Virginia
Discover Virginia
Introduction
Virginia is where English America began. The first permanent settlement was planted on Jamestown Island in 1607, the Revolution ended at Yorktown in 1781, and the Civil War was largely fought and finally ended here in 1865 — three founding moments within about a hundred miles of each other.
Eight presidents were born in the state, more than any other, and two of their houses — Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington's Mount Vernon — are among the most visited historic homes in the country.
It is not only a history state. The Blue Ridge runs its whole western length with two of America's great scenic drives along the crest, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic shape the east, and the wine industry has become genuinely serious.
The distances are larger than they look: the mountains and the coast are four or five hours apart.