Virginia was once a mega-state until it gave up most of its land

The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. According to Cardinal News, Virginia was originally much larger than it is today. Virginia came out of the Revolutionary War much smaller than it was when it went in.

How Virginia went from a mega‑state to the Commonwealth we know today

Virginia once claimed a massive stretch of America—468,827 square miles, reaching from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. An early map of Virginia shows that it was much larger than it is today. That's because at the time, Virginia included other states:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Michigan
• Ohio
• Wisconsin
• part of Minnesota

Today, Virginia covers only 42,775 square miles. That's a big decrease, but it was for a very good reason.

If Virginia had kept all its land, it would be bigger than current-day California and Texas combined.

Here is what happened

In the years after independence, the new United States faced a major problem. Several states claimed overlapping western lands based on vague colonial charters that stretched “from sea to sea.” Smaller states refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation unless the larger states—especially Virginia—agreed to give up their western claims.

Virginia’s claim was the largest and strongest, backed by its 1609 charter and Revolutionary War victories in the Old Northwest. But holding onto that territory would have blocked national unity. In 1784, Virginia agreed to cede the Northwest Territory to the federal government, clearing the way for the creation of new states and a more stable national government.

Virginia’s decision to shrink its borders helped shape the map of the United States and strengthened the young republic at a critical moment. As we reflect on 250 years of independence, it’s a reminder that Virginia, one of America’s most influential states, chose unity over size to help shape the nation we know today.

If things had not changed, I could be living today in a much larger Virginia, stretching halfway to the Great Lakes. I would be living in the same state as my friends in the other six states mentioned above. However, the Virginia I live in now is the one shaped by choice, not accident. Virginia is a state that traded size for stability, influence, and the chance to help build a nation.

Virginia Today

I have lived in other states, but I love Virginia the most, and I have no plans to live anywhere else. Since I found out the great deed Virginia did for the nation, I love it even more.

• Population: 8,964,220, making it the 12th most populated state in the country
• Size: 42,775 square miles
• Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (“Thus Always to Tyrants”)
• Tree: American Dogwood
• Flower: American Dogwood
• Bird: Northern Cardinal
• Virginia's Slogan

Other Virginia Facts

Virginia has an interesting history. The state was one of the 13 original colonies located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia’s borders have expanded and contracted numerous times since its inception as the first of the 13 original colonies. In 1792, nine counties known as the Kentucky District of Virginia entered the union as the state of Kentucky, and in 1863, the western counties of Virginia were approved to enter the union as the state of West Virginia.

Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth I of England. Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with suggesting this name around 1584 because she was known as the Virgin Queen.

Today, Virginia is known by other names and nicknames:

• Commonwealth of Virginia
• Old Dominion
• Mother of States
• Mother of Statesmen
• Cavalier State
• Mother of Presidents: Virginia was the birthplace of more United States Presidents than any other state: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.