New Content Releases

Today, we are excited to announce that over 100,000 photos are now available to search and view online. The Origin of Nebraska’s Name comes from an Oto Indian word meaning flat water. This seems odd as Nebraska was once called “The Great American Desert.” in 1872 Arbor Day was found by J. Sterling Morton. Since then millions of trees have planted for windbreaks, woodlots, and orchards. For myself when I think of Nebraska, solid college football comes to mind. The University of Nebraska has been to a record 27 consecutive bowl games and 27 consecutive winning seasons. In 1899 Cy Sherman referred to the team as the Cornhuskers, which was officially adopted one year later. in 1945 The state changed its official nickname form “Tree Planter’s State” to the “Cornhusker State.”

The term “cornhusker” comes from the method of harvesting or “husking” corn by hand, which was common in Nebraska before the invention of husking machinery. Nebraska is an agricultural juggernaut with close to 50,000 farms generating 25 billion dollars. Nearly nine million acres are planted to corn and produced nearly 1.5 billion bushels. Five million acres were planted to soybeans and produced nearly 268 million bushels. Nebraska’s dairy cows produce over one billion pounds of milk a year. Nebraska’s slaughter plants process nearly 6.8 million cattle and nearly 7.7 million hogs. Of the many farms involved in the agricultural business 86% are family owned and operated. Our collection of aerial photos focuses on these rural farming properties and we hope you find something meaningful within them. Here are a few of our visitors who did.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of over 100,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that nearly 115,000 photos are now available to search and view online. Louisiana was named in honor of King Louis XIV. With its humid, subtropical climate Louisiana is home to 41% of the nation’s wetlands and has 5,000 miles of navigable waterways. You have probably heard of these referred to as a bayou, the French name for slow-moving “river.” The world-famous “Mardi Gras” is celebrated in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It celebrates food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent. I have attended this wild event and it is quite the party with live music around every corner. The streets are filled with thousands of people and you can eat some of the best cajun seafood dishes in the world. Louisiana is the only state with a large population of Cajuns, descendants of the Acadians who were driven out of Canada in the 1700s because they wouldn’t pledge allegiance to the King of England. Like most southern states Louisiana has an old history. The first American army to have African American officers was the confederate Louisiana Native Guards. Between 1862, and 1864, 20 major Civil War battles and engagements were fought on Louisiana soil.

Because many of our photos focus on rural farming I always like to give some data on the agriculture industry. Louisiana ranks #1 in the nation in the production of crawfish, shrimp, alligators, menhadden, and oysters. The commercial fishing industry produces 25% of all seafood in the U.S. Forestry is the #1 agriculture industry in Louisiana with its 13.9 million acres of forests. Other top crops are rice, corn, sugarcane, soybeans, and cattle and calves. I think my favorite tidbit is, Louisiana is the sole source of the Tabasco pepper, a popular condiment known around the world. Finally, Louisiana is the 3rd largest producer of petroleum and the 2nd largest producer of natural gas in the U.S.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of nearly 115,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that over 201,000 photos are now available to search and view online. Florida is well known as the ‘Sunshine State" with its 241 days of sunlight this is not just a clever name. I lived in Florida for a good part of my life and I know that with this sunshine also comes heat. I can remember sweltering in the sun doing yard work with my dad on the weekends. The sun and heat have influenced Floridas history, in 1851 Dr. John Gorrie invented mechanical refrigeration. In 1965 per Dwayne Douglas’s request the university of Floridas college of medicine came up with a drink to help keep his player hydrated. This new drink was named after the football teams mascot, cleverly dubbed Gatorade. The first suntan cream was invented in 1944 by Benjamin Green in Miami Beach.

All this sun may be a problem at times for us humans but it is perfect for great farming. Florida is ranked first in the U.S. in production of cucumbers, grapefruit, oranges, squash, sugarcane, fresh market snap beans, and fresh market tomatoes. In 2017, Florida ranked second in the nation in the production of greenhouse, nursery and miscellaneous products with cash receipts totaling over $2.088 billion. Florida accounted for 45 percent of the total U.S. citrus production with 78.1 million boxes of citrus in the 2016-2017 season. Generations of families have called these farms home. We hope we have preserved these memories with the photos in our collection and invite you to re-discover your history.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of over 201,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that over 267,000 photos are now available to search and view online.

The Name Arkansas comes from the Sioux acansa which means “downstream people.” Arkansas became the 25th state in 1836. Since the 1830s the area now known as Hot Springs National Park has bathed notables as diverse as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, and Al Capone. The now household name Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton in Bentonville. Arkansas has 33.3 million acres of land, forests cover more than 56 percent of Arkansas’ landscape. The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states. Agriculture is Arkansas’ largest industry, adding around $16 billion to the state’s economy annually. The Natural State’s diverse landscape and climate produce a wide variety of Arkansas agricultural products. Arkansas is a major exporter of rice, soybeans, cotton, poultry and feed grains. A whopping 97 percent of these farms are still family owned. Generations of families have called these farms home. We hope we have preserved these memories with the photos in our collection and invite you to re-discover your history.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of over 267,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that over 60,000 aerial photos of Mississippi are now available to search and view online.

