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87-720: The Western Valley District schools competed in the AAA Northwest Region with the schools from the AAA Cardinal District , the AAA Cedar Run District , and the AAA Commonwealth District . In the 2013–2014 school year, the schools of the Western Valley District were assigned to the previously Group AA based AA River Ridge District , AA Blue Ridge District , and AA Piedmont District . In

174-505: A district rival which is at least three group classifications higher. For example, a school in Group 3A is not required to play against a school in Group 6A but is required to play against schools in Groups 5A and 4A. In some cases, no district championship is awarded when there is not a full round robin schedule of all district teams. Schools have also been assigned to a conference of schools from

261-453: A few weeks after the surrender of British Army troops under General Cornwallis at Yorktown , Fairfax died at his home at Greenway Court on December 9, 1781, at the age of 90. He was entombed on the east side of Christ Church in Winchester . While his plans for a large house at Greenway Court never materialized, and his stone lodge is now gone, a small limestone structure he built remains on

348-669: A hunting lodge named "Greenway Court", which was located near White Post in Clarke County near the Blue Ridge Mountains , and moved there. Around 1748, he George Washington , who was then 16-years-old. Impressed with Washington's energy and talents, he employed him to survey his lands west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lord Fairfax maintained neutrality as the American Revolutionary War began in 1775. Just

435-604: A large Vietnamese American community, and the region is home to a small Tibetan American community. There is a sizable Hispanic population, primarily consisting of Salvadorans , Peruvians , Puerto Ricans , Cubans , Bolivians , Mexicans , and Colombians . Arlington is the center of the largest Bolivian community in North America (mostly immigrants from Cochabamba ). Many of these immigrants work in transportation-related fields, small businesses, hospitality, vending, gardening, construction, and cleaning. Of those born in

522-399: A lower division had a greater enrollment than a state championship team in a higher division. In the 2013-2014 school year, the former three group classification system was replaced by a six group classification system with Group 1A schools having the smallest enrollments and Group 6A schools having the largest enrollments. Generally, schools which had competed in Group A have been assigned to

609-399: A mechanism for regional coordination regarding the environment, transportation, affordable housing, community planning, military, and human services. Programs and projects address a wide array of local government interests. According to Virginia's Regional Cooperation Act, NVRC is a political subdivision. The region is technically referred to as Virginia's planning district #8. The commission

696-640: A reluctance to travel long distances in the post-season. In Southwest Virginia, some schools with Group A enrollment levels competed in Group AA due to traditionally being part of that group. Lee High School in Jonesville received a special dispensation from the VHSL to play in Group A despite having Group AA enrollment numbers due to being far away from the nearest schools in Group AA and not having substantially more students than large Group A schools. In football, each region

783-621: A result, several battles were fought in the area . Northern Virginia was the operating area of John Singleton Mosby , a Confederate partisan, and several small skirmishes were fought throughout the region between his Rangers and Federal forces occupying Northern Virginia. Following the end of the Civil War, the conflict remained popular among the region's residents, and many area schools, roads, and parks were named for Confederate generals and statesmen, including Jefferson Davis Highway , Washington-Lee High School , and others. Virginia split during

870-471: A series of journalism education workshops in four cities across the state that is sponsored by Jostens. The VHSL/Jostens Regional Workshops began in 2005 and target both students and advisers of newspaper, magazine, and yearbook publications. The 2007 series included stops in Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, and Dulles. This event is followed up by what is referred to as the state journalism workshop, or

957-502: A single day in late March/early April and consists of ten individual events: duo interpretation, serious dramatic interpretation, humorous dramatic interpretation, storytelling, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation, foreign extemporaneous speaking, domestic extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, and original oratory. At this tournament, Group A, AA, and AAA competition occur separately, but simultaneously. The top six students in each category and in each group are recognized with

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1044-541: A team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized. The VHSL academic activities season culminates with the judging of creative writing entries announced in mid-late May. In March, schools submit a folder containing six works (2 poems, 2 short stories, and 2 essays) written by six different students. These school folders have traditionally been evaluated by judges at the University of Virginia's creative writing department. Judges award individual awards for

1131-459: A total population of 1,973,513 is highly educated, with 55.5 percent of its population 25 years or older holding a bachelor's degree or higher. This is comparable to Seattle , the most educated large city in the U.S., with 53.4 percent of residents having at least a bachelor's degree. The number of graduate/professional degree holders in Arlington is relatively high at 34.3 percent, nearly quadruple

