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Richmond, Virginia

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   Richmond, Virginia
   Skyline of Richmond, Virginia

   Official flag of Richmond, Virginia
                  Flag

                                      Official seal of Richmond, Virginia
                                                     Seal

   Nickname: "River City, Cap City, R-V-A"
   Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra

   (Thus do we reach the stars)
   Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
   Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
   Coordinates: 37°31′58.8″N, 77°28′1.2″W
   Country United States
   State Virginia
   County Independent City
   Mayor L. Douglas Wilder ( D)
   Area
    - City 62.5 mi² - 162.0 km²
    - Land 60.1 mi² - 155.6 km²
    - Water 2.5 mi² - 6.4 km²
   Elevation 45.7 m
   Population
    - City (2005) 193,777
    - Density 1,271.3/km²
    - Metro 1,154,317
   Time zone EST ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST) EDT ( UTC-4)
   Website: http://www.ci.richmond.va.us/

   Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the
   United States of America. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated
   as cities, it is an independent city, not part of any county ( Richmond
   County is unrelated, and located more than 53 miles (85 kilometers)
   distant in a different region of the state). Richmond is located on the
   fall line of the James River in the Piedmont region of Virginia and is
   at the centre of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and
   the Greater Richmond Area.

   Common colloquialisms for the city are: RVA, The 804 (its area code),
   and RIC (its airport code).

History

   In 1607, James I granted a royal charter to the Virginia Company of
   London to settle colonists in North America. After the first permanent
   English settlement was established later that year at Jamestown,
   Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith set sail ten days
   after landing at Jamestown, traveling northwest up Powhatan's River
   (now known as the James River) to Powhatan Hill. The first expedition
   consisted of 120 men from Jamestown, and made the first attempt to
   settle at the Falls of the James, located between the 14th Street
   Bridge in modern downtown Richmond and the Pony Pasture (a recreational
   area along the banks of the river south of the City of Richmond). The
   settlement was made at this location as it is the highest navigable
   site along the James River.

   In 1673, William Byrd I was granted lands on the James River that
   included the area around Falls that would become Richmond and already
   included small settlements. Byrd became a well-connected fur trader in
   the area and established a fort on the site. William Byrd II inherited
   his father's land in 1704 and in 1737 he founded the town of Richmond
   at the Falls of the James and commissioned Major William Mayo to lay
   out the original town grid. Byrd named the city Richmond after the town
   of Richmond or Richmond-upon-Thames in England, a suburb of London. He
   gave the new town the name because the view of the James River in
   Richmond, Virginia is strikingly similar to the view of the Thames
   River from Richmond, England, where he had spent time during his youth.
   The new town became the seat of Henrico County in 1752 which had been
   located in nearby Varina (now a Richmond suburb) where John Rolfe and
   Pocahontas had established their farm the previous century and
   developed the new world's first commercially successful export product,
   tobacco.

   war
   Patrick Henry delivering his "Liberty or Death" speech at St. John's
   Church in Richmond, helping ignite the American Revolution.
   Enlarge
   Patrick Henry delivering his "Liberty or Death" speech at St. John's
   Church in Richmond, helping ignite the American Revolution.

   In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “ Give me Liberty or Give
   me Death” speech in St. John's Church in Richmond that was crucial for
   deciding Virginia's (then the largest of the 13 colonies) participation
   in the First Continental Congress and setting the course for revolution
   and independence. Both Thomas Jefferson, who would soon write the
   Declaration of Independence and George Washington, who would soon
   command the Continental Army were in attendance at this critical moment
   on the path to the American Revolution.
   The Virginia Capitol Building, designed by Thomas Jefferson.
   Renovations to the building and grounds are currently underway.
   Enlarge
   The Virginia Capitol Building, designed by Thomas Jefferson.
   Renovations to the building and grounds are currently underway.

   In 1780, Virginia’s state capital was moved from the colonial capital
   of Williamsburg to Richmond because it was less vulnerable to attack by
   the British. In 1781, under the command of Benedict Arnold, Richmond
   was burned by British troops causing Governor Thomas Jefferson to flee
   the city. Yet Richmond shortly recovered and, by 1782, Richmond was
   once again a thriving city.

