The Virginia peninsula boasts three treasures of American heritage: "The Historic Triangle" of Jamestown, site of the first permanent English settlement in America; Yorktown, where American independence was won; and Williamsburg, the restored colonial capital of Virginia.

William and Mary's campus is a mixture of the ancient and the modern, reflecting the nearly 300 years of the College's past.  The Sir Christopher Wren Building, located at the west end of Duke of Gloucester Street, is the oldest educational building in continuous use in the United States. The Wren Building marks only the eastern tip of a campus that includes 1200 acres, approximately 40 major buildings, a large lake, extensive woods, and many playing fields and tennis courts.  Behind the Wren Building and stretching from the Sunken Gardens to Lake Matoaka is a beautiful wooded area known as the Jefferson Prospect. Surrounding Lake Matoaka is College Woods, an expanse of acreage which provides hiking trails and an exceptional natural laboratory for William and Mary students.

 William and Mary is a university small enough to provide for relationships that cultivate learning and community, and large enough to have the resources to achieve excellence. An important aspect of this community is its location in the historic city of Williamsburg, which offers, after a half-century of restoration and preservation, an unparalleled view of eighteenth century life. The educational, cultural and recreational opportunities afforded to all students by the College, the City and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation add to the quality of life and education at William and Mary.