Editing Virginia (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Environment of Virginia}}
[[File:Virginia geographic map-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Virginia is shaped by the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], the [[Chesapeake Bay]] and its watershed, and the [[parallel 36°30′ north]].|alt=A topographic map of Virginia, with text identifying cities and natural features.]]
Virginia is located in the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic]] and [[Southeastern United States|Southeastern]] regions of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mid-Atlantic Home : Mid–Atlantic Information Office : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |url=https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408092405/https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/ |archive-date=April 8, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2017 |website=www.bls.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 3, 2012 |title=United States Regions |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/united-states-regions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327193614/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/maps/united-states-regions/ |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |access-date=April 29, 2017 |website=National Geographic Society}}</ref> Virginia has a total area of {{convert|42774.2|sqmi|km2|1}}, including {{convert|3180.13|sqmi|km2|1}} of water, making it the 35th-[[List of U.S. states by area|largest state]] by area.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc3-us-pt1.pdf |page= 71 |website= [[United States Census Bureau]] |date= April 2004 |title= 2000 Census of Population and Housing |access-date= November 3, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171203135357/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc3-us-pt1.pdf |archive-date= December 3, 2017 |url-status= live}}</ref> It is bordered by [[Maryland]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] to the northeast; by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east; by [[North Carolina]] to the south; by [[Tennessee]] to the southwest; by [[Kentucky]] to the west; and by [[West Virginia]] to the northwest. Virginia's boundary with Maryland and Washington, D.C., the low-water mark of the south shore of the [[Potomac River]], has been an issue for [[water right]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/SandBar/SandBar2/2.4supreme.htm|title=Supreme Court Rules for Virginia in Potomac Conflict|website=The Sea Grant Law Center|publisher=[[University of Mississippi]]|year=2003|access-date=November 24, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610050345/http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/SandBar/SandBar2/2.4supreme.htm|archive-date=June 10, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

Virginia's southern border [[Royal Colonial Boundary of 1665|was defined in 1665]] as [[Parallel 36°30′ north#In the United States|36°30' north latitude]]. Surveyors marking the border with North Carolina in the 18th century however started about {{convert|3.5|miles|km}} to the north and drifted an additional 3.5&nbsp;miles by [[North Carolina–Tennessee–Virginia Corners|the border's westernmost point]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.pilotonline.com/2017/01/02/along-north-carolina-virginia-border-a-tiny-turn-in-the-map-and-a-history-of-lies-and-controversy/ |title= Along North Carolina-Virginia border, a tiny turn in the map and a history of lies and controversy |first= Jeff |last= Hampton |newspaper= The Virginian Pilot |date= August 9, 2019 |access-date= January 2, 2024}}</ref> After [[Tennessee]] joined the U.S. in 1796, new surveyors worked in 1802 and 1803 to reset their border with Virginia as a line from the summit of [[White Top Mountain]] to the top of [[Tri-State Peak]] in the [[Cumberland Mountains]]. However, deviations in that border were identified when it was re-marked in 1856, and the Virginia General Assembly proposed a new surveying commission in 1871. Representatives from Tennessee preferred to keep the less-straight 1803 line, and in 1893, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled for them [[Virginia v. Tennessee|against Virginia]].{{sfn|Van Zandt|1976|pp=92–95}}{{sfn|Smith|2015|pp=71–72}} One result is how the city of [[Bristol, Virginia|Bristol]] is divided in two between the states.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/pieces-of-the-past-supreme-court-looked-at-controversy-over/article_37075b77-6b6c-5a8b-a33d-4f74b5d3a0f1.html |title= Pieces of the Past: Supreme Court looked at controversy over Bristol border location |first1= Dalena |last1= Mathews |first2= Robert |last2= Sorrell |newspaper= Bristol Herald Courier |date= October 6, 2018 |access-date= September 16, 2019}}</ref>