Post-Revolution

   In 1786, one of the most important and influential passages of
   legislation in American history was passed at the temporary state
   capital in Richmond, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
   Written by Thomas Jefferson and sponsored by James Madison, the statute
   was the basis for the separation of church and state, and led to
   freedom of religion for all Americans as protected in the religion
   clause in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Its importance is
   recognized annually by the President of The United States, with January
   16th established as National Religious Freedom Day.

   The Virginia State Capitol building was designed by Thomas Jefferson
   and completed in 1788. It is the second-oldest US statehouse in
   continuous use (Maryland's is the oldest) and was the first US
   government building built in the classical Roman style of architecture,
   setting the trend for other state houses and the federal government
   buildings (including the White House and The Capitol) in Washington,
   DC.

   Richmond soon emerged an important industrial centre and crossroads of
   transportation and commerce. George Washington proposed and received
   the support of the Virginia legislature for the establishment of the
   James River and Kanawha Canal, the first canal system to be established
   in the U.S. The canal allowed goods and services coming up the James
   River to be navigated around the falls at Richmond and connect Richmond
   and the eastern part of Virginia with the west. As a result Richmond
   became home of some of the largest manufacturing facilities in the
   country, including iron works and flour mills, the largest facilities
   of their kind in the south. Canal traffic peaked in the 1860s and
   slowly gave way to railroads, allowing Richmond to become a major
   railroad crossroads, eventually including the site of the world's first
   triple railroad crossing. The Canal officially ceased operations in the
   1880s and portions of the canal have been preserved and rebuilt in the
   late 1990s, spurring tourism and economic development along the old
   canal route in downtown Richmond.

Civil War

   Shells of the buildings of Richmond, silhouetted against a dark sky
   after the destruction by Confederates fleeing advancing Union forces,
   1865.
   Enlarge
   Shells of the buildings of Richmond, silhouetted against a dark sky
   after the destruction by Confederates fleeing advancing Union forces,
   1865.

   The aversion to the slave trade was growing by the mid-nineteenth
   century, and in 1848, Henry “Box” Brown made history by having himself
   nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia,
   Pennsylvania, escaping slavery.

   At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the strategic
   location of the Tredegar Iron Works was one of the primary factors in
   the decision to make Richmond the Capital of the Confederacy. From this
   arsenal came the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS
   Virginia, the world’s first ironclad used in war, as well as much of
   the Confederates' heavy ordnance machinery. In February 1861, Jefferson
   Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America
   in Montgomery, Alabama, the first Confederate capital. In the early
   morning of April 12, 1861, the Confederate army fired on Fort Sumter in
   Charleston, South Carolina, and the Civil War had begun. On April 17,
   1861, Virginia seceded from the United States and joined the
   Confederate States, and soon thereafter the Confederate government
   moved its capital to Richmond. The Seven Days Battle, in which Union
   General McClellan threatened Richmond and came very near it but
   ultimately failed to take the city, followed in late June and early
   July of 1862. Three years later on April 3, 1865 Ulysses S. Grant and
   the Union Army captured Richmond, and six days later, Robert E. Lee's
   retreating Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Grant at Appomattox
   Court House symbolically ending the war. On April 2, 1865, about 25% of
   the city's buildings were destroyed in a fire set by retreating
   Confederate soldiers.

   Monument Avenue was laid out in 1887, with a series of monuments at
   various intersections honoring the city's Confederate heroes. Included
   (east to west) were J.E.B. Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis,
   Stonewall Jackson, and Matthew F. Maury. Richmond is the final resting
   place of both Stuart and Davis (see Hollywood Cemetery).

   Richmond had the first successful electrically-powered trolley system
   in the United States. Designed by electric power pioneer Frank J.
   Sprague, the trolley system opened its first line in January, 1888.
   Richmond's hills, long a transportation obstacle, were considered an
   ideal proving ground. The new technology soon replaced horse-powered
   streetcars.

Twentieth Century

   By the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the city's population had
   reached 85,050 in 5 square miles, making it the most densely populated
   city in the Southern US.

