Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

It really doesn’t take much to excite us around here. For several years, my husband (Kody), our 8-year-old (Colton), and I have planned vacations around… rocks. Yep, we find off-the-beaten-path places to hunt for diamonds, emeralds, agates, pieces of sea glass, and more. If it resembles a shiny something, it comes home with us. 

It’s not for the value. If it were, we’d have gone broke in our prospecting, rockhounding, and mineral mining long ago. It’s literally for the fun of the search—so imagine our surprise this week when my husband found a 10-pound piece of mica schist partially sticking up out of the ground in our front yard. Now, Mical is an indoor mineral. 

One day, I hope to rockhound for a piece of Nelsonite—that’s Virginia’s state rock. Yes… We have a state rock. And a state fish. Even a state pony. Keep reading to discover more about Virginia’s curious and quirky state symbols. I’m so glad you’re here. 

The Dogwood serves as both Virginia’s state flower and state tree. (Pete Muller/Getty Images Signature)

By Dogwood Staff

Here’s what you need to how: Have you ever wondered why the Dogwood is the state flower? Or why we have a state rock? We’re here to answer those questions.

Our top picks:

• The Dogwood was designated the state flower in 1918. It was named the state tree in 1956. Thomas Jefferson grew American Dogwoods on the grounds of his Charlottesville home, Monticello, in the 1770s.

• In 2016, a group of students at Piedmont Virginia Community College pushed for Nelsonite to become the state stone. The rock was named for Nelson County and was a key economic resource when it was discovered in the early 1900s.

• Thanks to two nearly identical pieces of legislation that passed through the 2023 state House and Senate, Virginia designated the Chincoteague Pony as a state symbol.

Did this pique your curiosity? We’ve got more on Virginia’s state symbols at the link below.

Love them or hate them, US data centers already consume 4% of the nation’s electricity—a number expected to more than double by 2030. 

What’s the big deal with data centers?

• Pros: The hubs support things like AI programs, Cloud services, and real-time data analysis.
• Cons: Local concerns range from grid strain to water and land usage, coupled with higher energy demand.

About half of the data centers in Virginia are in Ashburn, an area aptly dubbed Data Center Alley. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that half of the country’s data centers currently being built are near existing clusters.

Your voice matters. Whether you’re for or against data centers, showing up to local government meetings where the decisions are happening can make a major impact. 

Yes, we just asked for your opinion yesterday—but we really, genuinely want your input here. Tonight (Feb. 24), Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will give her rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. 

We’ve learned that Spanberger plans to give her televised speech from Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. While we don’t know exactly what topics she’ll touch on tonight, we’re certainly curious to hear your thoughts before (or even after) the big event. 

The State of the Union will air at 9 p.m. on major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC, via cable news, and through various online streaming services. 

Please write to me at amie@couriernewsroom.com to provide your opinion. I look forward to hearing from you. 

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