Can you spot the southwestern tip of Virginia
without the political boundaries drawn on the image?
(Peek at the National Park map for aid.)
Virginia has a relatively clear "corner" on the southeast and southwest edges of the state:
- southeast corner: False Cape State Park
- southwest corner: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
You can drive from the southeast to the southwest corners on Route 58, the longest road in Virginia. It stretches from the city of Virginia Beach to Cumberland Gap in Lee County. The contrast in the physical environment from the Atlantic Ocean to Cumberland Gap is obvious even through a bug-encrusted windshield at 55 miles per hour, but if you visit in person you'll also discover that there's a clear diffference between the politics, economics, and basic cultural lifestyles in Virginia Beach vs. Lee County.
What about the other corners of Virginia?
The northeast corner of Virginia could be defined as a point on the Atlantic Ocean near Chincoteague:
 is this the northeast corner of Virginia?
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NOTE: north is to the left, not towards the top of this map. (If you persist in thinking that all maps must be oriented with north at the top, just like the ones on the wall in elementary school, then turn your head or swivel the computer monitor 90 degrees to the right...)
Finding the eastern edge of the state, much less the northeastern corner, may be confusing on maps that simplify the geography of the state. Some maps fail to identify the two counties on the Eastern Shore (east of the Chesapeake Bay) as part of Virginia:
 Question: what's missing from this map showing National Park Service units in Virginia? |
 Answer: the Eastern Shore... |
Check out several facets of the northeast corner:
Determining the northwestern tip of Virginia - well, that's the hardest choice...
