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WW2 effects: Virginia

Discussion in 'WWII Today' started by JJWilson, Dec 27, 2017.

  1. JJWilson

    JJWilson Well-Known Member

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    Hello Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful week regardless if you celebrated Christmas or not. This WW2 effects will be the last of 2017, Virginia! While I personally have never been to Virginia, my fathers family resided in Virginia from the Early 1630's all the way up to reconstruction era of the late 1860's and early 1870's. So I am rather fond of Virginia and it's place in American history, as well as the people who influenced our nation who are from there(George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, etc)
    Previous WW2 effects: Texas WW2 effects: Texas

    Virginia Pre-WW2

    Home of the Nations capital, Virginia was, in a way, the center of the U.S. In 1940, Virginia had come quite a long way from it's Rebellious Southern days in the 1860's. Virginia pre-war was one of the more economically advanced and diversified southern states. Virginia was lucky to have a wealth of non-agriculturally based jobs and markets, so that when the Great Depression hit, it was better off than most other southern states. Some of these industries included Government and Military based jobs, even before the war. Virginia after all had the 3rd largest amount of millionaires in the U.S in 1940, so things weren't going horribly in Old Dominion. Despite Virginia's "better" economic circumstances, the farmers and middle class members of Virginia still took a considerable hit with the Great Depression, and the pain would fully be alleviated until after WW2. Farming was still the largest industry in the state in the 40's, relying mostly on Tobacco, Cotton, Hay, and Soy beans.

    Virginia WW2
    With the start of WW2, government jobs, and of course, military growth, boomed in the state. It is estimated that 46% of the states populace was employed by the government or enlisted in the military in 1945 (To give you some perspective, that's about 1 million people). Nearly half of the states population lived in Hampton Roads at some point in the war, and Norfolk's population almost doubled in 6 months with the presence of the largest Naval yard in the U.S...Naval Station Norfolk. 3 Airstrips and USAAF bases were built in Virginia, the biggest being Langley field (Built in 1940), where B-17 bomber crews trained in formation flight and combat training. Bedford Virginia was particularly hit hard by the war, not in the way you would think. 19 soldiers from Bedford died on D-Day, making Bedford the town with thee highest casualties of D-Day. Of the 31 boys who left to fight from Bedford, only 10 came back.

    Virginia Post WW2

    370,000 Virginians answered the call to serve in the war, 2,984 were subsequently killed in the conflict. Virginia's economy maintained it's upward trend (unlike after WW1 when many were let go), and the state's population grew too 3.3 million in 1950. The government and military presence in Virginia would continue through the Cold war and into the 21st century, yet agriculture is still the main employer of Virginians to this day.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  2. JJWilson

    JJWilson Well-Known Member

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    Jamestown...the first English settlement in the Americas
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    George Washington, the First President of the United States was a Virginia native, and lived out the rest of his days there.........
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    Robert E. Lee was also a native to Virginia, and was the leading general of the Confederate Army in the Civil War.........
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    Washington D.C in the 1940's.......
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    Richmond Skyline in the 1940's.......
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    Hampton Roads embarkation port 1942......
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    An aerial view of the Norfolk Naval yard.....1944
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    An A-20 Havoc being worked on at Langley field........
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    Bedford D-day memorial, where 19 of the towns 31 young men lost their lives during Operation Overlord......
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    The Capitol Building.......quite beautiful at night.....
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    The Lincoln Memorial......
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    The White House........
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    Norfolk waterside district.....looks nice!
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    Richmond........
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    The Natural Bridge, a beautiful place.......
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