Virginia

Virginia (ⁱ/vərˈdʒɪnjə/ vər-JIN-yə, UK /vərˈdʒɪniə/ vər-JIN-ee-ə), officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America, and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2014 is over 8.3 million.

The area's history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony. Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony's early politics and plantation economy. Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties seceded to form the state of West Virginia. Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia.

Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,475. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Charlottesville with Albemarle County for statistical purposes, bringing the total population to nearly 150,000. The city is the heart of the Charlottesville metropolitan area which includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson counties.

Charlottesville is best known as the home to two U.S. Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe; while both served as Governor of Virginia, they lived in Charlottesville and traveled to and from the capitol (Richmond, Virginia) along the 71-mile (114 km) historic Three Notch'd Road. Close by is the historical home of a third U.S. President, James Madison, in Orange. It is also known as the home of the University of Virginia, which is one of the most historically prominent colleges in the United States and, along with Monticello, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The latter, Jefferson's mountain-top home, attracts approximately half a million tourists every year.

Real estate

Real estate is "property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property; (more generally) buildings or housing in general. Also: the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings or housing."

It is a legal term used in jurisdictions such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Residential real estate

Residential real estate is a type of property, containing either a single family or multifamily structure, that is available for occupation for non-business purposes.

Residences can be classified by, if, and how they are connected to neighbouring residences and land. Different types of housing tenure can be used for the same physical type. For example, connected residents might be owned by a single entity and leased out, or owned separately with an agreement covering the relationship between units and common areas and concerns.

Better Homes

Better Homes is a lifestyle game show that was broadcast on ITV from 4 January 1999 to 1 July 2003 and was presented by Carol Vorderman.

Format

Two houses get done up for television and the one that puts on the most value after the renovation wins the owners an additional £5,000 (or, in the latest series, a family holiday). So that's a done up house, a more expensive house and £5,000.

Transmissions

Better Homes

Specials

Better Gardens

Ratings

Episode Viewing figures from BARB.

Series 1

Series 2

Better Gardens

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

References

External links

Homes & Gardens

Homes & Gardens is a monthly interior design and garden design magazine published by IPC Media. The magazine is based in London and has been in circulation since 1919.

History and profile

The magazine was launched in 1919. The magazine is based in London and is published on a monthly basis. It has been edited by Deborah Barker since 2004.

A regular feature in the magazine in the past has been pictorial visits to the homes of prominent public figures. A controversial issue from November 1938 featured an article signed by Ignatius Phayre, detailing a visit to the mountain home of Adolf Hitler at Berghof. The photographs included in the article were taken by Hitler's chief propaganda photographer Heinrich Hoffmann. The rediscovery of this issue of the magazine by Simon Waldman, journalist on The Guardian newspaper in 2003 led to threats of legal action against Waldman from the then publisher of Homes and Gardens, IPC Magazines.

For the second half of 2013 Homes and Gardens had a circulation of 122,230 copies.