===Geology and terrain===
{{Main|Geology of Virginia}}
[[File:Great Falls in purple.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Great Falls (Potomac River)|Great Falls]] is on the [[Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line|fall line]] of the [[Potomac River]], and its rocks date to the late [[Precambrian]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://epod.usra.edu/blog/2007/10/great-falls-national-park-on-the-potomac-river.html |title= Great Falls National Park on the Potomac River |website= Earth Science Picture of the Day |first= David |last= Noll |date= October 29, 2007 |access-date= May 28, 2021}}</ref>|alt=Rapids in a wide, rocky river under blue sky with clouds colored purple by the sunset.]]
The [[Chesapeake Bay]] separates the contiguous portion of the Commonwealth from the two-county peninsula of Virginia's [[Eastern Shore of Virginia|Eastern Shore]]. The bay was formed from the [[Ria|drowned river valley]] of the ancient [[Susquehanna River]].<ref name=bay>{{cite web |url= https://www.nps.gov/chba/learn/geological-formation.htm |title= Geological Formation | publisher= National Park Service |date= August 8, 2018 |access-date= July 13, 2021}}</ref> Many of [[List of rivers of Virginia|Virginia's rivers]] flow into the Chesapeake Bay, including the [[Potomac River|Potomac]], [[Rappahannock River|Rappahannock]], [[York River (Virginia)|York]], and [[James River|James]], which create three peninsulas in the bay, traditionally referred to as "necks" named [[Northern Neck]], [[Middle Peninsula]], and the [[Virginia Peninsula]] from north to south.{{sfn|Burnham|Burnham|2018|pp=1}} [[Sea level rise]] has eroded the land on Virginia's islands, which include [[Tangier, Virginia|Tangier Island]] in the bay and [[Chincoteague, Virginia|Chincoteague]], one of [[Virginia Barrier Islands|23 barrier islands]] on the Atlantic coast.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/tangier-the-sinking-island-in-the-chesapeake |title= Tangier, the Sinking Island in the Chesapeake |magazine= The New Yorker |first= Carolyn |last= Kormann |date= June 8, 2018 |access-date= May 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/virginia-barrier-islands/ |title= Shifting sands: Virginia's barrier islands are constantly on the move |first= Amy Brecount |last= White |magazine= Roadtrippers |date= April 16, 2020 |access-date= May 22, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Tidewater (geographic term)|Tidewater]] is a [[Atlantic coastal plain|coastal plain]] between the Atlantic coast and the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|fall line]]. It includes the Eastern Shore and major [[estuary|estuaries]] of Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont is a series of [[sedimentary rock|sedimentary]] and [[igneous rock]]-based [[foothills]] east of the mountains.{{sfn|Pazzaglia|2006|pp=135–138}} The region, known for its heavy clay soil, includes the [[Southwest Mountains]] around [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]].<ref name=agriculture>{{cite web| url=http://www.deq.state.va.us/vanaturally/guide/agriculture.html| title=Virginia's Agricultural Resources| website=Natural Resource Education Guide| publisher=Virginia Department of Environmental Quality| date=January 21, 2008| access-date=February 8, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020193915/http://www.deq.state.va.us/vanaturally/guide/agriculture.html| archive-date=October 20, 2008| url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] are a [[physiographic regions of the world|physiographic province]] of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] with the highest points in the Commonwealth, the tallest being [[Mount Rogers (Virginia)|Mount Rogers]] at {{convert|5729|ft|m}}.<ref name=mtrogers>{{harvnb|Burnham|Burnham|2018|pp=277}}</ref> The [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians|Ridge-and-Valley region]] is west of the mountains, [[carbonate rock]] based, and includes the [[Massanutten Mountain]] ridge and the [[Great Appalachian Valley]], which is called the [[Shenandoah Valley]] in Virginia, named after the [[Shenandoah River|river of the same name]] that flows through it.<ref name=regions>{{cite web|url=http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/valley-ridge/ |title=Physiographic Regions of Virginia |website=The Geology of Virginia |publisher=[[College of William and Mary]] |date=July 2015 |access-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref> The [[Cumberland Plateau]] and [[Cumberland Mountains]] are in the southwest corner of Virginia, south of the [[Allegheny Plateau]]. In this region, rivers flow northwest into the [[Ohio River]] basin.{{sfn|Palmer|1998|pp=49–51}}

[[Virginia seismic zones|Virginia's seismic zones]] have not had a history of regular [[earthquake]] activity. Earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 in [[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]]. The Commonwealth's largest earthquake in at least a century, at a magnitude of 5.8, [[2011 Virginia earthquake|struck central Virginia on August 23, 2011]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20110823-2011-08-23-dp-nws-earthquake-regional-20110823-story.html |title= Virginia earthquake largest recorded in commonwealth |first= Peter |last= Frost |newspaper= The Daily Press |date= August 23, 2011 |access-date= May 22, 2020}}</ref> 35{{nbsp}}million years ago, a [[bolide]] impacted what is now eastern Virginia. The resulting [[Chesapeake Bay impact crater]] may explain what [[earthquake]]s and [[subsidence]] the region does experience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1113_chesapeakcrater.html|title=Chesapeake Bay Crater Offers Clues to Ancient Cataclysm|first=Hillary|last=Mayell|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]|date=November 13, 2001|access-date=March 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190052/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1113_chesapeakcrater.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A meteor impact is also theorized as the source of [[Lake Drummond]], the largest of the two natural [[List of lakes of Virginia|lakes in the state]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20090408-2009-04-08-0904070065-story.html |title= Lake Drummond's Name and Origin Still a Mystery to Some |first= Scott |last= Harper |newspaper= The Virginian-Pilot Daily Press |date= April 8, 2009 |access-date= May 27, 2021}}</ref>

The Commonwealth's carbonate rock is filled with more than 4,000 [[limestone cave]]s, ten of which are open for tourism, including the popular [[Luray Caverns]] and [[Skyline Caverns]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/10/12/6-spectacular-caves-youll-want-explore-shenandoah/|title=6 Spectacular Caves You'll Want to Explore in the Shenandoah |first= Dale |last= Leatherman |date= October 12, 2017 |magazine= Washingtonian Magazine |access-date= June 5, 2020}}</ref> Virginia's iconic [[Natural Bridge (Virginia)|Natural Bridge]] is the remaining roof of a collapsed limestone cave.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Kelly |first1= James C. |last2= Rasmussen |first2= William Meade Stith |title= The Virginia Landscape: A Cultural History |year= 2000 |access-date= May 12, 2021 |isbn= 978-1-57427-110-2 |publisher= Howell Press |location= Charlottesville |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7pBOAAAAYAAJ |pages= 12}}</ref> [[Coal mining in the United States|Coal mining]] takes place in the three mountainous regions.<ref name=mining>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/commercedocs/COAL.pdf|title=Coal|publisher=Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy|date=July 31, 2008|access-date=February 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103143221/http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/commercedocs/COAL.pdf|archive-date=January 3, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> More than 72{{nbsp}}million tons of other non-fuel resources, such as [[slate]], [[kyanite]], sand, or gravel, were mined in Virginia {{As of|2020|alt=in 2020}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dmme.virginia.gov/dmm/PDF/DATA/Production.xls |title= Comparison of Annually Reported Tonnage Data |publisher= Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy |date= April 7, 2021 |access-date= May 12, 2021 |format= XLS |archive-date= July 5, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140705140805/http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DMM/PDF/DATA/Production.xls |url-status= dead}}</ref> The largest known deposits of [[uranium]] in the U.S. are under [[Coles Hill uranium deposit|Coles Hill, Virginia]]. Despite [[Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren|a challenge that reached the U.S. Supreme Court twice]], the state has banned its mining since 1982 due to environmental and public health concerns.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/uranium-ban-upheld-as-supreme-court-of-va-declines-to-reopen-lower-court-ruling/ |title= Uranium mining ban upheld as Supreme Court of Va. declines to reopen lower court ruling |newspaper= The Virginia Mercury |first= Sarah |last= Vogelsong |date= September 30, 2021 |access-date= January 14, 2022}}</ref>

