Patrick Nouhailler's pictures .

  The City of Hampton, established in 1610, has its roots as America's first continuously occupied English-speaking settlement. That year, the settlers founded St. John's Episcopal Church, which remains the country's oldest Anglican church. With a population of about 140,000, the city's location has the advantage of being midway between two Hampton Roads tourism meccas -- Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. Hampton is well known as the home of NASA Langley Research Center, the Hampton Coliseum concert venue and Hampton University. Regionally, the city provides shoppers with the new Peninsula Town Center, the Peninsula's largest; major entertainment events such as Hampton Bay Days and the Hampton Jazz Festival; and sports draws including NASCAR races at Langley Speedway and the Hampton Cup Regatta. Locals know about the city's more subtle charms: several beaches that remain relatively uncrowded, the beautiful downtown waterfront, and the historic area ...

  The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; and Virginia Beach is the most populous city. Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The wealthiest is Loudoun County. The Commonwealth's population is over eight million. The area's history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony. Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony's early politics and plantation economy. Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties separated to fo...