Virden is a city in Macoupin and Sangamon counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 census, and 3,338 at a 2009 estimate.The Macoupin County portion of Virden is part of the St. Louis, Missouri–Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Sangamon County portion is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.Virden was the scene of an 1898 coal miners' strike, during which Mary Harris "Mother" Jones played a major role.