===Climate===

{{Main|Climate of Virginia}}
{{See also|Climate change in Virginia}}
{{climate chart|Virginia state-wide averages 1895–2023
|25.2|44.7|3.3
|26.3|47.5|3.1
|33.6|56.4|3.7
|42.0|66.6|3.4
|51.4|75.5|4.0
|59.8|82.4|4.1
|64.1|85.8|4.6
|62.8|84.1|4.3
|56.3|78.6|3.7
|44.5|68.4|3.2
|34.6|57.1|2.9
|27.4|47.2|3.3
|float=right
|units=imperial
|source=[[#CITEREFNOAA|U.S. Climate Divisional Dataset]]
}}

Virginia has a [[humid subtropical climate]] that transitions to [[Humid continental climate|humid continental]] west of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]].{{sfn|Hamilton|2016|pp=12–13}} Seasonal extremes vary from average lows of {{convert|25|°F|°C|0}} in January to average highs of {{convert|86|°F|°C|0}} in July.<ref name=noaa/> The Atlantic Ocean and [[Gulf Stream]] have a strong effect on eastern and southeastern coastal areas, making the climate there warmer but also more constant. Most of Virginia's recorded extremes in temperature and precipitation have occurred in the Blue Ridge Mountains and areas west.<ref name=Burnham/> Virginia receives an average of {{convert|43.47|in|cm|0}} of precipitation annually,<ref name=noaa>{{cite web |url= https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/statewide/time-series/44/pcp/ann/1/1895-2023?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1895&endbaseyear=2023 |title= Climate at a Glance |date= January 2024 |website= NOAA National Centers for Environmental information |author= U.S. Climate Divisional Dataset |access-date= January 11, 2024 |ref=CITEREFNOAA}}</ref> with the [[Shenandoah Valley]] being the state's driest region.<ref name=Burnham/>

Virginia has around 35–45 days with thunderstorms annually, and storms are common in the late afternoon and evenings between April and September.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.dcmilitary.com/pentagram/news/news_notes/severe-weather-awareness-for-spring-summer/article_434e2ce1-5441-5b2f-9113-d61f3ff1702f.html |title= Severe weather awareness for spring, summer  |website= Pentagram |first= Jim |last= Dresbach |date= April 11, 2019 |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> These months are also the most common for [[tornado]]es,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://wset.com/news/local/annual-tornado-drill-in-virginia-will-be-held-march-17 |title= Annual tornado drill in Virginia will be held March 17 |agency= Associated Press |date= February 12, 2020 |website= WSET-TV |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> eight of which touched down in the Commonwealth in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/summary/?month=00&year=2023&state=VA |title= Annual Severe Weather Report Summary |website= NOAA / National Weather Service |date= December 31, 2023 |access-date= January 12, 2023}}</ref> [[List of Virginia hurricanes|Hurricanes]] and tropical storms can occur from August to October. The deadliest natural disaster in Virginia was [[Hurricane Camille#Virginia|Hurricane Camille]], which killed over 150 people in 1969 mainly in inland [[Nelson County, Virginia|Nelson County]].<ref name=Burnham/><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/19/virginias-deadliest-natural-disaster-unfolded-years-ago-hurricane-camille/ |title= Virginia's deadliest natural disaster unfolded 50 years ago from Hurricane Camille |first= Jeff |last= Halverson |date= August 19, 2019 |newspaper= The Washington Post |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> Between December and March, [[cold-air damming]] caused by the Appalachian Mountains can lead to significant snowfalls across the state, such as the [[January 2016 United States blizzard|January 2016 blizzard]], which created the state's highest recorded one-day snowfall of {{convert|36.6|in|cm}} near [[Bluemont, Virginia|Bluemont]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/02/07/your-primer-to-understanding-mid-atlantic-cold-air-damming-and-the-wedge/ |title= Your primer to understanding Mid-Atlantic cold air damming and 'the wedge' |first= Jeff |last= Halverson |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= February 7, 2018 |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://patch.com/virginia/vienna/snowiest-day-record-day-fairfax-co-saw-25-5-inches-fall |title= Snowiest Day On Record: The Day Fairfax Co. Saw 25.5 Inches Fall |first= Emily |last= Leayman |website= Patch |date= January 22, 2020 |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> On average, cities in Virginia can receive between {{convert|5.8|-|12.3|in|cm}} of snow annually, but recent winters have seen below-average snowfalls, and much of Virginia had no measurable snow during the 2022–2023 winter season.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/202202/supplemental/page-5 |title= Winter Snowfall Departure from Average |website= NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |date= March 2022 |access-date= April 10, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://richmond.com/weather/we-give-our-virginia-winter-forecast-a-b/article_2b8c8e76-b869-11ed-8586-47e1d026fa8e.html |title= We give our Virginia winter forecast a B |first= Sean |last= Sublette |newspaper= The Richmond Times-Dispatch |date= March 1, 2023 |access-date= April 10, 2023}}</ref>

