Which
U.S. state has about the same population figures as
Austria?
Find out in the latest addition to our state video series:
Judy Friedberg from the
Management Section presents her home state.
Transcript:
Hi, I'm Judy Friedberg and I am happy to tell you about my home state of
Virginia.
Officially known as the
Commonwealth of Virginia, this mid-Atlantic state is
bordered by
Washington, DC,
Maryland,
West Virginia and
North Carolina. And,
to the
East, the
Chesapeake Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean border
Virginia's Eastern
Shore, another peninsula of Virginia land.
More than eight million people live in Virginia. Our state flower is actually a
flowering tree -- the dogwood. Our state bird is the cardinal.
Much of our state's natural beauty is protected by
National Parks.
My favorite is
Great Falls Park which highlights a rushing section of the
Potomac River, which
flows to the Bay from the mountains in the west. Those mountains are also known
as
The Blue Ridge Mountains, due to the coloring of the trees and shadows,
particularly in the early morning and early evening light.
Much of this area is included in
Shenandoah National Park.
Within the park is a
portion of the beautiful
Appalachian Trail -- a rigorous hiking trail which extends
from
Georgia to
Maine. In the autumn, the leaves are at their most colorful.
Skyline Drive runs through the park. This is a fantastic way to see the beauty of the
mountains and the
Shenandoah Valley from the comfort of your car.
The Shenandoah Valley is known for dairy farms and wineries. Virginia's farming
history also includes tobacco and cotton.
Virginia's nicknames refer to its rich history. "
The Old Dominion" refers to its status
as one of the original
13 colonies. Virginia's other nickname is "
The Mother of
Presidents. " Eight
U.S. presidents were born here - more than any other state.
Some of their homes are open to the public as historic sites.
Mount Vernon, home of our first
President, George Washington, sits high on a bluff
overlooking the Potomac River, not far from
Washington, DC.
Monticello, home of our third
President and drafter of our
Declaration of
Independence,
Thomas Jefferson, is located in
Charlottesville, Virginia.
The
University of Virginia, which
Jefferson founded, is nearby.
But, back to some much earlier history
...Native people, including the
Powhatan,
Algonquin, and
Iroquois, were already living in the area long before the
English
settlers came. Some say the name Virginia was the settlers' way of honoring
Queen
Elizabeth the First of
England, who was also known as "
The Virgin Queen."
You may have heard of the story of
Pocahontas? She was a native of the area and a
friend to the
English settlers of the colony's first capitol,
Jamestown, in 1616.
Williamsburg served as the capitol of the
Colony of Virginia from the early 1700s
and was the center of political activity leading to the
American Revolution.
Both Jamestown and Williamsburg have active historic centers where you can learn
more about colonial life.
Richmond became the state capital in 1780 and remains so today. In 1861, after ten
states seceded from the
United States, Richmond became the capital of the shortlived
Confederate States of America.
After the
Civil War ended, and these states re-entered the
Union, Richmond
developed into a railroad crossroads for the region. These strong railroads helped
develop trade routes between the middle of the country and the Atlantic Ocean and
led to the founding of
Newport News Shipbuilding which continues to produce
battleships and aircraft carriers. Nearby
Hampton Roads is the largest naval base on
the east coast.
Virginia is also home to the world's largest office building,
The Pentagon,
headquarters of the
Defense Department.
Other Virginia coastal attractions are historic lighthouses including
Cape Henry,
Fort Monroe and
Assateague. Assateague is also the home of the
Chincoteague wild
ponies. And, if you visit there perhaps you will order some delicious
Chesapeake
Bay blue crab and a beer for your dinner.
Today, media, technology, software, communications, and consulting are the fastest growing sectors of Virginia's economy. The education sector, particularly Virginia's
200-plus colleges and universities, and the government employment sector are also
growth areas.
All of this and more, make Virginia the wealthiest of the southern
United States.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about Virginia today.
- published: 25 Mar 2013
- views: 38594