1218-542: Is a place name rather than a direction or general area. The name "Northern Virginia" does not seem to have been used in the early history of the area. According to Johnston, some early documents and land grants refer to the "Northern Neck of Virginia", a reference to the Northern Neck and describing an area that began at the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and includes a territory that extended west, including all

1305-602: Is a regional government that represents a regional council of thirteen member Northern Virginia local governments. These local governments include the counties of Arlington , Fairfax , Loudoun , and Prince William . The local governments include the incorporated cities of Alexandria , Fairfax , Falls Church , Manassas , and Manassas Park . The local governments also include the incorporated towns of Dumfries , Herndon , Leesburg , and Vienna . NVRC's chief roles and functions are providing information, performing professional and technical services for its members, and serving as

1392-506: Is also the state semi-final.) In Groups 3A, 2A, and 1A, the final four teams are cross-bracketed in the state semi-finals with the higher remaining seed in one region hosting the lower remaining seed in the other region. (i.e. No regional championship is awarded.) This format could allow two teams from the same region to play for the state championship. VHSL member schools are classified based on enrollment into six classifications, 1 through 6, with schools having an enrollment of 475 or less in

1479-548: Is headquartered in Pantops Charlottesville and has 308 member schools and conducts championships in 27 different sports. Nearly 200,000 students participate in its activities annually. The VHSL is overseen by an Executive Committee elected from the principals and superintendents of the various Virginia school districts. Day-to-day affairs are handled by the Executive Director and Assistant Directors. From 1970,

1566-521: Is home to people from diverse backgrounds, with significant numbers of Korean Americans , Vietnamese Americans , Bangladeshi Americans , Chinese Americans , Filipino Americans , Russian Americans , Arab Americans , Palestinian Americans , Uzbek Americans , Afghan Americans , Ethiopian Americans , Indian Americans , Iranian Americans , Thai Americans , and Pakistani Americans . Annandale , Centreville , Chantilly , and Fairfax City have very large Korean American communities. Falls Church has

1653-461: Is that the first three rounds of the playoffs in the South regions in Groups 6A and 5A are split into two sections of two conferences each with eight schools qualifying for the playoffs in each section. The two sectional champions meet for the regional championship in the fourth round. In Groups 6A, 5A, and 4A, the two regional champions play for the state championship. (i.e. The regional championship game

1740-698: The Cold War was influential in launching the modern Northern Virginia economy and spurred urban development throughout the region. After end of the Cold War in 1991, prosperity continued in the region as it positioned itself as the " Silicon Valley " of the Eastern United States . The Internet was first commercialized in Northern Virginia, which served as the headquarters of many of the first Internet service providers . The first major interconnection point of

1827-514: The Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region radiates westward and southward from Washington, D.C. , the nation's capital, and has a population of 3,257,133 people as of 2023 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, representing over a third of the state's total population. It is the most populous region in both Virginia and the regional Washington metropolitan area . Communities in

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1914-583: The Internet bubble burst , however, Northern Virginia office vacancy rates increased from two percent in 2000 to 20 percent in 2002. After 2002, vacancy rates improved, falling below 10 percent as defense spending increased following the September 11 attacks . The subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq wars also contributed to the region's growth, as the federal government increased its contracting with private defense firms. The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC)

2001-590: The Potomac River below the fall line , not far from his plantation at Mount Vernon in Fairfax County . During much of the colonial era and from 1790 to 1800, the nation's capital was in Philadelphia . In 1800, however, with Washington's guidance and support, the new federal city of present-day Washington, D.C. was laid out and established for the purpose of serving as the national capital. The region straddled

2088-655: The U.S. federal government . Tourist attractions in Northern Virginia include various memorials, museums, and Colonial and Civil War –era sites, including Arlington National Cemetery , Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park , Manassas National Battlefield Park , Mount Vernon , the National Museum of the Marine Corps , the National Museum of the United States Army , the Udvar-Hazy Center of

2175-994: The "Northern Neck". In 1746, a back line was surveyed and established between the headwaters of the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, defining the west end of the grants. According to documents held by the Handley Regional Library of the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, the grant of 5,282,000 acres (21,380 km ) included 22 modern counties, including Northumberland, Lancaster, Westmoreland, Stafford, King George, Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Madison, Clarke, Warren, Page, Shenandoah, and Frederick counties in Virginia, and Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties in West Virginia . Lord Fairfax

