Virginia

The place

One of the original 13 · ratified 1788 · Confederate in the Civil War · Eastern time

Virginia is where the English started, where the Confederacy ran its capital, and where a good deal of the country's early argument was written down. Eight presidents were born here. It runs from the Atlantic beaches through the piedmont to the Blue Ridge, and northern Virginia has become an extension of Washington with data centres carrying much of the world's internet traffic. Go for Shenandoah and Skyline Drive, and for Monticello, which now tells the whole story rather than half of it.

Eight presidents were born here, more than any other state.