Will Northern Virginia Become the 51st State?
Northern Virginia sends millions to Richmond—and gets pennies back. It’s one of the world’s most dynamic regions, while other parts of the state are still fighting the Civil War. Why not secede and become the 51st state?
By
Drew Lindsay
Published Saturday, November 01, 2008
Martha Pennino was the “Mother of Fairfax” and first to call for secession. Pennino photograph courtesy of Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
Martha Pennino moved to Vienna in 1956 when her husband, Walter, a decorated Army veteran of World War II and Korea, took a Pentagon job. Farmland covered much of Fairfax County, which was home to about 100,000 people and enough cows to make it one of the state’s largest dairy producers. Pennino plunged into politics and in 1967 won election to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors. For the next quarter of a century, she played midwife to Fairfax’s emergence as a booming metropolis, helping to give birth to such regional anchors as George Mason University, the Dulles Toll Road, and the town of Reston. By the time Pennino left office in 1991, she was known as Mother Fairfax. A tiny woman made larger than life by her blond beehive and sunny disposition, Pennino charmed everyone. Everyone, that is, except state legislators. She frequently went to Richmond to advocate for the region only to meet opposition from downstate lawmakers, some of whom sneered at what they called the “people’s republic of Northern Virginia.” On one occasion she testified before a committee headed by 69-year-old Edward Willey Sr., the irascible Senate majority leader and elder statesman of the state’s conservative Democrats. Willey didn’t see much to like in Pennino’s plan to make Reston the state’s first “chartered community,” with its own elected officials and the power to levy taxes. Northern Virginia, he told her, had to learn its place. “It just bothers me,” he said, “that you’re always coming up with something special up there, and what we’ve already got isn’t good enough. “I’m not trying to be ornery,” he added, “but somebody down here has to put the brakes on.” After more than a few such trips, Pennino’s frustration boiled over. “Madam chairman,” she announced at a Board of Supervisors meeting, “I’d like to suggest that we secede from Virginia and become the 51st state.” Pennino, who died in 2004, was only half serious when she issued her call for independence in the 1970s. But in the years since, Northern Virginia officials fed up with Richmond have talked often of rebellion. No one has filed legislation to partition the state—politically, that would be nearly impossible. But the idea has lots of appeal. For starters, Virginia is too damn big. With 7.7 million people, it’s the 12th-largest state. Its westernmost tip at the Cumberland Gap is a seven-hour drive from McLean—and it reaches farther west than Detroit. Aside from the taxes it pays, Northern Virginia is arguably part of the state in name only. Robert Lang of Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan Institute says Northern Virginia has become an extension of the urbanized Northeast corridor. The region is so different from the rest of Virginia, it’s as though the New Jersey suburbs were grafted onto South Carolina, Lang says. About a third of Virginians—21⁄2 million of them—live in the state’s 15 jurisdictions that are part of the official Washington metro area. Many are Yankee transplants who care little for state icons, whether Patsy Cline or Pat Robertson. The two Virginias might coexist peacefully if not for the state legislature’s history of hostility and indifference to the north. Harry F. Byrd—the apple grower who became one of the 20th century’s greatest machine politicians—rigged the lawmaking game against Northern Virginia. Even today, 40 years after his death, the state steers lots of Northern Virginia’s tax dollars to downstate rural areas.
Richmond’s slights infuriate Northern Virginia. The region is one of the most economically dynamic in the country, if not the world. It’s a center, along with Silicon Valley and the Boston suburbs around Route 128, for what some scholars call the “creative class”—the scientists, engineers, artists, educators, and professionals who drive the “knowledge economy.” Eight Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Northern Virginia—more than in 31 other states, including Maryland. If it were to secede, the new state would be the country’s most affluent and best educated. “There’s a running joke that if you take Northern Virginia out of Virginia, you get Arkansas,” says Stephen Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. “That’s a little bit unfair, but not wholly.” Geographically, Northern Virginia isn’t all that big, encompassing 7 percent of the state’s land area. Yet it’s an economic juggernaut that accounts for almost half the state’s economic growth, more than half its new jobs, and nearly half of income-tax revenues. Yet to hear Northern Virginia officials tell it, Richmond doesn’t give the region a fair shake. Too few of the tax dollars sent to Richmond find their way back, they say. According to some estimates, Northern Virginia gets back only 25 cents on the dollar in cash and state services. Legislative experts put the figure closer to 40 cents or higher. But there’s no doubt that the region gives a lot more than it receives. “They treat us like the Bank of Fairfax,” says one county official. Nearly 200 years ago, counties in the northwest corner of the state felt similarly betrayed by Richmond. Apportionment in the legislature was based on a population count that included slaves—a provision that gave plantation owners in the eastern half of the state a big advantage over small farmers scratching out a living in the Appalachians. The western counties won a few concessions, but eastern aristocrats kept the upper hand. State money and services flowed to eastern Virginia while only trickling to the west.
