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, as well as Virginia's other nicknames, are not official. The 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, the nickname "Mother of States" comes from being the first state settled in the United States. As well, 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.
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. Most of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.
Insignia
Type SymbolDescription Year ImageSourceFlagFlag of VirginiaDefined as:First made in 1833, it was not adopted until 1861. The flag was last updated in 1950.1950MottoSic semper tyrannis(Thus always to tyrants)Proposed by George Mason to be included in the State Seal in 1776. Translated from Latin as "Thus Always to Tyrants", meaning that tyrants will eventually be overthrown. A joke dating back to the Civil War states that the motto means "Get your foot off my neck", referencing the seal. The motto is included in the legislature for the state seal.1776NicknamesOld DominionA popular legend states that Charles II referred to Virginia as the Old Dominion for their loyalty to the English crown. The Colony of Virginia's motto, En dat Virginia quintam (Behold, Virginia gives the fifth) refers to the claim of Virginia as England's 5th Dominion, after England, France, Scotland, and Ireland. Virginia has a public university called Old Dominion University.TraditionalMother of Presidents8 United States presidents have been born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.TraditionalMother of StatesSince its settlement in 1606, Virginia has been carved into eight more states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.TraditionalSealSeal of VirginiaDefined as:The seal was called for during the convention of 1776, and designed by George Wythe. The seal is prominently featured on the state flag.1776 (Standardized in 1950)SloganVirginia Is for LoversStylized in all caps as "Virginia is for Lo❤ers". The slogan was designed by the Martin Agency in 1969, who had initially used the slogan separately as "Virginia is for History lovers", "Virginia is for Beach lovers", and "Virginia is for Mountain lovers". After the ads were found to be too limiting, they were merged into the current slogan. The slogan is popular within both United States and Virginia culture, used in Virginia's license plates and welcome signs, and as a slogan for the Virginia Department of Elections and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The slogan was added into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in 2009, and was named as one of the top ten advertising campaigns of all time by Forbes.1969
Flora Type SymbolDescription Year ImageSourceFlowerAmerican Dogwood(Cornus florida)Thomas Jefferson grew American Dogwood on his Monticello estate. Legislators chose the plant as the official flower in 1918 to "Stimulate an interest in the history and traditions of the Commonwealth". American Dogwood are common in the East Coast.1918TreeAmerican Dogwood(Cornus florida)The American Dogwood was chosen as the state tree 38 years after it was adopted as the state flower.1956
Fauna Type SymbolDescription Year ImageBatVirginia Big-Eared Bat(Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus)The Virginia Big-Eared Bat is only found in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. They are labelled as endangered, with about 20,000 left in the wild. Legislators chose the bat for its name and endangered status. Governor Mark Warner stated that the state bat "is no more absurd" than the state beverage.2005BirdNorthern Cardinal(Cardinalis cardinalis)The Northern Cardinal is common from the East Coast to the Central United States. The bird was chosen "because of its bright plumage and cheerful song” said Virginia State Senator Adam Ebbin. The Northern Cardinal is also the state bird of Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.1950DogAmerican Foxhound(Canis lupus familiaris)1966Fresh Water FishBrook trout(Salvelinus fontinalis)1993InsectTiger Swallowtail Butterfly(Papilio glaucus)1991PollinatorEuropean honey bee(Apis mellifera)2024PonyChincoteague Pony(Equus caballus)2023SalamanderRed Salamander(Pseudotriton ruber)2018Salt Water FishStriped Bass(Morone saxatilis)2011ShellEastern oyster(Crassostrea virginica)1974SnakeEastern garter snake(Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)2016
Geology Type Symbol Year ImageFossilChesapecten jeffersonius1993RockNelsonite2016
Culture Type Symbol Year ImageBoatChesapeake Bay deadrise1988DrinkMilk1982Folk danceSquare dance1991Gold Mining Interpretive CenterMonroe Park2001Maple FestivalHighland County Maple Festival2014Motor Sports MuseumWood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame1995OpryVirginia Opry2020Outdoor DramaThe Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama1994The Long Way Home (Historical)1994Shakespeare FestivalVirginia Shakespeare Festival2013SongsCarry Me Back to Old Virginny (Emeritus)1997Sweet Virginia Breeze (Popular)2015Our Great Virginia (Traditional)SpiritGeorge Washington's Rye Whiskey2017Sports hall of fameVirginia Sports Hall of Fame1996Steam locomotiveNorfolk and Western 6112017Television Series"Song of the Mountains"2017War Memorial MuseumVirginia War Museum1997
Notes
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.
Pictures of Virginia license plates throughout the years can be found here.
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.
See also List of Virginia-related topics
References
External links