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Focus on Virginia

By the way Virginians revere their storied past, one could easily imagine that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee were still around.  Of course they aren’t, but the past still exerts a large influence on the state.  The American Revolution is considered to have been won there and much of the Civil War was fought there.  You’ll notice their history immediately with all its finely preserved homes, monuments and battlefield sites that are evident seemingly everywhere.  The original colony was the first permanent New World English settlement.

The state is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England.  She was known as the “Virgin Queen” because she never married.  The state is also known as “Old Dominion” and “Mother of Presidents”, the latter for having the highest number of U.S. Presidents having been born in the state.  Queen Elizabeth granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter to explore and place a colony north of Florida.  He and other settlers organized Jamestown in 1607.  Land from the Native Americans, mostly the Cherokee and Algonquin tribes, was taken by force and treaty.  In its early economy and political sphere, significant influences were made by agriculture, colonialism and slavery. 

The current economy is fueled by federal agencies and military bases.  It is home to the CIA, Department of Defense and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Agriculture and historic tourism are also large components of the economy.  Agricultural products include tobacco, peanuts and tomatoes.  Technology rounds out their economy with computer chips being the state’s leading export.  In fact, Virginia has the highest concentration of technology workers of any state.  Resources that are mined include coal, slate, sand and gravel.

The state is the 35^th largest state in area and 12^th in population, with over 7.6 million residents.  The state is 65% covered by forests.  It does enjoy four distinct seasons and summers can be very humid and winters can bring blizzards.  Tornadoes are not unheard of but tend to be lower-level classified.  Hurricanes are perhaps the biggest weather threat.

There are several major ancestry groups including African, German, English and Irish.  The predominant religion is Baptist with Catholics being the second largest group.

Politically, the state has been traditionally conservative and considered part of the South.  In modern Virginia, the state is more divided.  In fact, the current governor is a Democrat and the Lt. Governor is a Republican.  The state operates under the 1971 Constitution of Virginia, their 7^th Constitution, which provides for fewer elected officials than previous Constitutions.  Their modern government is ranked with an “A-“, the highest grade so far given in the nation by the Pew Center on the States.

During the past three decades the state and local tax burden has consistently averaged an estimated 10.2% , which is below the national average of 11%.  The state collects personal income tax in four brackets ranging from 3 – 5.75%,  with the higher percentage starting at $17,000.  The sales and use tax rate is 5% and the rate on food is 2.5%.  Localities are also required to levy an additional 1% sales tax.   Real estate is taxed at the local level based on 100% of fair market value.  Tangible personal property is also taxed at the local level based on percentage of original cost.  The corporate tax structure consists of a flat 6% on all corporate income. 

There are 86 hospitals in Virginia.  The state is ranked as the 21^st overall healthiest state. 

The State has one national park, Shenandoah National Park, which has been designated as wilderness.  There are over 30 other Virginia state parks.  The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities works to enhance the State’s cultural amenities.  The State has many well-respected museums including the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  There are no major league sports teams but there are several minor league teams.

Several travel books suggest the best time of year to visit is the Fall.  The leaves are beautiful and tourism places aren’t as crowded. 

It would be a great time to also visit any of the many active adult living communities there which you can locate on the website at www.activeadultliving.com. 

Watch next month for information on Pennsylvania.

Dee Chandler
Editor

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