CQPolitics

The Republican-friendly 1st lies along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, stretching from the Northern Virginia suburbs and exurbs of Washington, D.C., all the way south to the shipbuilding cities of Hampton and Newport News. Along the way, popular tourist destinations, such as Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, recall Virginia’s colonial past.

Industry in the 1st revolves around military installations and NASA sites, which have attracted a growing technology private sector. Colleges and universities contribute to diversifying the district’s economic base, as do shipbuilding and tourism. Inland, agriculture and poultry help drive the economy.

The 1st’s northern counties are expanding rapidly as Washington commuters continue to move farther from the city. Spotsylvania County (one-fifth of which is in the 7th District) has more than doubled in population since 1990 as a result of its proximity to both Richmond and Washington and its location on the Interstate 95 corridor. Stafford County, just north of Fredericksburg, also has seen rapid growth and is the 1st’s most populous county. Despite fairly high housing prices, Fauquier (shared with the 10th) also has seen steady growth.

The 1st is solidly Republican, and the party controls local offices here. George W. Bush took 60 percent of the district’s 2004 presidential vote.

Major Industry

Defense, technology, agriculture, tourism, higher education

Military Bases

Marine Corps Base Quantico, 6,114 military, 7,177 civilian (2006); Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, 542 military, 7,000 civilian (2007); Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, 164 military, 1,357 civilian (2007); Fort A.P. Hill (Army), 378 military, 493 civilian (2006)

Cities

Newport News (pt.), 71,800; Hampton (pt.), 31,755; Fredericksburg, 19,279

Notable

George Washington and Robert E. Lee both were born in Westmoreland County, and their birth sites attract visitors; Jamestown, settled in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in North America.