[[Climate change in Virginia]] is leading to higher temperatures year-round as well as more heavy rain and flooding events.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Virginia-summers-getting-more-hot-and-humid-385709001.html |title= Virginia summers getting more hot and humid |first= Brent |last= Watts |website= WDBJ-TV |date= July 6, 2016 |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> [[Urban heat island]]s can be found in many Virginia cities and suburbs, particularly in neighborhoods linked to historic [[redlining]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/there-may-be-a-link-between-urban-heat-islands-and-past-redlining-practices-study-finds/ |title= In Virginia and U.S., urban heat islands and past redlining practices may be linked, study finds |newspaper= The Virginia Mercury |first= Sarah |last= Vogelsong |date= January 15, 2020 |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-redlining-cities-global-warming.html |title= How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering |first1= Brad |last1= Plumer |first2= Nadja |last2= Popovich |newspaper= The New York Times |date= August 24, 2020 |access-date= August 25, 2020}}</ref> The air in Virginia has statistically improved since 1998.<ref name=haze>{{cite news |url= https://www.roanoke.com/weather/weather-journal-you-really-can-see-more-clearly-on-hot-summer-days-than-you-used/article_08e9554d-1435-570a-926c-6e06b2d4ce1f.html |title= Weather Journal: You really can see more clearly on hot summer days than you used to |first= Kevin |last= Myatt |date= August 27, 2019 |newspaper= The Roanoke Star |access-date= May 29, 2020}}</ref> The closure and conversion of [[coal power plant]]s in Virginia and the Ohio Valley region has helped cut the amount of [[Particulate pollution|particulate matter]] in Virginia's air in half.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://energynews.us/2020/12/16/report-dominion-energy-must-start-planning-now-for-coal-plant-transition/ |title=  Report: Dominion Energy must start planning now for coal plant transition |website= Energy News Network |first= Elizabeth |last= McGowan |date= December 16, 2020 |access-date= April 2, 2021}}</ref><ref name=eiaco>{{Cite web |url= https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/0?agg=2,0,1&fuel=vvvvu&geo=00000001&sec=g&freq=A&start=2001&end=2021&ctype=linechart&ltype=pin&rtype=s&pin=&rse=0&maptype=0 |title= Electricity Data Browser, Net generation for all sectors, Virginia, Fuel Type-Check all, Annual, 2001–23 |website = U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date = May 1, 2024}}</ref> Current plans call for 30% of the Commonwealth's electricity to be renewable by 2030 and for all to be carbon-free by 2050.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://apnews.com/97033f76286b4fd0ad0f25fb4108e627 |title= Virginia to develop 4 new solar energy projects |first= Jimmy |last= O'Keefe |work= Associated Press |date= October 4, 2019 |access-date= November 22, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191122230741/https://apnews.com/97033f76286b4fd0ad0f25fb4108e627 |archive-date= November 22, 2019 |url-status= live}}</ref>

===Ecosystem===
{{See also|List of endangered species in Virginia}}
[[File:White-tailed buck in foggy morning at Shenandoah National Park.jpeg|thumb|Up to 7,000 [[white-tailed deer]], also known as Virginia deer, live in [[Shenandoah National Park]].<ref name=gildard>{{Cite book |last1= Gildart |first1= Robert C. |first2= Jane |last2= Gildart |title= Hiking Shenandoah National Park |edition= 5 |publisher= Falcon Guides |location= Guilford, Connecticut |year= 2016 |isbn= 978-1-4930-1685-3 |page= 3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kXSOCwAAQBAJ}}</ref>|alt=A red-brown colored deer with antlers stands in a meadow with high grasses.]]
Forests cover 62% of Virginia {{as of|2021|lc=on}}, of which 80% is considered [[hardwood]] forest, meaning that trees are primarily [[deciduous]] and [[Broad-leaved tree|broad-leaved]]. The other 20% is pine, with [[Pinus taeda|loblolly]] and [[Pinus echinata|shortleaf pine]] dominating much of central and eastern Virginia.<ref name=stateoftheforest>{{cite web |url= https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2022/RD282 |title= State of the Forest Annual Report on Virginia's Forests – 2021 |date= 2022 |first= Rob |last= Farrell|publisher= Virginia Department of Forestry |access-date= February 7, 2023}}</ref> In the western and mountainous parts of the Commonwealth, oak and hickory are most common, while lower altitudes are more likely to have small but dense stands of hemlocks and mosses in abundance.<ref name=Burnham>{{harvnb|Burnham|Burnham|2018|pp=xvii–xxi, 64}}</ref> [[Gypsy moths in the United States|Spongy moth infestations]] in oak trees and the [[chestnut blight|blight in chestnut trees]] have decreased both of their numbers, leaving more room for hickory and the invasive [[Ailanthus altissima|tree of heaven]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Gyspy-Moths-on-wide-destructive-path-in-Southwest-Virginia-390498551.html |title= Gyspy Moths on wide, destructive path in Southwest Virginia |website= WDBJ-TV |first= Justin |last= Ward |date= August 17, 2016 |access-date= May 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name=Burnham/> In the lowland tidewater and [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], yellow pines tend to dominate, with bald cypress wetland forests in the Great Dismal and Nottoway swamps.<ref name=stateoftheforest/> Other common trees include red spruce, [[Chamaecyparis thyoides|Atlantic white cedar]], [[Liriodendron tulipifera|tulip-poplar]], and the [[Cornus florida|flowering dogwood]], the [[List of U.S. state and territory trees|state tree and flower]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://dof.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/Common-Native-Trees-ID_pub.pdf |title= Common Native Trees of Virginia |publisher= Virginia Department of Forestry |date= April 30, 2020 |access-date= August 17, 2021}}</ref> Plants like [[Asclepias|milkweed]], dandelions, daisies, ferns, and [[Parthenocissus quinquefolia|Virginia creeper]], which is featured on the [[Flag of Virginia|state flag]], are also common.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pwconserve.org/plants/ |title= Wildflowers of Northern Virginia |website= Prince William Conservation Alliance |date= May 5, 2016 |access-date= August 17, 2021}}</ref> The [[G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area|Thompson Wildlife Area]] in [[Fauquier County, Virginia|Fauquier]] is known for having one of the largest populations of [[Trillium grandiflorum|trillium wildflowers]] in North America.<ref name=Burnham/>

