National Virginia Day

Today we celebrate National Virginia Day as it was the 10th state to enter the Union. On June 25, 1788, Virginia joined the previous states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire) to join the Union and ratify the Constitution.

Geography of Virginia

The state of Virginia is divided into five geographical regions:

1. the Atlantic Coastal Plain
2. the Piedmont
3. the Blue Ridge
4. the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region
5. Appalachian Plateau

The Atlantic Coastal Plain (also called the Tidewater). This is because it flows up and down the coastal inlets as the tides roll in and out. This region runs through the swamps and salt marshes about 100 miles inland.

Then there’s the Piedmont region, the largest geographic land region which is located in central Virginia. There is approximately 45% of forested area and another 45% agricultural, with the remainder being urban and growing at an extremely rapid rate.

My personal favorite is the Blue Ridge region. The highest point in Virginia is Mount Rogers in the Blue Ridge region. This region also includes a wide strip of the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. This region is mostly forested and boasts many hidden caverns and underground streams.

The Appalachian Ridge and Valley regions are located along Virginia’s western border. The Great Valley, sometimes called the Valley of Virginia, lies along the Blue Ridge in the east. Shenandoah Valley is the most well-known of the valleys.

Lastly is the Appalachian Plateau region. It’s located in the southwestern part of the state and runs into Kentucky where it turns into the Cumberland Plateau. The area is covered in lakes, rivers, and forests.

Fun facts about Virginia (derived from a much larger list found here)

• Virginia is home to eight U.S. Presidents. 
• Virginia is the first state to grow peanuts in the U.S.
• Nearly half the population of the U.S. lives within 500 miles of Richmond.
• The largest office building globally, the Pentagon, is located in Virginia.
• Virginia is the Internet capital of the world.
• Virginia is one of the safest states for driving.
• The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel is the world’s largest bridge complex.
• The native Americans in this region included the Siouan, Meherrin, and Nottoway.
• Virginia is the mother of States due to the large numbers of American pioneers born in the state and carving out other states such as Kentucky.
• Over 32,000 Virginians died in the American Civil War.
• The state also adopted Jim Crow Laws and introduced the poll tax. 
• Collis Potter Huntington’s company Newport News Shipbuilding built weapons, including ships during World War I and II.
• During the Korean War, the Central Intelligence Agency moved from Foggy Bottom to Langley, Virginia.
• The largest cities in Virginia include Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Richmond.
• Located in the Southeastern region of the United States, Virginia borders Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington, DC, North Carolina, Maryland, and the Atlantic Ocean. 
•  Most of the Virginia rivers drain into the Chesapeake Bay, including the James, Potomac, and Rappahannock, York. 
• The Ridge and Valley region is home to Shenandoah Valley and the Massanutten Mountain ridge.
• The largest earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hit Central Virginia in 2011. 
• The Natural Bridge of Virginia was a limestone cave roof.
• The most destructive Hurricane was the 1969 Hurricane Camille which killed over 150 people.
• The highest snowfall ever was the January 2016 Blizzard, which attained 93 inches close to Bluemont.

Strange laws in Virginia

Many old laws still exist today in many Virginia cities, but many of them go unenforced. It is easier to pass laws than to revoke them. Read the Craziest Laws in the United States, if you want more.

Here are some of our favorites.

• A coin toss is illegal in Richmond. You shouldn’t flip a coin to determine who pays for coffee.
• It’s illegal to use profane language on calls and messages.
• In Culpeper, It’s illegal to wash your mule on the sidewalk.
• Spitting on a seagull may land you in legal trouble.
• Sex outside marriage is a class 4 misdemeanor.
• Having sex with lights on is illegal.
• It’s illegal to hunt any animal on Sunday apart from Raccoons (fair game until 2 am).
• It’s illegal to tickle a lady.
• In Stafford County – It is legal for a man to beat his wife on the courthouse steps so long as it is before 8:00 pm
• In Waynesboro – It is illegal for a woman to drive a car up Main Street unless her husband is walking in front of the car waving a red flag.
• Don’t use an X-Ray Machine for Shoe Fitting

Well, that’s all we have for you today, folks. We hope you found it fun and interesting.