George Washington was first and foremost a Virginian. Born in the
state's Tidewater region, he was reared near Fredericksburg and took up
residence at Mount Vernon along the Potomac River.
As a young surveyor, he worked in Virginia's backcountry. He began his
military career as a Virginia militia officer on the colony's frontier.
The majority of his widespread landholdings were in his native state,
and his entrepreneurial endeavors ranged from the swamplands of the
Southeast to the upper Potomac River Valley. Historian John Maass
explores the numerous sites all over the Commonwealth associated with
Washington and demonstrates their lasting importance.