Can you explain Virginia to me?

Factual Questions
1

I’m going to apologize right up front for not being versed in American history. And forgive me if I am misinformed about the nature of the, no doubt, beautiful state of Virginia. (It’s possible I actually mean Virginia and West Virginia, even.) I’m a Canadian, and while I have read some history I find this/these states to be a conundrum.

Am I wrong in believing that Virginia is a state with a larger than the norm population of people living in poverty? Large black population? Higher than the norm unemployment? Higher than the norm persons without health insurance? Lower than the norm literacy rates and test scores? Always votes republican? And seems to have politicians prone to embarrassing antics, like Confederate month?

These things don’t seem to go together for me. Can anyone explain it so this Canadian can get a handle on it?

2

Huh? I’m not aware of any of these stereotypes - at least, not any more than any of the other states in the area. What makes you think all these things?

3

Well, you see, when cousins marry…

4

Virginia has a huge difference between the north, which being near DC is one of the richest places in the country, and the south which is more conservative and poorer. West Virginia, which you may be referring to, is a separate state that matches your description. West Virginia was originally part of Virginia but was carved off as a result of the Civil War.

5

Virginia and West Virginia are two different states. West Virgina is overall a very poor state with the attributes your listing. I don’t think either state has a particularly high black population compared to the rest of the US.

Virginia is a mixed bag. The northern part of the state is wealthy and much more liberal then the rest of the state. The rest of the state is a more traditional ‘southern’ state’ The last governor was a democrat, Tim Kaine, who is now the Democratic national chairman. The new governor is Bob McDonnell, a Republican who’s goal seems to be to make Virginia a redneck utopia. McDonnell has canceled the government non-discrimination policies for gays and most recently added confederate month.

6

Other than just Northern Virginia and the rest, there is also the Tidewater/Hampton Roads area - Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth etc. Very heavily military, so with different politics. While conservative on some issues, it is much more diverse on others.

7

Let’s look at all your beliefs one at a time. And my apologies for not using a consistent dataset. All my statistics are from the past 10 years, but they’re not all from the same year.

As of 2005, which is the date I found the statistic, Virginia’s poverty rate was at 9.6%, which made it 45th (out of the 50 states and Washington DC). So, Virginia is actually one of the richest states in the country.

Virginia does have an about 20% black population, so that’s higher than the national average of 12.8% (from the 2008 census estimate).

Virginia’s non-seasonable unemployment rate as of February, 2010 was 7.7%, lower than the national average of 10.4%

According to one study, in 2004, “Rates of uninsurance for Virginia vary from 6.3 percent for those who were uninsured all year to 11.5 percent for those uninsured at some point during 2004.”, which was, I believe, below the national average.

Regarding test scores, as of 2005, “The average reading scores for fourth graders is 226 in Virginia vs. 217 nationally, suggesting that Virginia overall is significantly above the national average. The math score for 4th graders is 240 for Virginia vs. 237 nationally, suggesting that we’re modestly above average.”

Regarding voting Republican, Virginia usually votes Republican for President (2008 was the first time Virginia voted for a Democratic president in a long time), but for statewide elected officials, it’s pretty much a tossup. Virginia’s got a Republican governor but two Democratic Senators. I think Republicans have a slight advantage in statewide elections, but it’s not a big one. More generally, the northern part of the state and Richmond generally vote Democratic, and the southern part of the state, as well as much of the central part of the state outside of Richmond generally votes Republican, but that’s not entirely true. There are exceptions.

And Virginia politicians do and say some really stupid things.

8

Among the 50 states, Virginia is the silver medalist for executions (since 1976).

9

in response to your specific assertions, no, no and no, sorta and (embarrased look) yes…

Loudoun County and contiguous Fairfax County comprise a huge chunk of the Northern (triangle-ish) shape of the top of Virginia. As cited above, Loudoun and Fairfax have been trading back and forth the title of richest county in the United States for the last few years, with a median house-hold income of over 100K.

Like boy and villa said above, Virginia itself is a real mixed bag, with very distinct population groups…i.e., wealthy and metropolitan North, industrial/military eastern coastline, severe poverty along the western/appalachian mountains, beautiful and rolling farmland in the middle.

The Virginia (UVA, VA Tech, W&M, etc…) are generally considered some of the best state universities in the U.S. They always rank quite well in the yearly reviews.

Unfortunately, we do have a new governor and attorney general who make me cringe on a fairly regular basis. But I think most of the stereotypes that you list sound to be more in reference to West Virginia.

As in the classic joke… “How do you know the toothbrush was invented in West Virginia?”

“If it was invented anywhere else, it would have been called a teethbrush.”

10

I’m not sure why this was opened in the Pit, since there doesn’t seem to be anything ranty about the OP. I think we can deal with this in GQ.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

11

I’ve only been there a few times, but I can agree that from what I’ve seen it has some gorgeous areas.

