Virginia

A state located on the east coast of the U.S., and one of the original 13 British colonies in North America, initially settled in 1607 by the Virginia Company in the name of King James I. Virginia became a state on June 25, 1788. Known as the “mother of presidents," Virginia was home to all but one of the first five U.S. presidents. The capital city is Richmond, which is located approximately two hours or 109 miles from the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. Richmond was also the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, from 1861 until its capture by Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.