State and County Parks in Virginia

Note the geographic distribution of the first 6 state parks established in 1936 and compare with the map of Natural Area Preserves.
Real estate is Northern Virginia is expensive - there's more "bang for the buck" in acquiring lands in more-rural areas.
Still, parks are for people, and the current map of state parks show several in Northern Virginia now.
[Base map from Color Landform Atlas of the United States.]

In addition to Federal parks and private land owned by non-government organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Virginia has a state park system. Many towns/cities/counties own and manage parks, along with regional organizations such as the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Carvins Cove Natural Reserve has been called the "second-largest municipal park in the nation."¹ In that 12,672-acre watershed, the City of Roanoke owns the land above the 1,200-foot contour line, while the Western Virginia Water Authority controls the land below that contour line (including the reservoir).

Another large municipal park in Virginia is Newport News Park, at 8,000 acres.

Links

• Virginia State Parks - History of the Virginia State Park System. Did you know that:
  • the facilities at Twin Lakes State Park were duplicated in order to offer segregated recreation to "white" and "colored" Virginians?)
  • Virginia started its state park system with a bang, opening six parks on the same day? They were Seashore (now First Landing), Westmoreland, Staunton River, Douthat, Fairy Stone, and Hungry Mother.
• Parks in Transition: A Look at State Parks (report from the Political Economy Research Center)
• Fairfax County Park Authority
  • How are Parks Developed?
  • Check out the $6.1 million dredging project and other construction plans for Lake Accotink. So much silt built up since it was last dredged in 1986... think land use affects water quality in more than the Chesapeake Bay?
• Center for Private Conservation (advocating private vs. state preservation)
  • American Chestnut Foundation
  • Natural Bridge of Virginia

References