List_of_Virginia_state_symbols

List of Virginia state symbols

List of Virginia state symbols

Add article description

This is a list of symbols of the United States Commonwealth of Virginia. Most of the items in the list are officially recognized symbols created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The state nickname, The Old Dominion, is the oldest symbol. However, it is the only symbol that is not official. The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents", is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President of the United States, including four of the first five: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, Fulwar Skipwith, the president of the Republic of West Florida, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president of Liberia were from Virginia.

Location of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America

The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Virginia is one of only two states (the other being Mississippi with the Magnolia) to have the same plant for state flower and state tree, the Flowering Dogwood.[1] Most of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
More information Type, Symbol ...

Plants

More information Type, Symbol ...

Animals

More information Type, Symbol ...

Geology

More information Type, Symbol ...

Culture

More information Type, Symbol ...

Notes

A The flag was adopted in 1861 after secession from the United States.[3]

B The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the English Civil War.[12][dubious – discuss][better source needed]

C Pictures of Virginia license plates throughout the years can be found here.

D In 1940, Virginia made "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus.[13]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "State Trees & State Flowers". United States National Arboreteum. March 5, 2006. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  2. [2]
    Commonwealth of Virginia (February 1, 1950). "§ 1-506. Flag of the Commonwealth". Code of Virginia. Virginia: Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved January 28, 2015. The flag of the Commonwealth shall be a deep blue field, with a circular white centre of the same material. Upon this circle shall be painted or embroidered, to show on both sides alike, the coat of arms of the Commonwealth, as described in § 1-500 for the obverse of the great seal of the Commonwealth; and there may be a white fringe on the outer edge, furthest from the flagstaff. This shall be known and respected as the flag of the Commonwealth. (Code 1950, § 7-32; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-32; 2005, c. 839.)
  3. [3]
    "Virginia (U.S.)". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  4. [4]
    "Virginia Is For Lovers". Virginia.org. Archived from the original on 2007-08-03. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  5. [5]
    Sinclair Broadcast Group (5 December 2013). "New Virginia license plates with "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan". WJLA. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  6. [6]
    "License plates of Virginia". World License Plates. Retrieved 2002-08-22.
  7. [7]
    "Virginia State Floral Emblem". NETSTATE. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. [8]
    "Virginia State Tree". eReferenceDesk. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  9. [9]
    General Assembly of Virginia. "Bill Tracking - 2023 session > Legislation - An Act to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state pony". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  10. [10]
    "Bill Tracking - 2018 session > Legislation".
  11. [11]
    "The Queen of Steam is named as the Official Steam Locomotive of Virginia". WFXR. May 23, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  12. [12]
    "How did Virginia get its nickname the old dominion?". Blurt It. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  13. [13]
    "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny". Virginia Historical Society. January 11, 2007. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_Virginia_state_symbols, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.