What you’re really asking, about, I think, are the cultural flags that come up when people talk about Virgina (not West Virgina). As a person from the West Coast, I’ll say that when I hear of Virgina, these are what come to mind:

  1. A state which played a vary large role in the early formation of the country. (settlements and statesmen, presidents, etc.)
  2. The state which is one part of the north/south sandwich that DC lies in,
  3. Therefore the state where a lot of political people have their homes Alexandria, Fairfax, etc.)
  4. Therefore, a state which gets a lot of attention from journalists when they want to see the “regular” population. (It’s close by.)
  5. Tobacco

When I hear “West Virgina,” I think of:

  1. The Appalachians, and
  2. Therefore, coal mining, and
  3. Therefore, poverty

…even though I realize that’s not a rational or fair way to think.

12

Thanks for clearing some things up for me. Following your leads, and looking a little further.

I see that I have confused Virginia with West Virginia, my bad. They always get mixed up in my head and I tend to lump them together. Which is not correct, I see now.

So is any of this; WEST Virginia is a state with a larger than the norm population of people living in poverty? Large black population? Higher than the norm unemployment? Higher than the norm persons without health insurance? Lower than the norm literacy rates and test scores? Always votes republican? And seems to have politicians prone to embarrassing antics?

…accurate for West Virginia? Or am I equally misguided and have just absorbed a lot of crap?

Thanks for your help clearing up my misunderstanding about Virginia, I knew something wasn’t right.

(Sorry about starting this thread in the pit, I was just afraid my rather naive questions would justly cause offense to some, and it might garner some righteously nasty replies.)

13

Much larger poverty percentage; low black population on the other hand; higher unemployment in general; higher un-insured; presume lower literact rates; traditionally Democrat, but recently Republican in Presidential elections; home of pork politics, if that is embarassing.

14

No: currently WV has:
Governor: Joe Manchin (D)
Lieutenant Governor: Earl Ray Tomblin (D)
U.S. Senators: Robert C. Byrd (D) and Jay Rockefeller (D)
U.S. House delegation:
1: Alan Mollohan (D)
2: Shelley Moore Capito (R)
3: Nick Rahall (D)

Of the 7 listed, only one is a Republican.

I don’t know the figures, but my guess is that the black population of WV is well below the national average. That’s from visiting the state, and neighbouring states, several times. WV is poor, white, Appalachia, with coal mining a major local industry.

15

Just out of curiosity, which of these things do you think don’t go together?

16

Is the OP perhaps asking because of West Virgina being prominently in the news lately regarding a coal mining disaster?

Massey Energy in particular and the coal industry in general have been getting a black eye for poor safety practices and actively circumventing legally imposed requirements (numerous nuisance appeals tying up the courts).

17

West Virginia is also amazingly beautiful. Virginia is nice, too, but wow, WV is glorious.

My home state, Mississippi, sounds more like the stereotypical ‘Southern state’ you’re seeking. MS has the largest percentage of African-Americans of any US state, with 36% of the state being black, according to the 2000 census. The unemployment rate as of 2010 is 10.9%. The state is conservative and religious. MS is the poorest state and has the worst health care in the US. MS is also rich in spirit and culture, and according to this 2003 report, MS residents give more to charity than residents of any other state, compared to their income.

18

Explain Virginia to you?

What, are you Santa Claus?

19

There’s still a fair amount of manufacturing and heavy industry in the cities of West Virginia. Charleston has a surprisingly dense, intact and lively downtown. West Virginia cities seem very similar in feel to cities in central and western Pennsylvania, such as Altoona, Johnstown, Williamsport, and the like. (Maybe think of Sarnia, only it’s situated in an area of deep, narrow valleys.)

Rural areas and smaller towns in West Virginia are poor. The Appalachian region is culturally rich, but the society doesn’t place a high value on upward mobility. From a Wikipedia article about Cincinnati’s Over The Rhine neighborhood, where a large number of West Virginians migrated:

The far eastern part of the state is better off, thanks in part to its proximity to the DC metro area.

20

Thanks so much for clearing up my confusion.

Sorry, it’s not because of the mining thing, though hearing West Virginia a lot is what got me to thinking that I had a lot of confused ideas and couldn’t really separate Virginia from West Virginia in my head.

I was thinking, incorrectly, it seems, that a state with a high black population and high uninsured rates might vote democratic, if only for the first black president and a policy to reform health care. That would have made more sense to me. Don’t know why, exactly I thought both states were staunch Republicans.

Another thing I had overlooked, that no doubt has bearing, is the number of military bases and government headquarters in both Virginia and West Virginia. I totally overlooked the impact that could have.

So again, thanks for clearing up my confusion, setting me straight, fighting my ignorance.

Garsh, y’all were terribly civil about it all too, extra thanks for that!