   In 1903, African-American businesswoman and financier Maggie L. Walker
   chartered St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, and served as its first
   president, as well as the first female bank president in the United
   States. Today, the bank is called the Consolidated Bank and Trust
   Company, and it is the oldest surviving African-American bank in the
   U.S. The Governor's School in Richmond City is also dedicated to her
   name.

   In 1910, the former city of Manchester was consolidated with the city
   of Richmond. In 1914, the city annexed the Barton Heights, Ginter Park,
   and Highland Park areas of Henrico County. In 1914, Richmond became the
   headquarters of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve Bank. In
   1919, at the end of World War I, Philip Morris was established in the
   city. The Fan district also began to develop during the 1920s.

   Also during the 1920s, several entertainment venues developed that
   remain today. The city's first radio station, WRVA, first began
   broadcasting in 1925. The Mosque (now called the Landmark Theatre) also
   opened in 1925. The Byrd Theater and Loew's Theatre (now the Carpenter
   Centre) opened in 1928.

Modern city development

   Between 1963 and 1965, there was a huge, "downtown boom," that led to
   the construction of more than 700 buildings in the city. In 1968,
   Virginia Commonwealth University was created by the merger of the
   Medical College of Virginia with the Richmond Professional Institute.

   In 1984, the city completed the Diamond ballpark, a new home for the
   Richmond Braves, a AAA baseball team in the Atlanta Braves minor league
   system, replacing the old Parker Field. In 1985, Sixth Street
   Marketplace, a downtown shopping district, opened. Sixth Street
   Marketplace was closed and demolished in 2004-2005.

   A multi-million dollar floodwall was completed in 1995, in order to
   protect the city and the Shockoe Bottom businesses from the rising
   waters of the James River. This very same flood wall is thought to have
   contributed to the severe flooding of the Shockoe Bottom area of
   downtown Richmond in August of 2004.

   In 1996, a statue of Richmond native and tennis star Arthur Ashe was
   added amid controversy to the famed series of statues of Confederate
   heroes of the Civil War on Monument Avenue.

   Recent renovations included the rebuilt James River and Kanawha Canal
   and Haxall Canal, now designed as a Canal Walk. The riverfront project
   has brought this 1.25-mile corridor back to life, with trendy loft
   apartments, restaurants, shops and hotels winding along the Canal Walk,
   along with canal boat cruises and walking tours. The National Park
   Service's Richmond Civil War Visitor Centre, in the Tredegar Iron
   Works, brought three floors of exhibits and artifacts, films, a
   bookstore, picnic areas and more. The Cordish Company also began
   construction of Riverside on the James, a power plant development
   project with shopping and entertainment venues.

Geography and climate

Geography

   Richmond-Petersburg area
   Enlarge
   Richmond-Petersburg area

   According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
   of 62.5 mi² (162.0 km²). 60.1 mi² (155.6 km²) of it is land and 2.5 mi²
   (6.4 km²) of it (3.96%) is water. The city is located in the Piedmont
   region of Virginia, at the highest navigable point of the James River.
   The Piedmont region is categorized by relatively low, rolling hills,
   and lies between the low, sea level tidewater region and the Blue Ridge
   mountains. Significant bodies of water in the region include the
   Chickahominy River, the James River, and the Appomattox River.

   The Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 46th
   largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of
   Richmond, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg, as well as the
   counties of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland,
   Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King and Queen, King William,
   Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex. As of July 2004,
   the total population of the Richmond—Petersburg MSA was 1,154,317.

Cityscape

   The city is made up of a number of neighborhoods, including the Fan
   district, Oregon Hill, Shockoe Bottom, the West End, Northside, and
   Church Hill – site of Patrick Henry's famous speech.

   Most of the roads in the downtown area are arranged in a regular grid
   arrangement, with alternating one way streets. Several major roads lead
   outward from the city, and are actually former Indian trails, leading
   to other towns and sites in Virginia. For example, Three Chopt Road,
   was so named as it was an Indian trail marked by three chops on trees
   near the trail. The major highways leading into the city of Richmond
   are I-64, I-95 and U.S. Highway 360. I-295, combined with State Route
   288 form an "outer loop", or bypass, around the metropolitan area.
   I-195 is a "spur" that, along with the Downtown Expressway and the
   Powhite Parkway, create thruways in the downtown, south-side, and near
   west-end regions that also serve as bypasses that connect I-95 and I-64
   with US Highway 360 in the far southwest areas. Also Richmond is the
   eastern terminus of U.S. highways 250 and 33.

