| Capital city | Richmond |
| Population | 8.654.542 (2020) |
| Surface | 110.862 km² |
| Governor | Glenn Youngkin (R) |
| Member of the US since | 1788 |
Virginia is one of the fifty states of the United States. The state is located in the east of the country. Virginia’s abbreviation is VA. Its nickname is ‘The Old Dominion’. That means ‘the Old Domain’. With 8,096,604 inhabitants, Virginia is the 11th most populous state in the US. Virginia borders the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The state is also located on the Atlantic Ocean. The state is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England. Her nickname was Virgin Queen, which in Dutch translates as Virgin Queen. The first president George Washington was from Virginia. The capital Washington DC is named after him and is located right next to Virginia. The capital of Virginia is Richmond.
Towns
There are a number of cities in Virginia. Here are the five largest. All these cities are so-called independent cities. This means that they do not belong to a specific county (crossing between municipality & province).
Largest Cities in Virginia
| Name | Residents | |
| 1. | Virginia Beach | 447.021 |
| 2. | Norfolk | 245.782 |
| 3. | Chesapeake | 228.417 |
| 4. | Richmond | 210.309 |
| 5. | New Port News | 180.726 |
How many counties in Virginia? The Commonwealth of Virginia comprises 95 counties and 38 independent cities.
Richmond (Virginia)
Richmond is a major city and capital of the US state of Virginia with a population of 226,000 in the year 2019. It’s not the biggest city, that’s Virginia Beach. Richmond is on the James River. It was first explored by Europeans around the year 1607. To make it clearer, by the English. This was once the capital of the Powhatan Indian Empire. A well-known Powhatan is Pocahontas who was the daughter of a chieftain. The Powhatan Empire was conquered by the English and they built a settlement here. During the American Civil War, Richmond was even the capital of the Confederate States of America (ie the south of America where slavery was allowed). That is why Richmond also has many museums.
Partner cities
- Saitama (Japan)
- Uijongbu (South Korea)
- Windhoek (Namibia)
- Zhengzhou (China)
- Segou (Mali)
- Olsztyn (Poland)
- Richmond Upon Thames (United Kingdom)
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach skyline and beach
Virginia Beach is a large city in the United States with a population of 433,750 in 2009. This makes it the largest city in the state of Virginia, but not its capital. That’s the smaller Richmond. The population in Virginia Beach is growing very fast. In the future, the population will reach 500,000. Virginia Beach is considered Virginia’s largest port city and the state’s financial, industrial, political, and cultural center. A large part of the population/population in Virginia Beach is of African origin. The beaches of Virginia Beach are major tourist attractions. Along the coast there are many hotels and skyscrapers. There is very little unemployment in the city.
Partner cities
- Miyazaki – Japan
- Bangor – United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
- Moss – Norway
Interstate 195 in Virginia
| I-195 | |||
| Begin | Richmond | ||
| End | Richmond | ||
| Length | 4 mi | ||
| Length | 6 km | ||
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Interstate 195 or I -195 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The highway forms a north-south route in the west of the capital Richmond and is 6 kilometers long.
Travel directions
The northern end of I-195.
I-195 runs along the west side of downtown Richmond. The highway begins on the south side at an interchange with State Route 76 and State Route 195 and then deepens 2×3 lanes through the west of the city. This is an older part, with densely built residential areas. A railroad runs in the median strip of I-195. I-195 then crosses a shunting yard in the less developed neighborhoods with a flyover and ends at an interchange with I-64 and I-95.
History
The highway opened on July 19, 1975 for 3 miles between I-95 and the Powhite Parkway. On February 3, 1976, the 1-kilometer link to the Downtown Expressway opened, completing the highway.
Traffic intensities
About 85,000 vehicles use the 6-kilometer-long highway every day.
Interstate 381 in Virginia
| I-381 | |||
| Get started | Bristol | ||
| End | Bristol | ||
| Length | 3 mi | ||
| Length | 5 km | ||
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Interstate 381 is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. I-381 forms a spur from I-81 to the town of Bristol and is 5 kilometers long, of which only 2 kilometers are real freeway.
Travel directions
I-381 at Bristol.
I-381, along with State Route 381, is a short spur from I-81 to the city of Bristol in southern Virginia. The road begins at an intersection with US 11W and US 19 and is initially a 2×2 lane urban arterial with a series of mostly irregular intersections. The final stretch is a 2×2 lane freeway that ends at a half- stack with I-81 after 2 miles.
History
I-381 opened on November 20, 1961, at the same time as I-81 around Bristol.