2262-587: The 2019 American Community Survey . Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure includes two major airports, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International Airport , several lines of the Washington Metro subway system, the Virginia Railway Express suburban commuter rail system, transit bus services, bicycle sharing and bicycle lanes and trails, and an extensive network of Interstate highways and expressways. The Pentagon ,

2349-643: The 3,159,639 people in Northern Virginia in the 2019 estimates, 2,776,960 lived in "central" counties, or those counties and equivalent entities as delineated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as forming part of the urban core of the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. These counties include Arlington , Fairfax , Fauquier , Loudoun , Prince William , Stafford and the independent cities of Alexandria , Fairfax , Falls Church , Manassas , Manassas Park and Fredericksburg . An additional 390,679 people lived in counties of

2436-624: The American Civil War, as was foreshadowed by the April 17, 1861, Virginia Secession Convention . Fifty counties in the western, mountainous portion of the state were largely opposed to secession in 1861. This region broke away from the Confederacy in 1863 and entered the Union as a new state, West Virginia . Unlike the eastern part of the state, West Virginia did not have fertile lands tilled by slaves and

2523-660: The Championship Journalism Workshop in October, which is both an educational and recognition event. Held at Virginia Commonwealth University since 1989, the CJW celebrates the results of the newspaper, magazine, and yearbook evaluations that schools submit each June to the VHSL. The two-day workshop offers about 100 classes that are taught mostly by the state's top advisers, but also by college professors, industry professionals, and recognized out-of-state advisers. Since 2005,

2610-662: The Commonwealth of Virginia . The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor state championships in several academic activities. Private and religious schools and teams of homeschooled students belong to other sanctioning organizations, the largest of which is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Proposals in the Virginia General Assembly to mandate that the VHSL allow homeschooled students to compete for

2697-521: The Internet, MAE-East , was established in the 1990s in Ashburn after Virginia-area network provider operators decided to connect their networks. This infrastructure legacy is ongoing, as data center operators continue to expand near these facilities. In early 2001, local Internet company AOL bought Time Warner , the world's largest traditional media company, near the end of the dot-com bubble era. After

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2784-649: The National Air and Space Museum , and the United States Marine Corps War Memorial . Other attractions include portions of the Appalachian Trail , Great Falls Park , Old Town Alexandria , Prince William Forest Park , and portions of Shenandoah National Park . The region is sometimes spelled "northern Virginia", but the U.S. Geological Survey 's Correspondence Handbook states that the 'n' in Northern Virginia should be capitalized since it

2871-488: The Potomac River and was located on a square of territory ceded to the federal government by Maryland and Virginia. Alexandria, a port city at the time, was on the eastern edge south of the river. On the outskirts on the northern side of the river, was Georgetown , another port city. As the federal city grew, land in the portion contributed by Maryland proved best suited and adequate for early development. Not really part of

2958-731: The Student Journalist of the Year to a deserving senior, which comes with the Savedge scholarship. The VHSL academic season continues with the Group A and AA One Act Theatre Festivals, traditionally held the first week of December in Charlottesville. Eight schools representing the top two in both district and regional competition present plays that are 35 or fewer minutes in length. Preferably four, but no fewer than three, judges usually consisting of both high school directors and professionals evaluate

3045-844: The U.S. and living in Northern Virginia's four largest counties, their place of birth by census region is 60.5 percent from the South , 21.0 percent from the Northeast , 11.5 percent from the Midwest , and 7.0 percent from the West . 33.7 percent were born in Virginia, which is categorized as part of the Southern United States along with neighboring Maryland and Washington, D.C., by the Census Bureau. The core Northern Virginia jurisdictions of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William comprising

3132-469: The VHSL's member schools were organized into three group classifications based on enrollment: A, AA, and AAA. Each of the three groups were split into four geographic regions, which usually contained three or four districts. District sizes vary and consist of four to eleven teams. The group of schools with the largest enrollments were in Group AAA, the group with the next largest enrollments were in Group AA, and

3219-614: The Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League. After World War II , it adopted other sports and began standardizing officiating practices for high school sports. In 1969, it merged with the Virginia Interscholastic Association, which was a similar organization that had served African American schools around the Commonwealth during segregation . Girls' sports were added around this time. Statewide football playoffs also began in 1970. The VHSL

