Virginia

From the Mountains to the Sea. Every Mile Has a Story.

Virginia is a place with many different faces.

There are mountains and beaches, rivers and farmland, big cities and small towns, historic streets and modern communities. You can spend the morning surrounded by mountain views and find yourself heading toward the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast later in the journey.

That variety is part of what makes Virginia special.

A Place Full of History

Virginia's story stretches back hundreds of years, with Native communities calling this land home long before the first permanent English settlement was established at Jamestown in 1607.

Over the centuries, towns grew into cities, roads connected communities, farms and businesses developed, and generations of families made Virginia home.

Today, you can still see pieces of that history almost everywhere you travel.

It's in Williamsburg.
It's along the streets of Richmond.
It's in old neighborhoods throughout Hampton Roads.
It's in mountain communities in Southwest Virginia.
It's along the Eastern Shore.

And sometimes it's simply an old building, country road, family business, or local landmark that has been part of a community for generations.

From the Mountains to the Water

Travel west and Virginia rises into some of the most beautiful mountain country in America.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Valley, Skyline Drive, Appalachian Trail, and Blue Ridge Parkway offer miles of forests, overlooks, waterfalls, trails, and winding roads.

Head east and Virginia becomes a completely different experience.

The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean have shaped life along Virginia's coast for generations. Virginia Beach brings miles of oceanfront. Norfolk has its waterfront and maritime character. Chesapeake is known for its waterways and open spaces. Hampton and Newport News carry strong connections to the water. The Eastern Shore offers another Virginia entirely, with small communities, farmland, beaches, and wide-open coastal scenery.

And between the mountains and the ocean are countless places worth discovering.

Every Part of Virginia Has a Story

There's Richmond and the James River.
Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.
Norfolk and its waterfront.
Williamsburg and its historic streets.
Alexandria along the Potomac.
The Shenandoah Valley surrounded by mountains.
Roanoke beneath the Blue Ridge.
Charlottesville.
Lynchburg.
Hampton.
Newport News.
Chesapeake.
Portsmouth.
The Eastern Shore.
Southwest Virginia.
And hundreds of smaller towns and communities in between.

Some places are famous.

Others may only be famous to the people who live there.

Those places matter too.

The People Make the Place

Virginia is also found in everyday life.

It's the local restaurant everybody knows.
The family business that's been around for years.
The farmer starting before sunrise.
The waterman heading out onto the Chesapeake.
The shipyard worker beginning another shift.
The college student discovering a new city.
The family spending a summer day at Virginia Beach.
The friends taking a weekend trip through the mountains.
The neighborhood barbershop.
The Friday night football game.
The church gathering on Sunday morning.
The roadside stand you always stop at on the way home.

Those experiences don't always appear in history books or travel guides.

But they're part of the story of Virginia.

Virginia Is Part of My Story

That's what MileAmerica celebrates.

It isn't about one Virginia city being better than another. And it isn't about Virginia competing with another state.

It's about the places we've experienced.

Maybe Virginia is where you were born.
Maybe you went to school here.
Maybe your family lives here.
Maybe you built a business here.
Maybe you spent summers here.

Maybe you drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains, walked the Virginia Beach boardwalk, explored Richmond, visited Williamsburg, crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, or discovered a little town you had never heard of before.

Sometimes a place becomes part of your story without you realizing it.

Then years later, you see its name and the memories come right back.

I've been there.
I know that place.
Virginia is part of my story.

From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia offers thousands of miles, hundreds of communities, and countless reasons to remember the journey.

There's always another road.
Another town.
Another view.
Another story.

VIRGINIA
Mountains. Rivers. Cities. Coastlines. Communities.Explore the places. Learn their stories. Remember the journey.

MILEAMERICA
Wear the Journey.