[[White-tailed deer]], one of 75 mammal species found in Virginia, rebounded from an estimated population of as few as 25,000 in the 1930s to over one million by the 2010s.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.richmond.com/sports/local/clarkson-deer-populations-abound-but-number-of-hunters-continues-to/article_3ac70bd5-8345-57e2-a6b2-0031130c926d.html |title= Clarkson: Deer populations abound, but number of hunters continues to decline |first= Tee |last= Clarkson |newspaper= The Richmond Times-Dispatch |date= March 3, 2018 |access-date= April 2, 2020}}</ref><ref name=mammals>{{cite web |url= https://vaswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Envirothon-Mammals-of-VA.pdf |title= Virginia Master Naturalist Basic Training Course |publisher= Virginia Tech |first= John F. |last= Pagels |date= 2013 |access-date= May 28, 2021 |archive-date= August 31, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210831195527/https://vaswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Envirothon-Mammals-of-VA.pdf |url-status= dead}}</ref> Native [[carnivora]]ns include [[American black bear|black bears]], who have a population of around five to six thousand in the state,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/black-bear.htm |title= American Black Bear |website= Shenandoah National Park |date= August 21, 2020 |access-date= May 31, 2021}}</ref> as well as [[bobcat]]s, [[coyote]]s, both [[gray fox|gray]] and [[red fox]]es, [[raccoon]]s, [[weasel]]s and [[skunk]]s. Rodents include [[groundhog]]s, [[nutria]], [[beaver]]s, both [[Eastern gray squirrel|gray squirrels]] and [[fox squirrel]]s, chipmunks, and [[Allegheny woodrat]]s, while the seventeen bat species include brown bats and the [[Virginia big-eared bat]], the [[List of U.S. state mammals|state mammal]].<ref name=dwr_list>{{cite web |url=https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/|title= Wildlife Information |publisher=Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources|date= June 2, 2016 |access-date=July 4, 2020}}</ref><ref name=mammals/> The [[Virginia opossum]] is the only [[marsupial]] native to the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215202320.htm |title= Ancient origins of modern opossum revealed |date= December 17, 2009 |author= University of Florida |website= Science Daily |access-date= April 2, 2020}}</ref> and the native [[Appalachian cottontail]] was recognized in 1992 as a distinct species of rabbit, one of three found in the state.<ref>{{Cite iucn | author = Barry, R. | author2 = Lazell, J. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Sylvilagus obscurus'' | volume = 2008 | page = e.T41301A10434606 | date = 2008 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41301A10434606.en}}</ref> Whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in Virginia's coastal waters, with [[bottlenose dolphins]] being the most frequent [[aquatic mammal]]s.<ref name=mammals/>

[[File:FC Osprey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Osprey]] nest at [[False Cape State Park]] on a wooden platform designed to encourage their return to the area|alt=A gray and white bird of prey on the edge of a large nest with water in the distance.]]
[[List of birds of Virginia|Virginia's bird fauna]] comprises 422 counted species, of which 359 are regularly occurring and 214 have bred in Virginia, while the rest are mostly [[Bird migration|winter residents or transients]].<ref name=Terwilliger>Karen Terwilliger, ''A Guide to Endangered and Threatened Species in Virginia'' (Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries/McDonald & Woodward: 1995), p. 158.</ref> [[Water birds]] include sandpipers, wood ducks, and [[Virginia rail]], while common inland examples include warblers, woodpeckers, and cardinals, the [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]]. Birds of prey include osprey, [[broad-winged hawk]]s, and [[barred owl]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.audubon.org/news/birding-virginia |title= Birding in Virginia |website= National Audubon Society |first= Mel |last= White |date= April 28, 2016 |access-date= May 28, 2021}}</ref> There are no [[Endemic species|endemic]] bird species.<ref name=Terwilliger/> [[National Audubon Society|Audubon]] recognizes 21 [[Important Bird Area]]s in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/state/virginia |title= Important Bird Areas: Virginia |access-date= July 4, 2020 |website= National Audubon Society |date= 2020}}</ref> [[Peregrine falcon]]s, whose numbers dramatically declined due to [[DDT]] poisoning in the middle of the 20th century, are the focus of conservation efforts in the state and a reintroduction program in [[Shenandoah National Park]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bayjournal.com/archives/peregrine-falcons-slow-to-return-to-appalachia/article_28e00ba7-e86e-518d-8e06-5f025b618ae7.html |title= Peregrine falcons slow to return to Appalachia |first= William H. |last= Funk |newspaper= The Chesapeake Bay Journal |date= October 8, 2017 |access-date= April 2, 2020}}</ref>

