those surrounding Pocahontas and John Smith , George Washington 's childhood , or the plantation elite in the slave society of the antebellum period , have also created potent myths of state history , and have served as rationales for Virginia 's ideology .
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= = = Colony = = =
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The first people are estimated to have arrived in Virginia over 12 @,@ 000 years ago . 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 <unk> in the Tidewater region , which they referred to as <unk> . The other major language groups in the area were the Siouan to the west , and the Iroquoians , who included the 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 . Powhatan controlled more than 30 smaller tribes and over 150 settlements , who shared a common Virginia Algonquian language . In 1607 , the native Tidewater population was between 13 @,@ 000 and 14 @,@ 000 .
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Several European expeditions , including a group of Spanish Jesuits , explored the Chesapeake Bay during the 16th century . In 1583 , Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Walter Raleigh a charter to plant a colony north of Spanish Florida . In 1584 , Raleigh sent an expedition to the Atlantic coast of North America . 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 , " <unk> , " or name , " <unk> . " Initially the name applied to the entire coastal region from South Carolina to Maine , plus the island of Bermuda . Later , subsequent royal charters modified the Colony 's boundaries . 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 . Named for King James I , it was founded in May 1607 by Christopher Newport . 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 .
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Life in the colony was perilous , and many died during the Starving Time in 1609 and the Anglo @-@ Powhatan Wars , including the Indian massacre of 1622 , which fostered the colonists ' negative view of all tribes . By 1624 , only 3 @,@ 400 of the 6 @,@ 000 early settlers had survived . However , European demand for tobacco fueled the arrival of more settlers and servants . The headright system tried to solve the labor shortage by providing colonists with land for each indentured servant they transported to Virginia . African workers were first imported to Jamestown in 1619 initially under the rules of indentured servitude . The shift to a system of African slavery in Virginia was propelled by the legal cases of John Punch , who was sentenced to lifetime slavery in 1640 for attempting to run away , and of John <unk> , who was claimed by Anthony Johnson as his servant for life in 1655 . Slavery first appears in Virginia statutes in 1661 and 1662 , when a law made it hereditary based on the mother 's status .
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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 . Rebels , largely from the colony 's frontier , were also opposed to the conciliatory policy towards native tribes , and one result of the rebellion was the signing at Middle Plantation of the Treaty of 1677 , which made the signatory tribes tributary states 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 as it became the colonial capital in 1699 . 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 . 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 .
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= = = Statehood = = =
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The 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 taxation without representation was led by Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee , among others . Virginians began to coordinate their actions with other colonies in 1773 , and sent delegates to the Continental Congress the following year . 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 . Another Virginian , Thomas Jefferson , drew upon Mason 's work in drafting the national Declaration of Independence .
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When the American Revolutionary War began , George Washington was selected to head the colonial army . During the war , the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson , who feared that Williamsburg 's coastal location would make it vulnerable to British attack . In 1781 , the combined action of 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 negotiations in Paris and secured the independence of the colonies .
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Virginians were instrumental in writing the United States Constitution . James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan in 1787 and the Bill of Rights in 1789 . Virginia ratified the Constitution on June 25 , 1788 . The three @-@ fifths compromise ensured that Virginia , with its large number of slaves , initially had the largest bloc in the 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 District of Columbia , though the Virginian area was retroceded in 1846 . 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 pioneers born in Virginia .
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= = = Civil War and aftermath = = =
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In addition to agriculture , slave labor was increasingly used in mining , shipbuilding and other industries . 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 . This division contributed to the start of the American Civil War .
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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 . 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 . 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 Bull Run , the Seven Days Battles , Chancellorsville , and the concluding Battle of Appomattox Court House . After the capture of Richmond in April 1865 , the state capital was briefly moved to Lynchburg , while the Confederate leadership fled to Danville . Virginia was formally restored to the United States in 1870 , due to the work of the Committee of Nine .
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During the post @-@ war Reconstruction era , Virginia adopted a constitution which provided for free public schools , and guaranteed political , civil , and voting rights . The populist Readjuster Party ran an inclusive coalition until the conservative white Democratic Party gained power after 1883 . 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 disfranchised most African Americans and many poor whites . 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 .
