The Commonwealth of Virginia is an American state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. The state is named after Queen Elizabeth I of England who was known as the 'Virgin Queen' because she never married. The state is also known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The capital of the commonwealth is Richmond, while Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The roots of modern Virginia trace back to the founding of the Virginia Colony in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London as the first permanent New World English colony. Agriculture, colonialism and slavery played significant roles in Virginia's early economy and politics. Virginia became one of the thirteen colonies in the American Revolution and subsequently part of the Confederacy in the American Civil War. Although traditionally conservative and historically part of the South, modern Virginia is a politically competitive state for both major national parties.