Virginia can be viewed as the gateway to Washington D.C. in many ways.  It has had seven presidents born within the borders, and at one point was the capital of the Confederate States of America.  It saw a lot of action during the Revolutionary War, and hosted the surrender of Cornwallis in Yorktown.  It was the tenth of the original thirteen colonies, admitted in 1788.

The Civil War is a great time holder on Virginia.  Over half of the 4000 battles took place in the state. The military history does not stop there.  In Arlington, you can find the National Cemetery.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is an attraction that gathers tourists in all seasons.  It is the Atlantic headquarters of NATO, and home to the United States Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.  The largest city in the state only has a populous of nearly 500,000.

Learning some of the facts about Virginia is a real treat.  Here are some of the ones are that not in a standard lesson.

• Jamestown, the first of the original 13 Colonies was founded for the purpose of silk cultivation. Silk was to be traded with the Court of King James. After blight fungus destroyed the mulberry trees (silkworm food), sericulturist planted tobacco as a cash crop.

• Arlington County was originally part of the ten-mile square parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be part of Washington, DC. The U.S. Congress returned that portion of the land to the “Commonwealth of Virginia” following a referendum among its citizens.

• The State flower is not really a flower, but the blossom of the dogwood tree, which is also the state tree.

• Waynesboro was the site of the last major battle of the Civil War in central Virginia, the Battle of Waynesboro in 1865 between Generals Jubal Early and Philip Sheridan.

• Bristol is legally two cities but they share the same main street, one in Virginia and one in Tennessee each with its own government and city services.

Interesting facts can make a place even better to live in.  Visiting or moving to Virginia will definitely put a smile on your face.