3306-799: The Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area or the Baltimore-Washington Combined Statistical Area not considered "central." These counties, largely considered exurban or undergoing suburban change, include Clarke , Culpeper , Frederick , Madison , Rappahannock , Spotsylvania , Warren , and the independent city of Winchester . In addition, there are counties outside of the Washington Metropolitan Area that under more broad definitions are referred to as being part of Northern Virginia. The University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service categorizes King George County as part of Northern Virginia, though

3393-424: The average enrollments of schools varied by region in each group, some schools in one region had enrollments which would have placed them in the different division of another region. Most districts contained members in both divisions of its group, and a single district had two state championship teams on a few occasions. Because of the number of schools choosing to play up, in some years a state championship team from

3480-522: The awards portion of this event has been held in the nearby historic Jefferson Hotel 's ballroom. State champions in newspaper, magazine, and yearbook publications are given an evaluation on their publication known as Trophy Class. Publications that receive five Trophy Class ratings in seven or fewer years are also awarded the Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence, named after renowned yearbook adviser Colonel Charles Savedge. The VHSL also annually awards

3567-606: The colony forced Culpeper to return. By the time he arrived, however, the riots were already quelled. After apparently misappropriating £9,500 from the treasury of the colony, he returned to England and the King was forced to dismiss him. During this tumultuous time, Culpeper's erratic behavior meant that he had to rely increasingly on his cousin and Virginia agent, Col. Nicholas Spencer . Spencer succeeded Culpeper as acting Governor following Culpeper's departure. Culpeper's descendants allowed Robert "King" Carter and other Virginians to manage

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3654-514: The county was removed from the Washington Metropolitan Area in 2003. King George County and Orange County also include areas, such as Lake of the Woods , where the cross-commuting interchange with the Washington Metropolitan Area is high enough to merit inclusion in the Metropolitan Area, although more far-flung parts of these counties still cause the county-wide commuter interchange to fall below

3741-452: The environment, transportation, public safety, homeland security, affordable housing, community planning, and economic development. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan Washington area, including Northern Virginia. As of April 2020 there were 3,197,076 people in Northern Virginia; approximately 37 percent of

3828-828: The following: For boys and girls : Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Gymnastics, Indoor track, Outdoor track, Soccer, Swimming/diving, Tennis, Volleyball For boys : Baseball, Football, Wrestling For girls : Cheerleading, Field hockey, Softball Boys' and girls' sports will allow members of the opposite sex to participate. Academic activities include the following: Creative Writing, Debate, Drama (one-act plays), Forensics (a variety of individual events ), Magazines, Newspapers, Scholastic Bowl , and Yearbooks Academic activities are coed and not considered varsity athletics by most schools. Academic activities are usually awarded different letters and honors from athletics. The VHSL academic activities season begins in September with

3915-512: The former Group AAA level, particularly in the Central and Eastern Regions, have been assigned to Groups 4A or 3A. To a lesser extent, some smaller schools from the former Group AA have been assigned to Group 2A, a few larger school from the former Group A to Group 3A, and some larger schools from the former Group AA, particularly in Loudoun County, to Group 5A. The district system largely based on

4002-574: The functioning federal city, citizens in Alexandria, who lacked voting input, were frustrated by the laws of the District's government. Slavery also arose as a contentious issue. In 1846, to mitigate these issues and as part of abolishing slave trading in the District, the U.S. Congress passed a bill retroceding to Virginia the area south of the Potomac River, which was then Alexandria County . That area now forms all of present-day Arlington County , which

4089-868: The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and the world's second-largest office , is located in Arlington County in Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia also houses the George Bush Center for Intelligence , the headquarters for the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley , the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria , and several large companies, including several major aerospace manufacturing , consulting firms , and defense industry , which serve it and other components of

4176-729: The independent cities and counties on the Virginia side of the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget within the Executive Office of the President of the United States . Northern Virginia includes six counties, Arlington , Fairfax , Loudoun , Prince William , Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, and six independent cities, Alexandria , Fairfax , Falls Church , Fredericksburg , Manassas , and Manassas Park . The Colony of Virginia

4263-670: The land between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, with a western boundary called the Fairfax line. The Fairfax line, surveyed in 1746, ran from the first spring of the Potomac River , which remains marked today by the Fairfax Stone , to the first spring of the Rappahannock River , at the head of the Conway River . The Northern Neck was composed of 5,282,000 acres (21,380 km ), and

