Mount Vernon

NASA

A Most “Pleasantly Situated” Estate

Editor’s note: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Earth Observatory is revisiting stories about the landscapes that helped shape U.S. history. The images and text on this page were originally published on February 17, 2025. Explore the full collection here. George Washington was born in 1732 on his family’s tobacco plantation at Popes Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Three years later, he moved up…