Virginia has 226 species of [[freshwater fish]] from 25 families, a diversity attributable to the area's varied and humid climate, topography, interconnected river system, and lack of [[Pleistocene glaciation|Pleistocene glaciers]]. Common examples on the [[Cumberland Plateau]] and higher-elevation regions include [[Eastern blacknose dace]], [[sculpin]], [[smallmouth bass]], [[redhorse sucker]], [[Kanawha darter]], and [[brook trout]], the [[List of U.S. state fish|state fish]]. Downhill in the Piedmont, [[stripeback darter]] and [[Roanoke bass]] become common, as do [[swampfish]], [[bluespotted sunfish]], and [[pirate perch]] in the [[Tidewater (region)|Tidewater]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4M6wDwAAQBAJ|title=Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia|author1=Paul E. Bugas Jr.|author2=Corbin D. Hilling|author3=Val Kells|author4=Michael J. Pinder|author5=Derek A. Wheaton|author6=Donald J. Orth|date=2019|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|pages=13–16|isbn=9781421433073}}</ref> The [[Chesapeake Bay]] hosts clams, oysters, and 350&nbsp;species of [[saltwater fish|saltwater]] and [[Coastal fish|estuarine fish]], including the bay's most abundant finfish, the [[Bay anchovy]], as well as the invasive [[blue catfish]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-blue-catfish-multiply-in-chesapeake-bay-watermen-pursue-new-catch/2019/06/10/5b5df3f2-8973-11e9-a870-b9c411dc4312_story.html |title= As blue catfish multiply in Chesapeake Bay, watermen pursue new catch |first1= Christina |last1= Tkacik |first2= Scott |last2= Dance |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= June 10, 2019 |access-date= June 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/spring-feeding/ |title= Spring Feeding |magazine= Chesapeake Bay Magazine |date= March 26, 2019 |first= John Page |last= Williams |access-date= April 11, 2021}}</ref> An estimated 317&nbsp;million [[Callinectes sapidus|Chesapeake blue crabs]] live in the bay {{as of|2024|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/05/22/blue-crab-population-decline-winter-dredge-survey |title= Chesapeake blue crab population sees slight decline |first= Anna |last= Spiegel |date= May 22, 2024 |website= Axios |access-date= May 23, 2024}}</ref> There are 34 native species of crayfish, like the [[Big Sandy crayfish|Big Sandy]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://loudounwildlife.org/2016/07/crayfish/ |title= Crayfish |first= Emily |last= Bzdyk |date= July 1, 2016 |website= Loudoun Wildlife |volume= 21 |issue= 2 |access-date= May 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Burnham/> Amphibians found in Virginia include the [[Cumberland Plateau salamander]] and [[Eastern hellbender]],<ref>Jeffrey C. Beane, Alvin L. Braswell, William M. Palmer, Joseph C. Mitchell & Julian R. Harrison III, ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia'' (2d ed.: University of North Carolina Press, 2010), pp. 51, 102.</ref> while the [[northern watersnake]] is the most common of the 32&nbsp;snake species.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nbc12.com/2019/05/03/snakes-virginia-meet-youll-mostly-likely-see-this-season/ |title= Snakes in Virginia: Meet 6 you'll most likely see this season |first= Rex |last= Springston |newspaper= Virginia Mercury |date= May 3, 2019 |access-date= September 1, 2021}}</ref>

=== Protected lands ===
{{See also|List of Virginia state parks}}
[[File:Shenandoah 2020.jpg|thumb|[[Oak]] trees produce a haze of [[isoprene]], which helps give the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] their signature color.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.ourstate.com/why-are-the-blue-ridge-mountains-blue/ |title= Why Are the Blue Ridge Mountains Blue? |magazine= Our State |first= Katie |last= Quine |date= November 2, 2015 |access-date= May 30, 2021}}</ref>|alt=Five mountain ridges in shades of dark blue below an orange and yellow sunset.]]
{{As of|2019}}, roughly 16.2% of land in the Commonwealth is protected by federal, state, and local governments and non-profits.<ref name=protectedland>{{cite web |url= https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/land-conservation/protected-lands |title= Virginia's Protected Lands |website= Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |date= 2021 |access-date= May 29, 2021}}</ref> Federal lands account for the majority, with thirty [[National Park Service]] units, such as [[Great Falls Park]] and the [[Appalachian Trail]], and one national park, [[Shenandoah National Park|Shenandoah]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/va/index.htm|title=Virginia|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=July 4, 2020}}</ref> Almost forty percent of Shenandoah's total {{convert|199,173|acre|km2|0}} area has been designated as wilderness under the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]].{{sfn|Carroll|Miller|2002|p=158}} The [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]] administers the [[George Washington and Jefferson National Forests]], which cover more than {{convert|1.6|e6acre|km2}} within Virginia's mountains, and continue into [[West Virginia]] and [[Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gwj/about-forest |title= The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests |website= United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service |date= 2021 |access-date= May 29, 2021}}</ref> The [[Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge]] also extends into North Carolina, as does the [[Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge]], which marks the beginning of the [[Outer Banks]].{{sfn|Smith|2008|pp=152–153, 356}}