4350-400: The largest concentration in Southwest Virginia . Group AA schools were somewhat more widely distributed than the other two and found in rapidly growing areas like Loudoun County , in and around cities such as Roanoke , Lynchburg , Harrisonburg , and Charlottesville , and in some cities and counties which have a single high school. Unlike many state associations, districts and regions were

4437-425: The members of one district. There are no uniform rules for the seeding of schools in conference competition based on regular season results. The six groups are not divided into four regions as before. Instead, each group classification is divided into two regions of four conferences each. The two regions are designated North/South in Groups 6A, 5A, and 4A and East/West in Groups 3A, 2A, and 1A. In most team sports,

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4524-449: The new Groups 1A and 2A; in Group AA, the new Groups 3A and 4A; and in Group AAA, the new Groups 5A and 6A. Unlike the former system, the VHSL intends that the group classifications will remain approximately the same size, and schools will not be allowed to compete for a state championship in a group classification above or below the one determined by their enrollment. Regrouping will occur every two years. Many schools which had competed at

4611-419: The newly formed Confederate States of America , whose capital was established at Richmond . The U.S. Supreme Court has never issued a firm opinion on whether the retrocession of the Virginia portion of the District of Columbia was constitutional. In the 1875 case of Phillips v. Payne , the Supreme Court held that Virginia had de facto jurisdiction over the area returned by Congress in 1847, and dismissed

4698-418: The other district schools twice during the season, with the second game counting in the district standings. The first game doesn't count in district standings but offers more playoff points than playing smaller local rivals. AAA Northwest Region The Virginia High School League ( VHSL ) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in

4785-884: The performances and recognize both the champion and runner-up school. Also recognized are eight outstanding actors. In February, the top eight schools that have advanced from regional competition in Groups A, AA, and AAA go to the College of William and Mary for Scholastic Bowl competition. Two four-person teams meet head-to-head in this double-elimination tournament, answering questions in mathematics, science/health, social studies, English, and miscellany (including current events, fine arts, music, entertainment and sports). There are three rounds, including two toss-up rounds where either team may answer and one round of directed questioning toward individual schools. Toss-up rounds consist of 15 questions and directed rounds include 10 questions per team. The champion and runner-up are recognized in each grouping. The state forensics tournament occurs on

4872-446: The population and number of jurisdictions that comprise the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). Founded in 1957, MWCOG is a regional organization of 22 Washington-area local governments, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate , and the U.S. House of Representatives . MWCOG provides a forum for discussion and the development of regional responses to issues regarding

4959-438: The post-season, each school will compete against members of the same group classification only. The Western Valley District was established in 2001 to consolidate the now defunct AAA Roanoke Valley District and the AAA Western District . The two districts' memberships had dwindled to five and four members respectively. Many schools in these districts had either lost student population or had experienced slow growth compared to

5046-501: The prior group classifications has been retained for regular season competition and districts may now include schools from different group classifications to maintain local rivalries and minimize travel during the regular season. Some Group AAA and AA districts with few schools and which were geographically isolated from other districts in the same group were dissolved and their member schools assigned to districts of nearby schools with smaller enrollments. Schools are not required to play

5133-420: The properties. In 1736, legal claim to the land was finally established by Culpeper's grandson, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron , who became known in the colony as "Lord Fairfax", following a survey authorized by Governor William Gooch . The lands of Lord Fairfax and Northern Virginia were geographically defined as the land between the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers, and were officially called

5220-465: The public high school they would otherwise attend have failed to pass. The VHSL was established in 1913 by members of both the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union at the University of Virginia to serve as a debating league for the state's high schools. During the 1910s, it expanded to over 250 schools and added championships in oral reading, baseball, basketball, and track and renamed itself

5307-429: The rate of the U.S. population as a whole. The region is known in Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area for its relative affluence. Stafford County in Northern Virginia is one of the seven counties in the nation where black households make more than white households. Among large cities or counties in the nation with median household incomes in excess of $ 100,000, the top two cities, which comprise over half

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5394-448: The region form the Virginia portion of the Washington metropolitan area and the larger Washington–Baltimore metropolitan area . Northern Virginia has a significantly larger job base than either Washington, D.C. or the Maryland portion of its suburbs, and is the highest-income region of Virginia, with several of the highest-income counties in the nation, including three of the ten highest counties for median household income, according to

