Virginia Facts for Kids

A Map of the U.S. state Virginia
  • U.S. State: Virginia
  • Abbreviation: VA
  • Joined the USA: June 25th, 1788 (10th State)
  • Located: Southeastern United States
  • Capital City: Richmond, VA
  • Most Populated City: Virginia Beach, VA

39 Virginia Facts for Kids

  1. Virginia is a state in the United States of America.
  2. Virginia is in the southeastern region of the United States.
  3. Virginia became a U.S. state on Wednesday, June 25th, 1788.
  4. Virginia was the 10th state to join the United States.
  5. The U.S. state of Virginia covers 42,774 square miles.
  6. Virginia is the 35th largest state by area in the United States.
  7. In 2019, the population of Virginia was estimated to be 8,536,000 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. In 2019, Virginia was the 12th most populated state in the United States.
  9. A person who is from or lives in Virginia is called a Virginian.
  10. The capital city of Virginia is Richmond.
  11. The five largest cities in Virginia are Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Arlington and Richmond.
  12. The largest city in by population in Virginia is Virginia Beach.
  13. The largest metropolitan area in Virginia is the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.
  14. The U.S. state of Virginia has 95 counties.
  15. The most populated county in Virginia is Fairfax County with 1,081,000 residents (2019, U.S. Census Bureau).
  16. The largest county by area in Virginia is Pittsylvania County with 978 square miles.
  17. The highest elevation point in Virginia is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet above sea level.
  18. The lowest elevation point in Virginia is the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean at sea level.
  19. The average precipitation (rain and snow) in Virginia is 44.3 inches.
  20. Virginia is the 19th wettest state by precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States.
  21. The average temperature in Virginia is 53 °F.
  22. Virginia is the 22nd warmest state in the United States.
  23. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Virginia was 110 °F on July 15th, 1954.
  24. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Virginia was -30 °F on January 22nd, 1985.
  25. A few natural disasters that can affect Virginia are heat waves, hurricanes, ice storms and nor’easters.
  26. Virginia is in one time zone, Eastern Time Zone (ET).
  27. The USPS abbreviation for Virginia is VA
  28. Virginia is also known as Old Dominion and the Mother of Presidents.
  29. The motto of the U.S. state of Virginia is “Thus Always to Tyrants”.
  30. The official state insect of Virginia is the tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus).
  31. The official state bird of Virginia is the cardinal (Cardinalidae).
  32. The official state freshwater fish of Virginia is the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).
  33. The official state saltwater fish of Virginia is the striped bass (Morone saxatilis).
  34. The official state flower of Virginia is the American dogwood tree flower.
  35. The official state tree of Virginia is the American dogwood (Cornus florida).
  36. The official state fossil of Virginia is the Chesapecten jeffersonius (extinct scallop).
  37. Virginia was one of the first thirteen colonies.
  38. The first permanent English settlement in North America was in Virginia, the Jamestown settlement.
  39. The most well-known military cemetery is in Virginia, the Arlington National Cemetery.

Additional Resources on Virginia

  • About Virginia – Find more information about Virginia on the Virginia Tourism website.
  • The History of Virginia – Learn about the history of the U.S. state of Virginia on the Smithfield website.
  • Facts About Virginia – Discover some awesome facts about Virginia on the National Geographic Kids website.
  • Virginia – Wikipedia – Read the Virginia entry on the Wikipedia website to learn more about it.

About the author
Facts Editor

This is an author profile for articles that are created from a collaborative effort. It is not uncommon that articles on this site were either written, researched or fact checked by several authors and team members. So this author profile will be displayed to reflect that. Our team of editors, writers and fact checkers do extensive research before publishing articles on the site, and we do our best to provide the most accurate information possible.