State agencies control about one-third of protected land in the state,<ref name=protectedland/> and the [[Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation]] manages over {{convert|75,900|acre|km2|1}} in forty [[List of Virginia state parks|Virginia state parks]] and {{convert|59,222|acre|km2|1}} in 65 [[Virginia Natural Area Preserve System|Natural Area Preserves]], plus three undeveloped parks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/fun-facts|title=Fun Facts|publisher=Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation|date=May 17, 2021|access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-area-preserves/ |title= Virginia Natural Area Preserves |website= Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |date= November 20, 2020 |access-date= May 27, 2021}}</ref> [[Breaks Interstate Park]] crosses the Kentucky border and is one of only two inter-state parks in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/2018/01/12/breaks-centuries-struggle-breaks-interstate-park/1012506001/|title=That's the Breaks: Documentary chronicles significant natural area on Virginia-Kentucky border|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|date=January 12, 2018|first=Randall|last=Brown}}</ref> Sustainable logging is allowed in 26 [[List of Virginia state forests|state forests]] managed by the [[Virginia Department of Forestry]] totaling {{convert|71,972|acre|km2|1}},<ref name=forests>{{cite web|url=https://dof.virginia.gov/about/|title=About the Virginia Department of Forestry |website=Virginia Department of Forestry |access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> as is hunting in 44 [[Virginia Wildlife Management Areas|Wildlife Management Areas]] run by the [[Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources]] covering over {{convert|205000|acre|km2|1}}.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.outdoorsrambler.com/post/2019/05/23/virginias-newest-wildlife-management-areas-are-shining-examples-of-howwhere-to-buy |title= Virginia's Newest Wildlife Management Areas are Shining Examples of How/Where to Buy |website= Outdoors Rambler |first= Ken |last= Perrotte |date= May 23, 2019 |access-date= May 27, 2021}}</ref> The [[Chesapeake Bay]] is not a national park, but is protected by both state and federal legislation and the inter-state [[Chesapeake Bay Program]].<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.cbf.org/news-media/newsroom/2020/federal/enactment-of-historic-legislation-is-major-victory-for-chesapeake-bay.html |title= Enactment of Historic Legislation is Major Victory for Chesapeake Bay |website= Chesapeake Bay Foundation |date= October 30, 2020 |access-date= May 29, 2021}}</ref>

===Cities and towns===
{{See also|Political subdivisions of Virginia|Virginia statistical areas}}
[[File:Population density of Virginia counties (2020).png|thumb|upright=1.35|The population density of Virginia counties and cities as of 2020|alt=Map of Virginia counties colored by population density, ranging from pale yellow, to green, to dark blue.]]
Virginia is divided into 95{{nbsp}}[[List of counties in Virginia|counties]] and 38{{nbsp}}[[independent city (United States)|independent cities]], which the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] describes as [[county-equivalent]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-local-geo-guides-2010/virginia.html |title= Virginia Basic Information |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |date= June 25, 2018 |access-date= June 5, 2020}}</ref> This general method of treating cities and counties on par with each other is unique to Virginia and stretches back to the influence of [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] and [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] in the colonial period.{{sfn|Library of Virginia|1994|pp=183}} Only three other [[Independent city (United States)#Other states|independent cities]] exist elsewhere in the US.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/opinion/article/unique-structural-issues-make-progress-in-virginia-difficult/201616/|title=Unique structural issues make progress in Virginia difficult|date=September 28, 2009|first=Bernie|last=Niemeier|work=Virginia Business|access-date=October 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511132428/http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/opinion/article/unique-structural-issues-make-progress-in-virginia-difficult/201616/|archive-date=May 11, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The differences between counties and cities in Virginia are small and have to do with how each assess new taxes, whether a referendum is necessary to issue bonds, and with the application of [[Dillon's Rule]], which limits the authority of cities and counties to countermand acts expressly allowed by the [[Virginia General Assembly|General Assembly]].<ref name=arlcity>{{cite news |url= https://wamu.org/story/17/07/14/no-longer-county-boy-arlington-official-says-county-become-city/ |title= No Longer A County Boy: Arlington Official Says County Should Become A City |date= July 14, 2017 |access-date= April 21, 2021 |first= Martin |last= Austermuhle |website= WAMU 88.5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/why-arlington-and-fairfax-cant-tax-plastic-bags--and-why-that-might-change/2019/12/09/0913fd32-1544-11ea-9110-3b34ce1d92b1_story.html |title= Virginia Democrats poised to relax Dillon Rule |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= December 10, 2019 |first= Patricia |last= Sullivan |access-date= June 7, 2020}}</ref> Counties can also have [[List of towns in Virginia|incorporated towns]], and while there are no further [[Administrative divisions of Virginia|administrative subdivisions]], the Census Bureau recognizes several hundred [[List of unincorporated communities in Virginia|unincorporated communities]].

Over three million people, 35% of Virginians, live in the twenty jurisdictions collectively defined as [[Northern Virginia]], part of the larger [[Washington metropolitan area]] and the [[Northeast megalopolis]].<ref name=msa>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html |title= Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2023 |website= U.S. Census Bureau |date= March 11, 2024 |access-date= June 24, 2024 |ref=CITEREFMSA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/all-hail-the-northeast-megalopolis-the-census-bureau-region-home-to-roughly-1-in-6-americans/3226966/ |title=  All Hail the Northeast Megalopolis, the Census Bureau Region Home to Roughly 1 in 6 Americans |website= NBC4 Washington |first= Maggie |last= More |date= December 6, 2022 |access-date= December 9, 2022}}</ref> [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]], with more than 1.1{{nbsp}}million residents, is Virginia's most populous jurisdiction,<ref name=wapo2018pop>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginias-growth-is-most-robust-in-washington-suburbs/2018/01/25/8de356f0-0134-11e8-93f5-53a3a47824e8_story.html|title=Virginia's population growth is most robust in Washington suburbs|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 25, 2018|access-date=May 6, 2020|first=Antonio|last=Olivo}}</ref> and has a major urban business and shopping center in [[Tysons, Virginia|Tysons]], Virginia's largest office market.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/08/booming-tysons-looming-problem/ |website= WTOP |title= Booming Tysons, looming problems: Office vacancies, traffic headaches and more |first= Jeff |last= Clabaugh |date= August 9, 2017 |access-date= June 7, 2020}}</ref> Neighboring [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]], with over 450,000&nbsp;residents, is Virginia's second-most populous county and home to [[Marine Corps Base Quantico]], the [[FBI Academy]], and [[Manassas National Battlefield Park]]. [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]] is the smallest self-governing county in the U.S. by land area,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112202165_pf.html|title=Silent Streams|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Mary|last=Battiata|date=November 27, 2005|access-date=April 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012131623/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112202165_pf.html|archive-date=October 12, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and local politicians have proposed reorganizing it as an independent city due to its high density.<ref name=arlcity/> [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun County]] is the fastest-growing county in the state.<ref name=wapo2018pop/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2019/12/loudoun-county-one-of-the-fastest-growing-in-the-country/|title=Loudoun County one of the fastest growing in the country|first=Kyle|last=Cooper|work=WTOP|date=December 31, 2019|access-date=May 6, 2020}}</ref> In western Virginia, [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] city and [[Montgomery County, Virginia|Montgomery County]], part of the [[Blacksburg–Christiansburg metropolitan area]], both have surpassed a population of 100,000 since 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/new-population-estimates-montgomery-county-passes-roanoke/article_b4ad525d-96ad-55dd-978b-d82f58db46c0.html |title= New population estimates: Montgomery County passes Roanoke |first= Yann |last= Ranaivo |newspaper= The Roanoke Star |date= January 31, 2020 |access-date= May 6, 2020}}</ref>