5481-456: The rest of Virginia, which made them eligible to drop to Group AA. In 2001, two of the five members of the Roanoke Valley district dropped to the AA Blue Ridge District , prompting the consolidation with the Western district. Below is a list of the Roanoke Valley and Western Districts in the 2000–2001 school year, and their districts for the 2001–2002 school year: AAA Roanoke Valley District AAA Western District Cave Spring's student body

5568-467: The same for every sport with few exceptions. Redistricting and regrouping occurred every two years. Group AAA schools typically had enrollments above 1,500 students, Group AA schools typically had from 700 to about 1,500 students, and Group A schools had fewer than 700 students. Schools could request to play up a group. Several schools in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas competed in the Central and Eastern Regions of Group AAA instead of Group AA due to

5655-427: The same group classification for the first round of post-season competition. There are a total of 48 conferences, designated by numbers in reverse order of the group classification numbers. (i.e. Conference 1 is in Group 6A while Conference 48 is in Group 1A.) Conferences are not uniform in the number of the member schools and almost always include schools in other districts. Only two conferences are composed solely of

5742-424: The schools with the smallest enrollments were in Group A. Regional boundaries were different for all three groups as average school sizes vary substantially in different parts of Virginia. Nearly all Group AAA schools were located in Northern Virginia , Hampton Roads , and Greater Richmond , with a few outliers in the Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Danville areas. Group A schools were typically found in rural areas, with

5829-433: The site in his honor. Following the American Revolutionary War, the Thirteen Colonies formed the United States of America, and Continental Army commander and Virginian George Washington became the new nation's first president. Prior to the Revolutionary War, Washington was a surveyor and developer of canals that were used for transportation. He was also a proponent of the bustling port city of Alexandria , located on

5916-478: The smallest (1) classification. The remainder of the League’s member schools are divided equally into fifths, with the largest schools in Class 6. Each Classification is made up of four Regions (A, B, C, D). For regular season play, schools are placed into geographically-based Districts, eliminating the need for extensive travel during the regular season. Schools begin the post-season with Regional tournaments and then State tournament play. Athletic activities include

6003-399: The state's population. These population counts include all counties within Virginia that are part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area or the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget within the Executive Office of the President of the United States . Of

6090-413: The state. As a result of West Virginia's formation, part of Lord Fairfax's colonial land grant, which defined Northern Virginia, was ceded in the establishment of that state in 1863. Now known as the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia , the area includes Berkeley County and Jefferson County in West Virginia. The Department of Defense 's increasing reliance on information technology companies during

6177-495: The tax case brought by the plaintiff. The court, however, did not rule on the core constitutional matter of the retrocession. Writing the majority opinion, Justice Noah Swayne stated only that: The plaintiff in error is estopped from raising the point which he seeks to have decided. He cannot, under the circumstances, vicariously raise a question, nor force upon the parties to the compact an issue which neither of them desires to make. With barely 100 mi (160 km) separating

6264-533: The term was no longer used. By some definitions, King George County is also included in the Northern Neck, which is now considered a separate region from Northern Virginia. One of the most prominent early mentions of "Northern Virginia" as a title was the naming of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The most common definition of Northern Virginia includes

6351-822: The three categories in each group (A, AA, and AAA) as well as an overall school folder winner in each group. The VHSL also awards the Wachovia Cup for each group to the schools which accumulate the most points across all competitions much like the NACDA Director's Cup for college athletics. There are separate cups for athletic and academic activities. Districts are geographically-organized groups and may contain schools in varying classifications. Class 6 Class 5 Class 4 Class 3 Class 2 Class 1 Northern Virginia Northern Virginia , locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA , comprises several counties and independent cities in

6438-430: The threshold for inclusion in the Washington Metropolitan Area or Washington-Baltimore Combined Statistical Area. The demographic figures above do not include population counts for these two counties. The 2020 U.S. Census resulted in the following racial and ethnic composition for Northern Virginia: Northern Virginia as a whole is 51.2% White, 17.4% Hispanic, 16.3% Asian, 14.1% Black, and 2.4% Other. Northern Virginia

6525-462: The top four earning points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized. Debate is a two-day tournament in April that features four events: Student Congress, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Policy. This competition has taken place at Liberty University since 1999. Public Forum, added in 2011, is the newest VHSL debate event. The top four individuals (or two-person policy and public forum teams) earn points toward

