Virginia

History sits close to the surface in Virginia, and more U.S. presidents were born here than in any other state, a fact tied directly to the state’s early role in shaping the country. The nickname “Old Dominion” came directly from King Charles II of England, who honored the colony’s loyalty to the Crown in the 1660s.

Jamestown marks where English settlement of North America began in 1607, and Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, and Monticello preserve that founding-era history in remarkable detail.

In the area around Washington, DC, life moves at a faster, more professional pace than in the rest of the state, where Chesapeake Bay oysters and Virginia ham, cured with salt, reflect traditions older than the country itself.