On the western edge of the [[Tidewater (region)|Tidewater region]] is Virginia's capital, [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], which has a population of around 230,000 in its city proper and over 1.3{{nbsp}}million in its metropolitan area. On the eastern edge is the [[Hampton Roads]] metropolitan area, where over 1.7{{nbsp}}million reside across six counties and nine cities, including the Commonwealth's three most populous independent cities: [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]], [[Chesapeake, Virginia|Chesapeake]], and [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]].<ref name=msa/><ref name=agesex>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0400000US51,51$0500000&y=2021&tid=ACSST1Y2021.S0101&moe=false&tp=true|title=American Community Survey: Age and Sex|website=U.S. Census Bureau|date=July 1, 2021|access-date=January 4, 2023}}</ref> Neighboring [[Suffolk, Virginia|Suffolk]], which includes a portion of the [[Great Dismal Swamp]], is the largest city by area at {{convert|429.1|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suffolkva.us/1065/History |title=All About Suffolk |publisher=[[Suffolk, Virginia|Suffolk]] |date=February 12, 2007 |access-date=February 19, 2008}}</ref> One reason for the concentration of independent cities in the Tidewater region is that several rural counties there re-incorporated as cities or consolidated with existing cities to try to hold on to their new suburban neighborhoods that started [[suburbanization|booming in the 1950s]], since cities like Norfolk and [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]] were able to annex land from adjoining counties until a moratorium in 1987.<ref>{{cite journal |url= https://www.virginialawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1551.pdf |last= Roberts |first= David K |title= Separate, but Equal? Virginia's 'Independent' Cities and the Purported Virtues of Voluntary Interlocal Agreements |journal= Virginia Law Review |volume= 95 |number= 6 |year= 2009 |pages= 1551–97 |access-date= May 7, 2024}}</ref> Others, like [[Poquoson, Virginia|Poquoson]], became cities to try to preserve [[racial segregation]] during the desegregation era of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://wydaily.com/our-community/2022/03/10/why-do-we-call-it-poquoson/ |title= Why Do We Call It... Poquoson? |first= Nancy |last= Sheppard |newspaper= WYDaily |date= March 10, 2022 |access-date= May 7, 2024}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| country = Virginia
| kind = Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas
| stat_ref = [[#CITEREFMSA|U.S. Census Bureau MSA Population Estimates 2023]]
| list_by_pop = Virginia statistical areas
| city_1 = Northern Virginia
| pop_1 = 3,154,735
| img_1 = Rosslyn aerial view, September 2018.JPG
| city_2 = Hampton Roads
| pop_2 = 1,727,503
| img_2 = NorfolkAerial4 (38666135182).jpg
| city_3 = Greater Richmond Region{{!}}Richmond
| pop_3 = 1,349,732
| img_3 = Richmond, Virginia - Facing Northwest (32004147783).jpg
| city_4 = Roanoke metropolitan area{{!}}Roanoke
| pop_4 = 314,314
| img_4 = Roanoke Virginia.jpg
| city_5 = Lynchburg metropolitan area{{!}}Lynchburg
| pop_5 = 264,590
| city_6 = Charlottesville, Virginia metropolitan area{{!}}Charlottesville
| pop_6 = 225,127
| city_7 = Blacksburg–Christiansburg metropolitan area{{!}}Blacksburg–Christiansburg
| pop_7 = 181,428
| city_8 = Harrisonburg metropolitan area{{!}}Harrisonburg
| pop_8 = 137,650
| city_9 = Staunton–Waynesboro metropolitan area{{!}}Staunton–Waynesboro
| pop_9 = 127,344
| city_10 = Winchester, VA–WV MSA{{!}}Winchester
| pop_10 = 123,611
| city_11 = Danville, Virginia{{!}}Danville
| pop_11 = 101,408
| city_12 = Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area{{!}}Bristol
| pop_12 = 92,290
| city_13 = Martinsville, Virginia{{!}}Martinsville
| pop_13 = 63,465
| city_14 = Tazewell, Virginia{{!}}Tazewell
| pop_14 = 39,120
| city_15 = Lake of the Woods, Virginia{{!}}Lake of the Woods
| pop_15 = 38,574
}}