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= = = Modern era = = =
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New economic forces also changed the Commonwealth . Virginian James Albert <unk> invented the tobacco cigarette rolling machine in 1880 leading to new industrial scale production centered on 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 . During the war , German submarines like U @-@ 151 attacked ships outside the port . In 1926 , Dr. <unk> 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 . 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 .
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Protests started by Barbara Rose Johns in 1951 in Farmville against segregated schools led to the lawsuit Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County . This case , filed by Richmond natives <unk> 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 desegregated local schools from receiving state funding .
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The 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 and others to integrate schools . In 1967 , the Court also struck down the state 's ban on 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 .
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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 . The Central Intelligence Agency in Langley was involved in various Cold War events , including as the target of 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 .
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= = Cities and towns = =
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Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 38 independent cities , the latter acting in many ways as county @-@ equivalents . This general method of treating cities and counties on par with each other is unique to Virginia , with only three other independent cities in the United States outside Virginia , in three different states . 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 . In addition to independent cities , there are also incorporated towns which operate under their own governments , but are part of a county . Finally there are hundreds of unincorporated communities within the counties . Virginia does not have any further political subdivisions , such as villages or townships .
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Virginia has 11 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 million . As of 2010 , Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the Commonwealth , with Norfolk and Chesapeake second and third , respectively . Norfolk forms the urban core of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area , which has a population over 1 @.@ 6 million people and is the site of the world 's largest naval base , Naval Station Norfolk . Suffolk , which includes a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp , is the largest city by area at 429 @.@ 1 square miles ( 1 @,@ 111 km2 ) .
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Fairfax County is the most populous locality in Virginia , with over one million residents , although that does not include its county seat Fairfax , which is one of the independent cities . Fairfax County has a major urban business and shopping center in Tysons Corner , Virginia 's largest office market . Neighboring Loudoun County , with the county seat at Leesburg , is both the fastest @-@ growing county in Virginia and has the highest median household income ( $ 114 @,@ 204 ) in the country as of 2010 . Arlington County , the smallest self @-@ governing county in the United States by land area , is an urban community organized as a county . The Roanoke area , with an estimated population of 300 @,@ 399 , is the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in western Virginia .
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= = Demographics = =
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The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 8 @,@ 382 @,@ 993 on July 1 , 2015 , a 4 @.@ 77 % increase since the 2010 United States Census . This includes an increase from net migration of 381 @,@ 969 people into the Commonwealth since the 2010 census . Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 159 @,@ 627 people , and migration within the country produced a net increase of 155 @,@ 205 people . Outside of Virginia , the top birth state for Virginians was New York , with the Northeast accounting for the largest number of migrants into the state by region . The center of population is located in Louisa County outside of Richmond .
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= = = Ethnicity = = =
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The state 's most populous ethnic group , Non @-@ Hispanic White , has declined from 76 % in 1990 to 62 @.@ 7 % in 2015 . In 2011 , non @-@ Hispanic Whites were involved in 50 @.@ 9 % of all the births . People of English heritage settled throughout the Commonwealth during the colonial period , and others of British and Irish heritage have since immigrated . 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 . Of the English immigrants to Virginia in the 17th century , 75 % came as indentured servants . The western mountains have many settlements that were founded by Scots @-@ Irish immigrants before the American Revolution . There are also sizable numbers of people of German descent in the northwestern mountains and Shenandoah Valley , and German ancestry was the most popular response on the 2010 American Community Survey , with 11 @.@ 7 % . 2 @.@ 9 % of Virginians also describe themselves as biracial .
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The largest minority group in Virginia is African American , at 19 @.@ 7 % as of 2015 . 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 and West @-@ Central Africa , primarily from Angola and the Bight of Biafra . The Igbo ethnic group of what is now southern Nigeria were the single largest African group among slaves in Virginia . Though the black population was reduced by the Great Migration , since 1965 there has been a reverse migration of blacks returning south . According to the Pew Research Center , the state has the highest concentration of black and white interracial marriages .
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More recent immigration in the late 20th century and early 21st century has fueled new communities of Hispanics and Asians . As of 2015 , 9 @.@ 0 % of Virginians are Hispanic or Latino ( of any race ) , and 6 @.@ 5 % are Asian . The state 's Hispanic population rose by 92 % from 2000 to 2010 , with two @-@ thirds of Hispanics living in Northern Virginia . Hispanic citizens in Virginia have higher median household incomes and educational attainment than the general Virginia population . As far as Hispanic groups , there is a large Salvadoran population in the DC suburbs of Northern Virginia , and a large Puerto Rican population in the Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia . Northern Virginia also has a significant population of Vietnamese Americans , whose major wave of immigration followed the Vietnam War , and Korean Americans , whose migration has been more recent and was induced in part by the quality school system . 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 .
