VirginiaBy Matt Francis

State Flag

State Motto

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Thus Always to Tyrants

State Nickname"Old Dominion"Virginia's state nickname is Old Dominion.

The nickname was earned by the loyalty of Virginia to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War and afterward, during the English Commonwealth. The moniker was given by King Charles II in recognition of Virginia's loyalty to the Crown, after the Restoration.

Virginia State Song Carry Me back to Old Virginny

Written by James Bland

Carry me back to old Virginny,There's where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,There's where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,There's where the old darke'ys heart am long'd to go,There's where I labored so hard for old massa,Day after day in the field of yellow corn,No place on earth do I love more sincerelyThan old Virginny, the state where I was born.

CHORUS Carry me back to old Virginny,

There's where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,There's where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,There's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go.

Carry me back to old Virginny,There let me live 'till I wither and decay,Long by the old Dismal Swamp have I wandered,There's where this old darke'ys life will pass away.Massa and missis have long gone before me,Soon we will meet on that bright and golden shore,There we'll be happy and free from all sorrow,There's where we'll meet and we'll never part no more.

On Jan 28, 1997 the Virginia Senate voted 24 -15 to designate Carry Me Back as state song "emeritus" and directed a study committee to come up with a new state song.The ACIR intends to make a final selection in the contest and a recommendation to the General Assembly and the Governor for the 2001 General Assembly session.Carry Me back to Old Virginny was written by an African American minstrel, James Bland, in the last century and has been Virginia's state song since 1940.

Top Vacation Spot

Virginia Beachis on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay

Historical SitesJamestown Settlement, foundedMay 14th, 1607.It was the first permanent English Settlement in the USA.

Historical Sites

Williamsburg – Founded in 1632, it was a fortified settlement located on high ground on the peninsula between the James and York rivers.

License Plates of Virginia

Current License Plate

Bob McDonnellGovernor of Virginia

Governor Bob McDonnell was sworn in as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on January 16, 2010.  He received nearly 59% of the vote, and the most votes of any candidate for Governor in Virginia history. As Virginia’s Chief Executive, Governor McDonnell inherited an unprecedented $4.2 billion budget deficit. He defeated a proposed $2 billion increase in the state income tax, kept existing car tax relief in place and brought Democrats and Republicans together to close the shortfall through spending reductions, and without a single tax increase. At the same time McDonnell was successful in seeing 80% of his legislative proposals passed by Virginia’s General Assembly, which consists of a Republican House and Democratic Senate. Included in the Governor’s proposals were major education reforms to bring more charter schools to the Commonwealth and expand virtual learning programs, as well as a package of dramatic new incentives for job-creating businesses to encourage economic development and job creation in the state. Governor McDonnell has focused extensive time on job creation, and since February 71,500 new jobs have been added in Virginia, the third highest amount nationally.

McDonnell has dedicated his life to public service.  He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, both active duty and reserve, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1997.  Upon graduating from law school in 1989 he served as a Virginia Beach prosecutor.  McDonnell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991 and served 14 years representing Virginia Beach.  He was elected as the 44th Attorney General of Virginia in 2005. As Attorney General, McDonnell kept all seven of his campaign promises and successfully passed 92 of his 105 legislative proposals, with strong bipartisan support.

McDonnell was raised in Fairfax County. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame (BBA), Boston University (MSBA) and Regent University (JD and MA).  He and his wife Maureen have been married for 34 years. They have 5 children, ages 18-29. Their oldest daughter, Jeanine, served in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq in 2005-2006.

Virginia State Capitol Building

Virginia’s state capitol is in the city of Richmond. One of the attractions in Richmond is Edgar Allan Poe Museum.

Virginia Industries

Universities In Virginia

University of Virginia Virginia Tech University

William and Mary University