2016 Map of Virginia

About this map

Virginia and the neighboring iron range communities of Mountain Iron and Franklin define the industrial and residential heart of this 2016 survey. The geography is shaped by the Laurentian Divide, which snakes through the region, influencing the drainage of water bodies like Silver Lake and Virginia Lake. Evidence of the region’s massive mining operations is visible in features like the Minntac Tailings Basin Cell One and the Plant Site Settling Basin north of the city. Education and community infrastructure are anchored by the Mesabi Range Community and Technical College, while local history is preserved at Greenwood Cemetery. To the north, the landscape transitions into the Superior National Forest, where smaller settlements like Brittmount and waterways such as the Sand River and Admiral Lake illustrate the more wooded, less industrial character of the northern Mesabi Range.