Virginia Is Packed With Stories Worth Telling
Think you really know Virginia? It's a state with Colonial Williamsburg that could rewind your camera roll, Chesapeake Bay oysters that you'll have to devour to appreciate, and Blue Ridge sunsets that are painted with impossible sherbet gradients. Let's run through the facts, stats, and peanut lore that showcase what makes Virginia's founding fathers flex surprisingly fun.
Laura, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move
Laura arrived in Virginia in 1988 with a teaching job, a love of sunshine, and zero idea she’d still be here decades later—now basically an honorary ambassador for the state. She’s tracked down over 800 of Virginia’s iconic LOVE signs, a feat that probably deserves its own license plate. When she’s not at the beach or debating which El Azteca location does the best Nacho Fajitas, she’s editing Snappy Scout’s Virginia guides, helping readers discover the local quirks and hidden gems she’s been living (and loving) for years.
Read moreWritten with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts
What Makes Virginia Virginia?
The weird, useful, and surprisingly relevant facts that shape everyday life here.
Common nicknames for Virginia
Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents, Mother of Statesmen
Local Reality Check
All DC suburbs? Try oyster boats, horse country, and Blue Ridge trails.
You're most likely moving from
D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, New York, or California.
Strangely large concentration of
Loudoun data centers and Civil War battlefields.
Music scene
Virginia Beach hip hop, Richmond punk, Charlottesville indie, and Appalachian bluegrass.
You'll have to see it to believe it
Luray Caverns' Great Stalacpipe Organ playing in the cave.
Unique Geography
Tidewater marshes, Piedmont hills, Blue Ridge peaks, Shenandoah Valley, Atlantic barrier islands.
Virginia is home to
The Pentagon, CIA at Langley, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, and world's largest naval base.
Well known for its
oysters, peanuts, Smithfield ham, history, and Northern Virginia traffic.
Fun history fact
Birthplace of eight U.S. presidents, more than any other state.
Celebrity sightings
Pharrell Williams in Virginia Beach, Dave Matthews around Charlottesville.
Noteworthy Census stat
Top 10 median household income nationally.
Most interesting sub-culture within Virginia
Appalachian old time fiddlers and flatfoot dancers.
Population
12th by population, 35th by land size
Virginia is roughly the same geographic size as
Bulgaria
Locals Know Best
Get a Busch Gardens membership for free parking, monthly rewards, free tickets for friends, and loads of fun year-round. Spring means the Food and Wine Festival, concert series in the summer, Howl-o-Scream, with a boatload of scares throughout the fall, followed by the park in all its beautiful light up during Christmas Town
— Laura Gray
Virginia Local Expert
Ready to See If Virginia Fits You?
Compare cities, check the routes, or head back to the full Virginia guide for the bigger picture.