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Comments
The problem with Northern Virginia is that there is no Prada in Tyson’s!!
Posted by: Eidor, Jan 12, 2012 08:36:31 PM
I grew up in NoVa but took a job in SW VA after graduation, a few years back. I see both sides of the argument. But, those in NoVA need to recognize that their economic dominance is due largely to the proximity to DC. They are big beneficiaries of the taxes that the rest of the country pays in. So, to complain that they are overtaxed in relation to the rest of the state, while failing to realize that their major economy is bankrolled by taxes already, is really shortsighted. Stop complaining, you are arguably the most prosperous part of the country already!
Posted by: tom, Dec 26, 2011 11:15:41 AM
You all are nuts. Without Northern Virginia, you just have a big Mississippi. Virginia is lucky to have NoVA, and hopefully one day, NoVA will tell the rest of the Commonwealth to take their tobacco, ham, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis and kick rocks.
Posted by: Alex G., Dec 25, 2011 09:41:09 PM
Let’s stop the name calling, please! Is that what we’re resorting to? It’s becoming evident to me that all these comments are hypocrisy at its finest. I’ve lived in NOVA my entire life, and I’m not some rich, arrogant, privileged socialite who thinks that the South is racist and unintelligent. I really thought we were past this as a country (or Virginia in specifically, if you so please) but I guess not. There’s more important factors to worry about than what speck you are located on in this state. Also, people who are not natives to Virginia have just as valid a point as you do, they’re no less capable of forming an opinion as anyone else. If these are the ideas that my state is comprised of, I’m sadly not proud of it in the least.
Posted by: Kayla, Dec 24, 2011 02:30:49 PM
Stop your whinning, how much do you NOVA parasites suck out of federal taxes the rest of americans pay?
Posted by: joe in wise, Dec 02, 2011 04:01:56 PM
GO NOVA!
Posted by: Bob, Oct 25, 2011 04:42:41 PM
The author’s bias towards NOVA is incredibly distracting in this article. I can barely read two sentences without getting annoyed. This is so typical of anyone who lives in NOVA. They all think this place is the center of the world and love to talk about it as such. Its comprised of town centers and endless suburbs. The traffic sucks and the people are full of themselves. Its not that tight.
Posted by: Seth in Fairfax, Sep 21, 2011 09:59:15 PM
As far I know, the U.S. Constitution spells out the process for NOVA: get Richmond and Congress to agree and you got yourself a state. As for the "DC Statehood" being "more worthy" of an article because of its "forty year march," well consider that Americans in Puerto Rico have been fighting for equality for 113 years!!! Puerto Rico has 4 million second-class Americans. It would be the 25th largest state!
Posted by: JAPACS, Sep 04, 2011 12:24:01 AM
Yes we should succeed. Virginia is the only southern conservative state to enjoy any kind of economic or social success and this is only because of the diverse democratic northern region of the state. If we succeed there will be absolutely no southern states that have a successful economic model proving once and for all that conservatives are just Fat racist and STUPID
Posted by: Tyrone Santiago, Aug 19, 2011 04:13:03 AM
Ohhh noooo it’s a 7 hour drive from one part of the state to another? Call me when you’ve done the drive across Texas, either the north/south or east/west one.
Posted by: Andrew, Jun 22, 2010 10:24:07 PM
For me, the last straw came a few years back when the anti-tax fanatics in Richmond wouldn’t even let us have a referendum to tax ourselves to fix our transportation problems. Secession sounds good to me. Failing that, we need to look at getting rid of the Dillon Rule and giving local governments some real authority.
Posted by: cumaea, Jun 16, 2010 10:21:27 AM
I have to disagree with all of you folks who claim to be native Virginians. I was born in the DC metro area and spent the overwhelming majority of my childhood and all of my adulthood in Northern Virginia. Frankly, NoVa can’t secede quickly enough for me.
Posted by: Roni, Jun 08, 2010 12:44:47 PM
I hate hearing this crap from all the people who have moved from PA, NJ, NY, ect within the last few generations. Northern VA was home to Robert E Lee and fought for the South. Respect and preserve the heritage. We should take back OUR state and kick all the carpetbaggers out.
Posted by: Doug, Jan 26, 2010 07:10:45 AM
My family’s been in this area for over 200 years and we’ve been at least as Southern as anybody else. I agree with the Loudoun native that says if you’re not from here, stfu about secession. I think it would be a great idea to split from Richmond and set up our capital in Fairfax.As a new Southern state. We shouldn’t allow a passel of carpetbaggers to determine our identity.
