Virginia has long served as a focal point of migration, attracting and reshaping communities through a succession of transformative movements. From the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the present day, the Commonwealth has experienced waves of settlers, forced migrants, refugees, and economic seekers who profoundly influenced its social and cultural fabric. Early migrations were marked by English colonists drawn by the promise of land and resources, alongside a tragic influx of enslaved Africans, forcibly brought through the transatlantic slave trade. Subsequent arrivals included French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution, Scots-Irish and German Palatines pursuing frontier opportunities, and indentured servants hoping for land ownership and relief from debt.
Over time, Virginia’s evolving political and economic landscape spurred additional movements. Indigenous communities faced repeated pressures from expanding European settlements, while freed African Americans sought autonomy in northern states or in newly forming urban enclaves within the Commonwealth. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, improvements in industry and legislative changes in immigration policy drew new groups from Eastern Europe and beyond. More recent decades have seen the arrival of Southeast Asian refugees escaping conflict, as well as Latin American immigrants seeking economic opportunity and family reunification.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
List of Virginia historical migration routes
| Time Period | Ethnic Group | Origination Location | Arrival Location | Motivating Factors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1607–1624 | English colonists | England | Jamestown (Tidewater region) | Economic opportunity, colonization, pursuit of resources (gold, land) |
| 1619–late 18th century | Africans (enslaved) | West and Central Africa | Tidewater and other regions of Virginia | Forced migration via the Transatlantic Slave Trade |
| 1628–1740s | French Huguenots | France (often via England) | Areas near Richmond (e.g., Manakin Town) | Religious freedom following persecution in France |
| Early–mid 18th century | Scots-Irish | Ulster (Northern Ireland) | Shenandoah Valley and southwestern Virginia | Availability of frontier farmland, escape from religious and economic pressures in Ireland |
| Early–mid 18th century | German (Palatine) settlers | Rhineland region (Holy Roman Empire) | Shenandoah Valley, Germanna Colony[1] | Search for religious freedom, better economic conditions |
| Late 17th–18th century | Indentured servants (various European backgrounds) | England, Scotland, Ireland | Primarily Tidewater plantations | Debt relief, hope of land ownership after servitude |
| 19th century (post–Civil War) | Freed African Americans | Various parts of Virginia (out-migration) | Northern states or emerging Black communities in urban Virginia | Escape from oppressive Black Codes, pursuit of wage labor and autonomy |
| 1830s–1900 | Native American (forced displacement) | Indigenous homelands in Virginia (e.g., Powhatan, Cherokee) | Western territories (or smaller reservations within Virginia) | Land dispossession, forced treaties, pressure from expanding European-American settlements |
| 1916–1970 (Great Migration) | African Americans | Rural Southern states, including Virginia | Northern and Midwestern cities (e.g., Washington, D.C., Philadelphia) | Better job opportunities, escape from Jim Crow laws |
| Late 19th–early 20th century | Eastern European Jews and other European immigrants | Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia), Italy, etc. | Urban centers in Virginia (e.g., Richmond, Norfolk) | Religious freedom, economic opportunities in industrializing cities |
| Post–1975 | Southeast Asian refugees (Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian) | Southeast Asia | Urban/suburban areas of Virginia (e.g., Northern Virginia) | Political asylum, escape from war and unrest following Vietnam War |
| Late 20th–early 21st century | Latin American (Mexican, Central American) immigrants | Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and others | Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads | Economic opportunities, family reunification |
