Many television shows and movies take place in great big cities with lots of people and towering buildings. The most common cities movies will take place in are Los Angeles and New York City, of course. These cities are beautiful in their own way, but California and New York are grossly overrated when you compare them to the state we live in.

Virginia has a wide range of diverse ecosystems. From the sandy beaches of Chincoteague to the rolling mountains of Southwest Virginia, there’s a lot to appreciate in this great state that we often take for granted. Growing up in an Air Force family, I got to move around and experience many wonderful places. As much as I hate to admit it, Virginia is probably the second most beautiful place I’ve lived in, if not the most beautiful.

I was born in Florida and spent a total of 7 years of my life there. Florida will always be my home, but when I compare Florida to Virginia, I can appreciate the fact that this state is so colorful in comparison to Florida. Here, there are beautiful beaches, seemingly endless marshes, thick forests and towering hills. In Florida, there are swamps, lots of beaches and more swamps. Some areas of Florida have thick, beautiful woods but there are limited species of trees. Also, the geography is quite plain with very few hills and no mountains at all.

Even though I live very close to West Virginia, which is a beautiful state, overall it’s not as exciting to me. The mountains of West Virginia are beautiful and go on for days. That’s just the problem, though. The mountains go on throughout the whole state with no breaks as you drive through it. Although the mountains are majestic and make you feel very small, they begin to feel quite claustrophobic. The beauty of Virginia is that as you drive through it, you see varying ecosystems.

In September, my boyfriend and I traveled from Radford to Chincoteague. I had wanted to visit Chincoteague since I moved to Virginia and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to finally visit this magical area. Driving through the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is a lot to see when compared to driving through West Virginia. Along with mountains, you can see  vineyards taking over the sides of hills, hundreds of small creeks along with larger flowing watersheds. In Richmond, you see skyscrapers carefully placed overlooking the James River. In Virginia Beach, the eye can see the ocean seemingly going on forever. My favorite part, however, is Chincoteague itself. On one side, there is a calm, slow-moving bay edged with marshes, and on the other, the roaring ocean slams against the sand and the wind takes your breath away with its salty-sweetness.

Although I miss the white-as-snow beaches of Florida, and the emerald-colored bathwater Gulf of Mexico, it still doesn’t compare to the diverse beauty that can be found in our grossly underrated state. Even though we all will dream of the great cities of Los Angeles and New York City, and long to live that Hollywood fairy-tale lifestyle, we’re still lucky. We’re lucky to live in a state that, even though it was settled long ago, still remains naturally beautiful.