Virginia

Virginia is one of the original 13 states of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution and is part of the South. Its official name is the Commonwealth of Virginia; it is one of four states which use the name commonwealth. Virginia was the first part of the Americas to be colonized by England.

Demographics

As of 2004, Virginia's population was estimated to be 7,459,827. The state had a foreign-born population of 679,500 (9.1% of the state population), of which an estimated 100,000 were illegal aliens (15% of the foreign-born).

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The state's population increased by 1.3 million between 1990 and 2004, a growth of 21%

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Race and Ancestry

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The racial makeup of the state:

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• 70.2% White non-Hispanic
• 19.6% Black
• 4.7% Hispanic
• 3.7% Asian
• 0.3% Native American
• 2% Mixed race

The five largest reported ancestry groups in Virginia are: African American (19.6%), German (11.7%), American (11.2%), English (11.1%), Irish (9.8%).

Related Topics:
African American - German - American - English - Irish

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Historically, as the largest and wealthiest colony and state and the birthplace of Southern and American culture, a large proportion (about half) of Virginia's population was made up of black slaves who worked the state's tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantations. The twentieth century Great Migration of blacks from the rural South to the urban North reduced Virginia's black population to about 20 percent.

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Today Blacks are concentrated in the eastern and southern tidewater and piedmont regions where plantation agriculture was most dominant. The western mountains are populated primarily by people of British and American ancestry. People of German descent are present in sizable numbers in the northwestern mountains and Shenandoah Valley. And due to recent immigration, there is a rapidly growing population of Hispanics (particularly Central Americans) and Asians in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.

Related Topics:
Central America - Northern Virginia - Washington, DC

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6.5% of Virginia's population were reported as under 5, 24.6% under 18, and 11.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51% of the population.

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Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Virginia are:

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• Christian – 84%
• Protestant – 69%
• Baptist – 32%
• Methodist – 8%
• Episcopal – 3%
• Presbyterian – 3%
• Other Protestant or general Protestant – 23%
• Roman Catholic – 14%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 2%
• Non-Religious – 12%