'''Virginia''', so named in honor of the "virgin queen" of England, [[Queen Elizabeth I]], was nicknamed the ''Old Dominion'' by King Charles II because Virginia remained loyal to the crown during the [[English Civil War]] and throughout Cromwell's years. Formally known as the Commonwealth of Virginia, this commonwealth was one of the first [[colony|colonies]] in [[North America]] in the 1600s and joined the [[United States of America]] in 1788. | '''Virginia''', so named in honor of the "virgin queen" of England, [[Queen Elizabeth I]], was nicknamed the ''Old Dominion'' by King Charles II because Virginia remained loyal to the crown during the [[English Civil War]] and throughout Cromwell's years. Formally known as the Commonwealth of Virginia, this commonwealth was one of the first [[colony|colonies]] in [[North America]] in the 1600s and joined the [[United States of America]] in 1788. |