1951 Map of Virginia

Away from the excavations, the community of Virginia shows significant development, from civic landmarks like City Hall and the Armory to educational institutions such as Missabe Community College and several local schools like Horace Mann Sch. The terrain is physically defined by the Laurentian Divide, which separates the industrial operations from the timbered reaches of the Superior National Forest to the north, where Little Sandy Lake and Lookout Mountain provide a sharp contrast to the open-pit mines.