   Ever since the first electric trolley was installed in 1888, Richmond
   urban sprawl has been steadily expanding westward and southward.
   Development along Monument Avenue and Broad Street has led to the most
   affluent people moving farther and farther west, towards a part of the
   metro area known to some as " The Far West End" & to others as simply "
   West End".

Climate

   Richmond has a mild subtropical climate with four distinct seasons.
   Spring arrives in April with mild days and cool nights, and by late
   May, the temperature has warmed up considerably to herald warm summer
   days. Summer temperatures can be unpleasantly hot, often topping 90
   degrees with high humidity. Richmond is notorious for its humidity,
   which creates high heat index values. Days stay warm to mild until
   October, when hurricanes are less likely and Fall is marked by nights
   once again becoming cooler. Winter is usually mild in Richmond, but
   some winters differ from others. Snowfall can occur during the winter,
   and the most likely month is January. The average annual snowfall is 12
   inches. Heavy snowstorms of over 10 inches are not common, and the last
   occurrence of such a storm was in 2000.

Demographics

   Richmond skyline
   Enlarge
   Richmond skyline

   As of the census^ GR2 of 2000, there were 197,790 people, 84,549
   households, and 43,627 families residing in the city. A more recent
   census estimate indicates that the city's population has fallen to
   193,777. The population density was 1,271.3/km² (3,292.6/mi²). There
   were 92,282 housing units at an average density of 593.1/km²
   (1,536.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.30% White, 57.19%
   African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.08% Pacific
   Islander, 1.49% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races.
   Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.57% of the population.

   There were 84,549 households out of which 23.1% had children under the
   age of 18 living with them, 27.1% were married couples living together,
   20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were
   non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and
   10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The
   average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.95.

   In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of
   18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and
   13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years.
   For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age
   18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

   The median income for a household in the city was $31,121, and the
   median income for a family was $38,348. Males had a median income of
   $30,874 versus $25,880 for females. The per capita income for the city
   was $20,337. About 17.1% of families and 21.4% of the population were
   below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8%
   of those age 65 or over.

   Much of Richmond’s political and social history was influenced by its
   high society origins. In the 1920s, Ellen Glasgow and James Branch
   Cabell wrote novels that included thinly veiled mocking of elite
   institutions like the FFV, the Commonwealth Club, and the Richmond
   German débutante dance. Even today, Richmonders speak of “Come-heres” (
   carpetbaggers) versus “from-heres.”

Economy

Historic development as a commercial centre

   Richmond's strategic location on the James River, built on undulating
   hills at the rocky fall line separating the piedmont and tidewater
   regions of Virginia provided a natural site for the development of
   commerce. For centuries, the native peoples of the powerful Powhatan
   tribe recognized the value of this site, rich in natural beauty. They
   knew it as a place to hunt, fish, play, and trade, and they called it
   "Shocquohocan,", or Shockoe.

   The first European explorers came in 1607, from the Virginia Company of
   London. They discovered a fragrant weed grown by the natives, and
   tobacco became a lucrative commodity in the area. The trading post
   developed into a village, and by 1733 a town was laid out by William
   Byrd II and William Mayo. Its early buildings were clustered around the
   Farmers' Market, existing today at 17th Street.

   Early trade grew rapidly, primarily in the agriculture sector, but also
   in the slave trade. Slaves were imported to Richmond's Manchester docks
   from Africa, and were bought and sold at the same market.

   To facilitate the transfer of cargo from the flat-bottomed bateaux
   above the fall line to the ocean-faring ships below, George Washington
   helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal in the 1700s to bypass
   Richmond's rapids. The canal was later superseded by rail in the 1800s,
   and the railroads were laid on the original canal towpaths. In the
   1900s highways were constructed in the air over the same area.