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Additionally , 0 @.@ 5 % of Virginians are American Indian or Alaska Native , and 0 @.@ 1 % are Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander . Virginia has extended state recognition to eight Native American tribes resident in the state , though some lack federal recognition status . Most Native American groups are located in the Tidewater region .
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As of 2011 , 49 @.@ 1 % of Virginia 's population younger than age 1 were minorities ( meaning that they had at least one parent who was not non @-@ Hispanic white ) .
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= = = Languages = = =
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The 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 Elizabethan of Tangier Island .
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As of 2010 , 85 @.@ 87 % ( 6 @,@ 299 @,@ 127 ) of Virginia residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language , while 6 @.@ 41 % ( 470 @,@ 058 ) spoke Spanish , 0 @.@ 77 % ( 56 @,@ 518 ) Korean , 0 @.@ 63 % ( 45 @,@ 881 ) Vietnamese , 0 @.@ 57 % ( 42 @,@ 418 ) Chinese ( which includes Mandarin ) , and 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 . 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 .
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= = = Religion = = =
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Virginia is predominantly Christian and Protestant ; Baptists are the largest single group with 27 % of the population as of 2008 . Baptist congregations in Virginia have 763 @,@ 655 members . Baptist denominational groups in Virginia include the Baptist General Association of Virginia , with about 1 @,@ 400 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 . Roman Catholics are the second @-@ largest religious group with 673 @,@ 853 members . The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington includes most of Northern Virginia 's Catholic churches , while the Diocese of Richmond covers the rest .
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The Virginia Conference is the regional body of the United Methodist Church in most of the Commonwealth , while the Holston Conference represents much of extreme Southwest Virginia . The Virginia Synod is responsible for the congregations of the Lutheran Church . Presbyterian , Pentecostal , Congregationalist , and Episcopalian adherents each composed less than 2 % of the population as of 2010 . The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia , Southern Virginia , and Southwestern Virginia support the various Episcopal churches .
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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 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 .
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Among other religions , adherents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter @-@ day Saints constitute 1 % of the population , with 197 congregations in Virginia as of March 2014 . Fairfax Station is the site of the Ekoji Buddhist Temple , of the <unk> <unk> school , and the Hindu Durga Temple . While the state 's Jewish population is small , organized Jewish sites date to 1789 with Congregation Beth <unk> . Muslims are a growing religious group throughout the Commonwealth through immigration . <unk> in the Commonwealth include Thomas Road Baptist Church , Immanuel Bible Church , and McLean Bible Church . Several Christian universities are also based in the state , including Regent University , Liberty University , and Lynchburg College .
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= = Economy = =
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Virginia is an employment @-@ at @-@ will state ; its economy has diverse sources of income , including local and federal government , military , farming and business . Virginia has 4 @.@ 1 million civilian workers , and one @-@ third of the jobs are in the service sector . The unemployment rate in Virginia is among the lowest in the nation , at 4 @.@ 8 % , as of December 2014 . The second fastest job growth town in the nation is Leesburg , as of 2011 . The Gross Domestic Product of Virginia was $ 452 billion in 2013 . According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis , Virginia had the most counties in the top 100 wealthiest in the United States based upon median income in 2007 . Northern Virginia is the highest @-@ income region in Virginia , having six of the twenty highest @-@ income counties in the United States , including the three highest as of 2011 . According to CNN Money Magazine the highest @-@ income town in the nation is Great Falls , as of 2011 . 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 % .
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= = = Government = = =
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Virginia has the highest defense spending of any state per capita , providing the Commonwealth with around 900 @,@ 000 jobs . 12 % of all U.S. federal procurement money is spent in Virginia , the second @-@ highest amount after California . Many Virginians work for federal agencies in Northern Virginia , which include the Central Intelligence Agency and the 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 contractors , including defense and security firms , which hold more than 15 @,@ 000 federal contracts .
