October 2026
FOR THE LOVE OF FIRSTS
October 1946: First issue of Rural Virginia with a circulation of about 20,000
August 1950: Reports on Virginia’s first family to receive telephone service through the REA rural telephone program
1955: First appearance of Willie Wiredhand, mascot of rural electrification, in Rural Virginia
1956: Rural Virginia uses color for the first time August
1969: Reports on Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to walk on the moon
September 1970: Rural Virginia becomes Rural Living, the magazine’s first title change
January 1981: First reader-photo contest (Say Cheese)
1997: Down Home column debuts (Victoria, Va., first stop)
January 2000: Cooperative Living website launches
January 2009: Reports on first African American president
January 2018: “Into the Light” is the first cover story on mental health
January 2020: Genevie Boarman, first female electric cooperative lineworker in Virginia, featured March
2025: Sonja Cox, first female CEO (Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative) in the VMDAEC system, featured
NOTEWORTHY NAMES
Luci Johnson, youngest daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and first lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, June 1966
First Lady Pat Nixon, November 1973
Gary Clark, January 1988
John Cephas, May 1989
Rick Mast, August 1989
Tim Reid, January 1992
Charlton Heston, January 1992
President Bill Clinton, February 1993
Wayne Henderson, June 2013
THROUGH THE STORMS
- 1955-1975: Vietnam War
- 1969: Hurricane Camille
- 1972: Hurricane Agnes
- 1986: Chernobyl disaster
- 1989: Hurricane Hugo
- 1999-2000: Y2K
- 2001: Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
- 2001-2021: War in Afghanistan
- 2003-2011: Iraq War
- 2003: Hurricane Isabel
- 2011: Hurricane Irene
- 2012: Hurricane Sandy
- 2018: Hurricane Florence
- 2020-2023: COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021: Hurricane Ida
- 2024: Hurricane Helene
DID YOU KNOW?
Rural Virginia’s debut issue reached 22,000 homes and businesses. Today, Cooperative Living has a circulation of more than 600,000 and reaches up to 1.8 million readers.
The publication has had three names: Rural Virginia, Rural Living and Cooperative Living. A fourth name also has a place in its history: In 1993, the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative edition of Rural Living became Current Living, reflecting changes in the cooperative’s service territory.
October 2026 marks the magazine’s 900th issue.
BY THE NUMBERS
80
years of telling the stories of electric cooperative communities
900
issues published since 1946
1.8 MILLION
estimated readers per issue
13
customized editions produced for Virginia and Maryland electric cooperatives
10
issues delivered a year
3
name changes