   Throughout these three centuries and three modes of transportation,
   downtown has always been a hub, with the Great Turning Basin for boats,
   the world's only triple crossing of rail lines, and the intersection of
   two major interstates. (See also Transportation in Richmond, Virginia)

Industries that defined Richmond

   Richmond emerged from the smoldering rubble of the Civil War as an
   economic powerhouse, with iron front buildings and massive brick
   factories. Innovations of this era included the world's first
   cigarette-rolling machine, invented by James Albert Bonsack of Roanoke
   in 1880/81, and the world's first successful electric street car
   system.

   Freed slaves and their descendants created a thriving African-American
   business community, led by such influential people as Maggie L. Walker
   and John Mitchell, Jr. The city's historic Jackson Ward became known as
   the "Wall Street of Black America."

   Law and finance have long been driving forces in the economy. Because
   the city is home to both a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Federal
   Reserve Bank, as well as offices for international firms such as Hunton
   & Williams LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, CapitalOne, and
   numerous other banks and brokerages, Richmond was cited as having
   minimal evidence of being a Global city.

   Since the 1960s Richmond has been a prominent hub for advertising
   agencies and advertising related businesses, including The Martin
   Agency. As a result of local advertising agency support, VCU's graduate
   advertising school (VCU AdCenter) is consistently ranked the #1
   advertising graduate program in the country.

Business rankings

   In 2005, Forbes ranked the Richmond area as the #14 Best Place for
   Business and Careers, primarily due to its highly educated labor force
   and relatively low business costs. Other areas of the economy that have
   developed recently in the city include pharmaceuticals, insurance,
   advertising, biotechnology, education, tourism health services, or
   semi-conductors. In 2006, Forbes also named Richmond as the sixth best
   city in which to find employment among the 100 largest metropolitan
   areas in the nation.

Fortune 500 Companies and other large corporations

   The Richmond Metro area is the home of eight Fortune 500 companies
   (soon to be nine with the announced relocation of Connecticut-based
   MeadWestvaco to Richmond), including electric utility Dominion
   Resources; consumer electronics retailer Circuit City, which also spun
   off the used car retailer CarMax, now a separate Fortune 500 company;
   Performance Food Group; LandAmerica Financial Group; Owens & Minor;
   Brink's Company, a security services outfit; Genworth Financial, the
   former insurance arm of GE and the recently relocated MeadWestvaco, a
   leading global producer of packaging, coated and specialty papers,
   consumer and office products and specialty chemicals. Only five metro
   areas in the US have more Fortune 500 headquarters than the Richmond
   area.

   Other Fortune 500 companies, while not headquartered in the area, do
   have a major presence here. These include Wachovia Securities
   headquarters (a subsidiary of Charlotte, North Carolina based Wachovia
   Corporation), SunTrust Banks Incorporated (based in Atlanta, Georgia),
   credit card agency Capital One Financial Corporation (officially based
   in McLean, Virginia, but founded in Richmond with its opporations
   centre and most employees in the Richmond area), the medical and
   pharmaceutical giant, McKesson Corporation (based in San Francisco,
   California). Philip Morris USA (a division of Altria Group), one of the
   world's largest food, beverage, and tobacco companies, maintains their
   corporate headquarters in Henrico County just outside the city, and has
   several other facilities in the area. Universal Corporation, also in
   the tobacco industry, has its corporate headquarters here as well.
   Capital One and Phillip Morris USA are two of the largest private
   Richmond-area employers.

   DuPont also maintains a production facility known as the Spruance
   Plant, and Qimonda, formerly Infineon Technologies has a facility
   located at Elko Tract (a former WWII airfield and ghost town) near
   Richmond International Airport, and produces DRAM computer memory in
   the area.

   Richmond is also home to the rapidly developing Virginia BioTechnology
   Research Park, which opened in 1995 as an incubator facility for
   biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Located adjacent to the
   Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Campus of Virginia Commonwealth
   University, the park currently has more than 575,000 square feet
   (53,000 m²) of research, laboratory and office space for a diverse
   tenant mix of companies, research institutes, government laboratories
   and non-profit organizations. The United Network for Organ Sharing,
   which maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list, occupies
   one building in the park. Philip Morris USA also recently announced
   their plans to build a $350 million research and development facility
   in the park as well. Once fully developed in the next five to 10 years,
   park officials expect the site to employ roughly 3,000 scientists,
   technicians and engineers. Philip Morris will add roughly 600 employees
   once it opens in 2007.