The state is named after the Mississippi River. The native word for the river was messipi, which means “Big River.” Like many other southern states, Mississippi has a long history it was the 20th state to join the union in 1817. In 1898 a man named Edward Barq invented root beer in Biloxi. His company Barq’s is now owned by Coca-Cola. “The King” Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo in 1935. There are many other famous names that came from Mississippi such as Walter Payton, the first football player to appear on Wheaties box, and the legendary puppeteer Jim Henson. The people who really make Mississippi are the people who live and work there, those who have farmed the land and for generations made it their home. We have many of these memories captured in our collection. Here are just a few and we invite you to come and create your own!

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of over 60,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that over 316,000 aerial photos of Alabama are now available to search and view online.

The name “Alabama” comes from a combination of two Choctaw words: “Alba,” meaning plants and “Amo,” meaning picker. This name rings true as Alabama is one of the leading producers of cotton and produces 5.6 billion with its agriculture industry. While Alabama has many nicknames such as the “Heart of Dixie” or the “cotton state,” none of them have been made official. Like many of the southern states, Alabama has a rich history from the first Confederate flag flown in 1861 to Rosa Parks’ refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery bus which helped spark a prominent civil rights movement. Throughout this history, there have been many prominent people to hail from Alabama. In 1880 Hellen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, an American author, political activist, and lecturer. Nat King Cole was born in Montgomery in 1919 known as the man with the velvet voice. In 1934 Hank Aaron was born in mobile and went on to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974 with 715 home runs. People are the reason we at VA do what we do, famous or not the people who live in a community are what shape the landscape and culture. Aerial photos are a great way to get a glimpse of what it was like and who the people were that shaped our world. Here are just a few people who have found some meaningful history in our collection:

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of nearly 330,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that nearly 200,000 aerial photos of South Carolina are now available to search and view online. The state motto is the Latin phrase “Dum spiro, spero,” which translates to “While I breathe, I hope.” Before being known as the Palmetto State, South Carolina was known as, and had emblazoned on their license plates, the Iodine State. This motto was an effort by the South Carolina Natural Resources Commission to publicize the high levels of iodine found in the state’s fruits and vegetables. South Carolina is very often clumped together with its neighbor to the north but South Carolina boasts its own unique history, cultures, and way of life. Stretching 60 miles from Little River to Georgetown, South Carolina’s Grand Strand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.

South Carolina entered the Union on May 23, 1788 and became the 8th state. On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began at Fort Sumter in South Carolina when Confederate soldiers opened fire on the Union soldiers guarding the sea fort. David Robert Coker conducted his early crop-improvement experiments on the family plantation in Hartsville. Beginning with 30 experimental cotton selections and methodically applying the latest techniques in the scientific breeding of crops, the work of Coker Experimental Farms played a great role in the agricultural revolution in the South. The introduction of tobacco in 1894 rocketed Mullins into the Tobacco Capital of South Carolina. As many as 200 tobacco barns sprang up throughout the community and the first tobacco sale took place on August 28, 1895.

South Carolina has a long history in agriculture and it is still the prominent industry in the state today. The Lake City tobacco market was established in 1898, and has grown to become one of the two largest markets in South Carolina today. South Carolina is the nation’s leading peach producer east of the Mississippi River. Broilers are the most produced agricultural commodity by value. Fresh market fruits and vegetable produced include cucumbers, snap beans and tomatoes, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. South Carolina greenhouse and nursery products generate around $240 million per year. South Carolina is home to the only tea farm in North America, The Charleston Tea Plantation. There are over 26,000 farms averaging 189 acres. These farms cover 4.8 million acres of land. The total economic impact of South Carolina’s agriculture industry is over 40 billion dollars a year.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of nearly 200,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that more than 280,000 aerial photos of New England are now available to search and view online. The explorer John Smith gave New England its name. New England’s geography is very diverse. The region is bounded to the north by Canada, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Long Island Sound, and to the west by the state of New York. New England’s wildlife ranges from whales and dolphins to thousands of species of birds and wild moose.

New England’s history and culture has been shaped over hundreds of years by immigrants from Europe. The region was one of the earliest English settlements in the “New World” following the arrival of the Pilgrims, who set sail from England aboard the Mayflower in 1620 in search of religious freedom. By the late 18th century, the British colonies of New England were some of the first to demonstrate for independence from the British Crown; one of the most notable demonstrations was the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The American Revolutionary war broke out shortly after in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was signed and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

New England has close to 15 million people, the three southern states of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are more densely populated than the northern states, with the most populated urban areas being situated along the eastern coastline. The people of New England are known for their warm hospitality, friendly manner and down-to-earth approach to life. New Englanders love their food and take full advantage of the regional produce. There’s nothing like apple cider during the fall, pancakes with real maple syrup, a clambake on the beach or some Yankee pot roast on a cold night. Then there are the clams, the vital ingredient for New England’s very own clam chowder. There are also a number of microbreweries, distilleries and vineyards to be explored throughout the region.

