Virginia's 1st congressional district


Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district with many upper middle class people in the Northern portion of the district and rural middle class people in the southern.
Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's First District" since during the 20th century it included Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. However, Jamestown Island and the historic settlement were redistricted to the 2nd congressional district in 2017. Moreover, in the 18th and early 19th century, it comprised northwestern Virginia. For years, the first district also included the other two points of the Historic Triangle–Williamsburg, the longtime capital of the colony, and Yorktown, where the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. The district continues to include major military installations, and has been represented by Republican Rob Wittman since 2007.

2016 redistricting

As of 2016, the adjacent 3rd district has been ruled unconstitutional. New districts have been drawn.

Recent results in statewide elections

Area covered

It covers all or part of the following political subdivisions:

Counties

The entirety of:
The Virginia First District started in 1788 covering the counties of Berkeley, Frederick, Hampshire, Hardy, Harrison, Monongalia, Ohio, Randolph and Shenandoah. Of these only Shenandoah and Frederick Counties are in Virginia today; the rest are now part of West Virginia. The modern counties of Clarke, Warren and most of Page as well as the independent city of Winchester were included as part of Frederick and Shenandoah counties in 1788. In West Virginia all the current state north and east of a generalized line running from Wood County to Pocahontas County was in the congressional district. The one exception was that Pendleton County, West Virginia was in Virginia's 3rd congressional district.
In the redistribution which followed the 1850 census, the First District comprised sixteen counties in eastern Virginia. The counties included Accomack, Essex, Gloucester, James City, King and Queen, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Richmond, Warwick and Westmoreland. In an 1862 Union special election three out of the sixteen counties in the Union district supplied returns.
The First District is noted for its strong presence of military institutions, including the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Increasing numbers of military and retired voters have swung the district to the right.

Recent election results

List of members representing the district