   Richmond is also the home of the Ukrop's Super Market, a regional,
   family-owned chain of supermarkets, known for its remarkable customer
   service and friendly employees, as well as its closed-on-Sundays and
   no-alcohol-on-the-shelves policies. Ukrops is a high-profile sponsor of
   community events like the Monument Avenue 10K, Easter on Parade, and
   the Ukrop's Christmas Parade. The Ukrop family has been criticized by
   some for various conservative political actions, such as banning the
   group GWAR from playing concerts in Richmond and having Howard Stern's
   syndicated radio show taken off local airwaves.

Recent economic developments

   In recent years, Richmond has been attempting to revive its downtown.
   Recent downtown initiatives include the Canal Walk, a new Greater
   Richmond Convention Centre and expansion on both VCU campuses. Other
   proposed ititiatives that have not materialized include a new baseball
   stadium for the AAA Class Richmond Braves and the Virginia Centre for
   the Performing Arts. The Centre has not received funding from the city
   and state as of yet and a giant hole lies on the proposed streetcorner

   In February, 2006, MeadWestvaco announced that they would move from
   Stamford, Connecticut to Richmond in 2008.

Culture

Annual cultural events and fairs

   The city is home to several annual cultural events. As the capital of
   the commonwealth of Virginia, the state fair is held at the end of
   September at the state fairgrounds, located just outside of the city
   near the Richmond International Raceway. In November, the Suntrust
   Richmond Marathon and 8K Race is held downtown, and the James River
   Writers Festival also takes place. During the month of December, the
   Grand Illumination takes place, in which the buildings of the downtown
   area light up for the Christmas holiday season. This usually occurs on
   the same weekend as the Richmond Christmas Parade, which travels along
   Broad Street.

   In April, the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K race is held, as well as the
   "Easter on Parade" street festival. The James River Film Festival also
   takes place during this month, and the VCU French Film Festival is also
   becoming very popular, and features foreign films.

   Other notable events during the year include the 2nd Street Festival
   and the Carytown Watermelon Festival. The monthly Artwalk takes place
   on the first Friday of every month between September and June, in the
   downtown gallery district.

   Richmond hosts the National Folk Festival in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Museums, galleries, and historical attractions

   The Jefferson Davis Monument, located at the intersection of Monument
   Avenue and Davis Avenue in Richmond.
   Enlarge
   The Jefferson Davis Monument, located at the intersection of Monument
   Avenue and Davis Avenue in Richmond.

   Richmond has a significant art community, and the Virginia Commonwealth
   University School of the Arts is consistently ranked as one of the best
   in the nation. In addition to many art venues associated with the
   university, there are also several attractions nearby, including the
   Valentine Richmond History Centre, Virginia Historical Society, the
   Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Richmond Symphony, and the Richmond
   Ballet. The Byrd Theatre in Carytown is a classical movie theatre from
   the 1920s era that still features second-run movies on a regular basis,
   and is popular among the college student population, particularly due
   to its low ticket price of $2.00.

   The Science Museum of Virginia, is also located on Broad Street near
   the Fan district. It is housed in the neoclassical Union Station,
   designed by Beaux-Arts-trained John Russell Pope in 1919. Adjacent to
   the Science Museum is the Richmond Children's Museum, a fun-filled
   museum with many hands-on activities.

   As the former Capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond is
   home to many museums and battlefields of the American Civil War. The
   Museum of the Confederacy, located near the Virginia State Capitol and
   the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, once served as the
   White House of the Confederacy, and today features a wide variety of
   objects and material from the era. Near the riverfront is the Tredegar
   Iron Works and Civil War Battlefields National Park Visitors Centre.
   There is also a Slave Trail along the river as well.

   Other historical points of interest include St. John's Church, the site
   of Patrick Henry's famous, " Give me liberty or give me death" speech,
   and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, which features many of his writings and
   other things from his life, particularly when he lived in the city. The
   John Marshall House, the home of the former Chief Justice of the United
   States, is also located downtown and features many of his writings and
   objects from his life. Hollywood Cemetery is also the burial grounds of
   two U.S. Presidents as well as many other civil war officers and
   soldiers.