6612-413: The top two teams from conference playoffs advance to compete in regional playoffs. The top two teams from regional playoffs advance to a final four state playoff competition to determine the state champion. The conferences are not used for football playoffs in ten of the twelve regions. Instead, the sixteen schools with the most VHSL points from each region compete in the regional playoffs. The exception

6699-459: The two capital cities, Northern Virginia found itself in the center of much of the conflict, which inflicted destruction and bloodshed. The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary army for the Confederate States of America in the east. Owing to the region's proximity to Washington, D.C., and the Potomac River, the armies of both sides frequently occupied and traversed Northern Virginia. As

6786-415: The western dividing line between Maryland and West Virginia . Early development of the northern portion of Virginia was in the easternmost area of that early land grant, which encompasses the modern counties of Lancaster , Northumberland , Richmond , and Westmoreland . At some point, these eastern counties came to be called separately simply "the Northern Neck", and, for the remaining area west of them,

6873-512: Was a lifelong bachelor, and became one of the more well-known persons of the late colonial era. In 1742, the new county formed from Prince William County was named Fairfax County in his honor, one of several locations in Northern Virginia and West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle named after him. Lord Fairfax established his residence at his brother's home at "Belvoir" on the grounds of present-day Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. He later built

6960-600: Was established pursuant to Articles 1 and 2, Chapter 34, of the Acts of the Virginia General Assembly of 1968, subsequently revised and reenacted as the Regional Cooperation Act. Any incorporated county, city, or town in Northern Virginia with a population exceeding 3,500 that adopts NVRC's charter agreement is eligible to become a member of the commission. Northern Virginia constitutes a considerable portion of

7047-511: Was further split into two divisions based on school enrollment, so statewide champions were determined in Divisions 1 through 6. Divisions 1 and 2 were for Group A with Division 2 being the one for schools with larger enrollments; 3 and 4, the Group AA schools; and 5 and 6, the Group AAA schools. The division format was first adopted in 1986 for football and was expanded in the late 2000s and early 2010s to some other sports in Groups A and AA. Since

7134-522: Was geographically separated from the state government in Richmond by the Appalachian Mountains . During this process, a provisional government of Virginia was headquartered in Alexandria, which was under Union control during the war. Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Frederick, Loudoun, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties voted in favor of Virginia remaining in the Union in 1861, but eventually broke away from

7221-413: Was larger in area than five of the modern U.S. states: This monument, at the headspring of the Potomac River, marks one of the historic spots of America. Its name is derived from Thomas Lord Fairfax who owned all the land lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. The first Fairfax Stone, marked "FX", was set in 1746 by Thomas Lewis, a surveyor employed by Lord Fairfax . This is the base point for

7308-595: Was named the Royal Governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. Culpeper County was later named for him when it was formed in 1749; however, history does not seem to record him as one of the better of Virginia's colonial governors. Although he became governor of Virginia in July 1677, he did not come to Virginia until 1679, and even then seemed more interested in maintaining his land in the "Northern Neck of Virginia" than governing. He soon returned to England. In 1682, rioting in

7395-536: Was renamed from Alexandria County in 1922, and a portion of the independent city of Alexandria . Slavery, states' rights , and economic issues increasingly divided the northern and southern states during the first half of the 19th century, eventually leading to the American Civil War , which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Although Maryland was a slave state , it remained with the Union , while Virginia seceded and joined

7482-567: Was settled at Jamestown in 1607. The area now generally regarded as "Northern Virginia" was within a larger area defined by a land grant from King Charles II of England on September 18, 1649, while the monarch was in exile in France during the English Civil War . Eight of his loyal supporters were named, among them Thomas Culpeper. On February 25, 1673, a new charter was given to Thomas Lord Culpeper and Henry Earl of Arlington . Lord Culpeper

7569-693: Was split to form Hidden Valley High School (Roanoke, Virginia) in 2002. Both schools joined AA for the 2003–2004 school year, which reduced the district to five members. In 2007, William Fleming of Roanoke returned to the district because of increased enrollment, reuniting it with cross-town rival Patrick Henry. Travel concerns have been a major issue for schools in this district, as most other AAA schools are several hours away by driving. In football, where more points are earned for defeating AAA opponents than AA or A opponents, district members have had difficulty earning playoff spots and home field advantage. This problem has been lessened by having several schools play

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