Farming has been a part of New England’s landscape and history for centuries. Due to population growth, development and urban sprawl, the amount of land left producing food in New England is only 4 million acres, about 5%. Farming still has an enduring and important presence in the six-state region, from the dairy farms and maple sugarhouses of Vermont to the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts and blueberry fields of Maine. 30 percent of New England farmers are 65 and older and with the younger generation moving into larger cities the threat of the farming industry shrinking even further is very real. Farming currently produces 3 billion dollars per year.

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of more than 280,000 aerial photos of this great region. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

To search select one of the New England States below:

Today, we are excited to announce that more than 585,000 aerial photos of Georgia are now available to search and view online. Georgia was named for King George II of England, it was founded in 1732 by a British Member of Parliament James Oglethorpe as a felon colony. Oglethorpe wanted to use the colony as a place for prisoners who could not pay their debts. The social reformer believed that many debtors were released back into cities without any form of support. He wanted to take these people and give them a second chance in a new place.  Georgia is often called the Empire State of the South and is also known as the Peach State. Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River, the Okefenokee Swamp encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals; moss draped cypress trees, and lily pad prairies providing sanctuaries for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife including several endangered species. The beautiful landscape can be seen at the annual Masters Golf Tournament which is played at the Augusta National in Augusta every first week of April. the event was created after the club was denied as a venue for the US Open. There are some odd laws one should keep in mind while in Georgia as you might be breaking them unknowingly, Carrying ice cream in your back pocket on Sundays is against the law. There is also a law stating you cannot spread a rumor if it is false. You are not allowed to hook a giraffe to a pole or street lamp in Georgia and in Gainesville, the Chicken Capital of the World it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork.

Georgia was the last of the original 13 colonies and the 4th state to join the Union in 1776. Georgia was the first colony to produce cotton commercially, first planting it near Savannah in 1734. In 1828 Auraria, near the city of Dahlongea, was the site of the first Gold Rush in America. Wesleyan College is the birthplace of the first sororities as it became the first college in the world to grant degrees to women in 1839. In 1861 Georgia became the 5th state to join the Confederacy. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park safeguards the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign making it the site of the bloodiest battle in American history. Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta. The name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper. At present, the headquarter of Coca-Cola is in Atlanta. Atlanta is known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement; you can find Martin Luther King Jr.’s house on Auburn Ave. In 1945, Georgia became the first state to lower the legal voting age from 21 to 18. The 1996 Olympic Games were hosted by Atlanta, and the games were certainly the largest as a record 197 nations participated in the Games.

It’s no wonder that Georgia is an agricultural powerhouse, considering the diverse topography and climate of its 10.1 million acres of farmland. This land covers 28 percent of the state and ranges from coast to mountains, making it ideal for the production of a variety of agricultural commodities. There are 47,800 farms averaging 212 acres, one in seven Georgians is employed in agriculture, forestry or related fields. Georgia’s annual $13 billion farming value is composed of some top commodities, including broilers (chickens for meat), cotton, chicken eggs, vegetables, melons, peanuts and more. Poultry and eggs contributed $5.4 billion to Georgia’s total farming value, and more than two-thirds of Georgia’s counties are involved in poultry production and processing. Our collection has aerial photos of many of these farms dating back to 1977!

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our collection of more than 585,000 aerial photos of this great state. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!

Today, we are excited to announce that nearly 385,000 aerial photos of West Virginia are now available to search and view online. West Virginia is nicknamed the Mountain State and the motto is “Mountaineers Are Always Free” sometimes displayed as the Latin phrase, Montani Semper Liberi. The state was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth of England. Tourism is the state’s leading industry. For many years, coal was the leading industry.

West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state. Because of its location, West Virginia played a major role in the Civil War. Bailey Brown, the first Union soldier killed in the Civil War, died on May 22, 1861, at Fetterman in Taylor County. Weeks later the first major land battle in the Civil War, the Battle of Philippi, was fought between Union and Confederate soldiers on June 3, 1861. Two years later West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, by a proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

On February 14, 1824, at Harpers Ferry, John S. Gallaher published the “Ladies Garland,” one of the first papers in the nation devoted mainly to the interests of women. This focus on women’s rights and interests continued throughout West Virginia’s history. On May 10th 1908 the first Mother’s Day was observed at Andrews Church in Grafton. A bit on the darker side but still an important change in the women’s rights movement was the first federal prison exclusively for women in the United States opened in 1926. In 1928 Mrs. Minnie Buckingham Harper was the first African American woman to become a member of a legislative body in the United States.

West Virginia has a total of 3.7 million acres of farmland, consisting of around 23,000 farms averaging in size of about 157 acres. West Virginia’s Agriculture industry has an economic impact of $806 million dollars per year. Hay, grown to feed the state’s livestock, is the #1 crop, providing 2% of West Virginia’s total agricultural receipts. Broilers (young chickens) are the state’s #1 agricultural commodity, generating about 31% of West Virginia’s total agricultural receipts. Other major crops of West Virginia are apples, peaches, soybeans, and tobacco. Our collection has aerial photos of many of these farms dating back to 1973!

We invite you to come and take a look at these homes and farms in our nearly 385,000 aerial photos of this great state. Home is the place where you became you. Find your way back!