Portal:Virginia

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Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. It borders Kentucky to the west, Tennessee to the south-west, North Carolina to the south, West Virginia to the north-west, and Maryland to the north. The state's capital is Richmond and its most populous city is Virginia Beach. With a population of 8.8 million, it is the 12th-most populous and 15th-most densely populated state. More than one-third of Virginia's population lives in Northern Virginia, which includes the most populous jurisdiction in the state, Fairfax County.

Eastern Virginia is part of the Atlantic Plain, and the Middle Peninsula forms the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Central Virginia lies predominantly in the Piedmont, the foothill region of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which cross the western and southwestern parts of the state. The fertile Shenandoah Valley fosters the state's most productive agricultural counties, while the economy in Northern Virginia is driven by technology companies and U.S. federal government agencies. Hampton Roads is also the site of the region's main seaport and Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base. (Full article...)

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The Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway (C&A) was a short electric street railroad operating within the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, United States during the early 20th century. The line was preceded by several streetcar lines operating both horse-drawn and electric powered cars dating back to 1887. After facing financial difficulties, the predecessor lines were reorganized into the C&A in 1903. The C&A's electric streetcars operated off of an overhead line system that was powered by the railroad's own power plant. The C&A also offered electric power generated by its plant to the city of Charlottesville. During the mid-1910s, the line received numerous upgrades, including the construction of a new power plant on the Rivanna River, a new company headquarters building, expansion of track, and the purchase of new streetcars.

Increased expenses and decreasing ridership, coupled with the Great Depression, caused the railway to cease streetcar operations in 1935. The railway was reorganized as the Charlottesville and Albemarle Bus Company in 1936 with a transition to bus service. Today, Charlottesville Area Transit provides bus service to the city of Charlottesville. The city has recently investigated the feasibility of a streetcar line following much of the same route as the Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway.

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John Marshall (1755 – 1835) was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States (1801–1835), whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches. Previously, Marshall had been a leader of the Federalist Party in Virginia, served in the United States House of Representatives, and was Secretary of State under President John Adams from 1800 to 1801.

The longest-serving Chief Justice, Marshall dominated the Court for over three decades and played a significant role in the development of the American legal system. Most notably, he reinforced the principle that federal courts are obligated to exercise judicial review, by disregarding purported laws if they violate the Constitution. Thus, Marshall cemented the position of the American judiciary as an independent and influential branch of government. Furthermore, Marshall's court made several important decisions relating to federalism, affecting the balance of power between the federal government and the states during the early years of the republic. While some of his decisions were unpopular, Marshall nevertheless built up the third branch of the federal government, and augmented federal power in the name of the Constitution and the rule of law.

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This month in Virginia history

October 2002: The Beltway sniper attacks strike Northern Virginia
October 19, 1781: According to tradition, the "The World Turned Upside Down” is played at the Surrender of Yorktown. (Yorktown Victory Monument, pictured)
October 19, 1864: Union General Sheridan rides from Winchester to the Battle of Cedar Creek, rallying his troops and reversing the course of the battle.
October 23, 1995: The commercial Conestoga 1620 rocket is terminated during its failed launch at Wallops Island; its project is scrubbed shortly thereafter.
October 31, 1887: the 1887 Halloween tropical storm hits the Eastern seaboard, driving numerous vessels aground onto the Virginia coast

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Credit: James F. Gibson (1862)

Union Army battery of 10-inch Seacoast mortars at Yorktown for the Siege of Yorktown

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... that the Vulcan Bridge, a bridge in Vulcan, West Virginia, was constructed after the mayor requested financial aid from the Soviet Union?
... that an African-American was appointed postmaster of Baynesville, Virginia, in 1893 in preference to a former Confederate soldier?
... that Babydog is "a fixture in West Virginia politics"?
... that a keeper's cottage in Virginia housed two generations of park caretakers for more than 60 years?
... that the University of Virginia threatened to leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1949 if the Sanity Code, which barred athletic scholarships, was not amended?
... that announcers at a Virginia radio station were warned that playing more than three rap songs an hour could get them fired?