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Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of veterans of any state , and is second to California in total Department of Defense employees . The Hampton Roads area has the largest concentration of military personnel and assets of any metropolitan area in the world , including the largest naval base in the world , Naval Station Norfolk . In its state government , Virginia employs 106 @,@ 143 public employees , who combined have a median income of $ 44 @,@ 656 as of 2013 .
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= = = Business = = =
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Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state , and the fourth @-@ highest number of technology workers after California , Texas , and New York . Computer chips became the state 's highest @-@ grossing export in 2006 , surpassing its traditional top exports of coal and tobacco combined , reaching a total export value of $ 717 million in 2015 . Northern Virginia , once considered the state 's dairy capital , now hosts software , communication technology , defense contracting companies , particularly in the Dulles Technology Corridor .
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The state has the highest average and peak Internet speeds in the United States , with the third @-@ highest worldwide . Northern Virginia 's data centers can carry up to 70 % of the nation 's internet traffic , with Loudoun County alone home to as much data center space as northern California .
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Virginia companies received the fourth @-@ highest amount of venture capital funding in the first half of 2011 after California , Massachusetts , and New York . In 2009 , Forbes magazine named Virginia the best state in the nation for business for the fourth year in a row , while CNBC named it the top state for business in 2007 , 2009 , and 2011 . Additionally , in 2014 a survey of 12 @,@ 000 small business owners found Virginia to be one of the most friendly states for small businesses . Virginia has 20 Fortune 500 companies , ranking the state eighth nationwide . Tysons Corner is one of the largest business districts in the nation .
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Tourism in Virginia supported an estimated 210 @,@ 000 jobs and generated $ 21 @.@ 2 billion in 2012 . Arlington County is the top tourist destination in the state by domestic spending , followed by Fairfax County , Loudoun County , and Virginia Beach .
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= = = Agriculture = = =
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Agriculture occupies 32 % of the land in Virginia . As of 2012 , about 357 @,@ 000 Virginian jobs were in agriculture , with over 47 @,@ 000 farms , averaging 171 acres ( 0 @.@ 27 sq mi ; 0 @.@ 69 km2 ) , in a total farmland area of 8 @.@ 1 million acres ( 12 @,@ 656 sq mi ; 32 @,@ 780 km2 ) . Though agriculture has declined significantly since 1960 when there were twice as many farms , it remains the largest single industry in Virginia . Tomatoes surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia in 2006 , with peanuts and hay as other agricultural products . Although it is no longer the primary crop , Virginia is still the fifth @-@ largest producer of tobacco nationwide . Virginia is the largest producer of seafood on the East Coast , with scallops , oysters , blue crabs , and clams as the largest seafood harvests by value , and France , Canada , and Hong Kong as the top export destinations . Eastern oyster harvests have increased from 23 @,@ 000 bushels in 2001 to over 500 @,@ 000 in 2013 . Wineries and vineyards in the Northern Neck and along the Blue Ridge Mountains also have begun to generate income and attract tourists . Virginia has the fifth @-@ highest number of wineries in the nation .
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= = = Taxes = = =
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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 @.@ 3 % , while the tax rate on food is 1 @.@ 5 % . There is an additional 1 % local tax , for a total of a 5 @.@ 3 % combined sales tax on most Virginia purchases and 2 @.@ 5 % on most food . 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 . <unk> personal property also is taxed at the local level and is based on a percentage or percentages of original cost .
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= = Culture = =
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Virginia 's culture was popularized and spread across America and the 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 . Modern Virginia culture has many sources , and is part of the culture of the Southern United States . The Smithsonian Institution divides Virginia into nine cultural regions .
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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 . Smithfield ham , sometimes called " Virginia ham " , is a type of country ham which is protected by state law , and can only be produced in the town of Smithfield . 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 .
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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 . Glasgow 's peer and close friend James Branch Cabell wrote extensively about the changing position of gentry in the Reconstruction era , and challenged its moral code with Jurgen , A Comedy of Justice . William Styron approached history in works such as The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie 's Choice . Tom Wolfe has occasionally dealt with his southern heritage in bestsellers like I Am Charlotte Simmons . Mount Vernon native Matt <unk> received critical acclaim for his historic novel The Wettest County in the World about <unk> in Franklin County during prohibition . Virginia also names a state Poet Laureate , currently Ron Smith of Richmond , who will serve until mid @-@ 2016 .
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= = = Fine and performing arts = = =
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