Posted by: Native Northern Virginian, Jan 13, 2010 05:41:02 PM
That sounds great. Please do secede! Then, when I move back down South, I won’t have to claim even a tenuous connection with elitist, hypocritical, arrogant people like yourself.
Trust me, we’re so very glad that you don’t want to be associated with the South. After all, we’re just too ignorant and small-minded for such big city slickers like yourself. We’ll keep our warm weather, large yards, easy living, and lack of judgment.
Indeed, everything you hear about us is true: we’re all racists who don’t wear shoes, use outhouses, and watch NASCAR 24/7. Yup, we watch re-runs of old NASCAR races even when we sleep--which isn’t often, since we’re all hooked on crystal meth.
And y’all don’t come back now, ya’ hear?
Posted by: James (soon to be ex-Alexandria Resident), Jan 13, 2010 01:55:07 PM
People would be less concerned about being ’sucked dry’ if we didn’t also have to contend with the nutty political flaver of some of the social politics coming out of Virginia. There are some useful aspects of being in Virginia, as it keeps us busines friendly and dynamic. However there are the state control tactics that are repulsive. ...
To the poster from Loudoun: Who cares if you are a native Loudounian?? I am a native Fairfaxian (born here) and have no problem associating with transplants. Most of my friends growing up are from elsewhere at one time or another, and my parents are origionally from Michigan. Once you settle for any real length of time, being a transpant doesn’t matter as much because you have had time to understand the underlying issues.
Posted by: Elixabeth, Aug 01, 2009 12:04:50 PM
First, let’s sue the state for selling Highway 95. Then let’s seced and put a toll road up at the Richmond line so we can have money for improved roads as they did to build a by-pass road Highway 295.
Posted by: Prince William County Resident, May 22, 2009 04:23:45 AM
SWS: might be because DC isn’t being "sucked dry" by a political entity 100 miles away (i.e. Richmond).
Posted by: Froggie, Mar 18, 2009 05:02:48 AM
Follow to the last comment. It’s a bit insulting for Washingtonian to run this piece on a fictional state when DC’s statehood movement and ambitions are a genuine civil rights issue with serious ramifications. It’s in poor taste to ignore Washingtontonians’ status as second class citizens while waxing about the tax issues of Northern Virginians.
The only was for us to equality with those in Northern VA and everywhere else is to give us the same powers that constitution reserves for states.
Posted by: SWS, Feb 12, 2009 07:46:39 AM
Hey Washingtonian...how could about a cover article and analysis of Washington, DC as the 51st state? After all, it’s been a significant issue here for 40 years.
Posted by: SWS, Feb 12, 2009 07:39:37 AM
This article makes some great points that i agree with, but the author did not have to stoop to the usual making fun of southerners routine. That’s played out.
Posted by: Ryan, Jan 03, 2009 07:16:33 AM
Secede NOW! No more being financially sucked dry by Richmond!
Posted by: Brian, Dec 23, 2008 12:45:28 PM
Dear Comrade,
not every state contains an area as defined as northern virginia and can boast that it would be the most affluent and well educated state in the nation were it to secede. think before you type
Posted by: scottypoo, Dec 22, 2008 06:27:33 AM
Okay...The problem is this. More than half the people in NOVA cannot say they are from Northern Virginia....in other words, are not natives. Even if you have lived here for many years, you do not have the status of judging; because my HERITAGE is at stake. People who move here and claim that they are from Northern Virginia have absolutely NO right to split up my state. There are internal problems with taxes abd how money circulates, but there are ways to resolve that issue believe it or not. Unless you are a native, you have no right to protest about this ’51st’ state crap. It will not happen. GET OUT because YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!!
Posted by: va native from loudoun, Dec 20, 2008 09:41:17 PM
here’s my big problem with the new state idea:
The best collegs in Virginia (Virginia Tech, UVA, JMU, CNU, Longwood, etc) would become out of state schools for everybody in Northern Virginia. GMU and Nova are decent, but can’t take all of the students from the area. Out of state colleges are massively expensive when compared with in sate schools. Don’t screw college students like me and future college students like my sister; let’s stay united Virginia.
Stephen
Posted by: Stephen Dolenc, Nov 25, 2008 07:58:33 PM
This is inane. Why not split up every state based on these dim witted principles? Homogeny always seems to be the true goal for those who laud "diversity".
Posted by: Comrade in Alexandria, Nov 25, 2008 04:42:21 AM
Secede now!!! Then set up tolls at the border for motorists entering from the south, east and west.
Posted by: Joe in Alexandria, Nov 24, 2008 02:12:31 PM
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