   The city is also home to many monuments, most notably several along
   Monument Avenue in the fan district. Other monuments of interest in the
   city include the A.P. Hill monument, the Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
   monument, the Christopher Columbus monument, and the Confederate
   Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The Virginia War Memorial is also
   located on Belvedere near the riverfront, and is a monument to
   Virginians who died in battle in World War II, the Korean War, the
   Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. Located near Byrd Park is the famous
   World War I Memorial Carillon, a 56 bell carillon tower.

Parks and outdoor recreation

   Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
   Enlarge
   Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

   The city operates one of the oldest municipal park systems in the
   country. The park system began when the city council voted in 1851 to
   acquire 7.5 acres (3 hectare), now known as Monroe Park. Today, Monroe
   Park sits adjacent to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus and
   is one of more than 40 parks comprising a total of more than 1,500
   acres (610 hectare).

   Several parks are located along the James River, and the James River
   Parks System offers bike trails, hiking and nature trails, and many
   scenic overlooks along the river's route through the city. The mountain
   bike trail system in James River and Forest Hill parks is considered by
   professional riders to be one of the best urban trail systems in the
   country. The trails are used as part of the Xterra East Championship
   course for both the running and mountain biking portions of the
   off-road triathlon.

   There are also parks on two major islands in the river: Belle Isle and
   Brown's Island. Belle Isle, at various former times a Powhatan fishing
   village, colonial-era horse race track, and Civil War prison camp, is
   the larger of the two, and contains many bike trails as well as a small
   cliff that is used for rock climbing instruction. One can walk the
   island and still see many of the remains of the Civil War prison camp,
   such as an arms storage room and a gun emplacement that was used to
   quell prisoner riots. Brown's Island is a smaller island and a popular
   venue of a large number of free outdoor concerts and festivals in the
   spring and summer, such as the weekly Friday Cheers concert series or
   the James River Beer and Seafood Festival.

   Two other major parks in the city are Byrd Park and Maymont, located
   near the fan district of Richmond. Byrd Park features a one mile
   running track, with exercise stops, a public dog park, and a number of
   small lakes for small boats, as well as two monuments and an
   amphitheatre. Prominently featured in the park is the World War I
   Memorial Carillon, built in 1926 as a memorial to those that died in
   the war. Maymont, located adjacent to Byrd Park, is a 100 acre (40
   hectares) Victorian estate with a museum, formal gardens, native
   wildlife exhibits, nature centre, carriage collection, and children's
   farm. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is also located in the city.

   Other parks in the city include Joseph Bryan Park (with the Joseph
   Bryan Park Azalea Garden), Forest Hill Park (former site of the Forest
   Hill Amusement Park), Chimborazo Park (site of the National Battlefield
   Headquarters), among others.

   Several theme parks are also located near the city, including
   Paramount's King's Dominion to the north, and Busch Gardens to the
   east, near Williamsburg. UK-based Diggerland will soon begin
   construction on a construction-themed park planned to open in 2007.

Sports

   Richmond does not have any major, professional sports teams. However,
   there are several minor league teams. The city is the home of the
   Richmond Braves, a AAA minor league baseball team (the farm team of the
   Atlanta Braves). The Braves play at The Diamond. The Richmond Lions, a
   USA Rugby Division 2 rugby union team, play at Dorey Park. The Richmond
   Kickers, a United Soccer Leagues Second Division soccer team, play at
   the University of Richmond Stadium. The Richmond Bandits are an AIFl
   team. On April 25, 2006, after Richmond lost its RiverDogs, the former
   UHL franchise, to relocation, the Richmond Renegades returned to the
   city of Richmond in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The
   Renegades are owned by the original Renegades owner from the ECHL
   franchise, Allan Harvie. The Renegades began play at the Richmond
   Coliseum in the fall of 2006.

   The Richmond Coliseum is the home of a large number of concerts,
   festivals, and trade shows. The Colonial Athletic Association of
   college basketball has also hosted its annual tournament at the
   coliseum since 1990, and the 1994 NCAA women's basketball Final Four
   was held here.

   Auto racing is also very popular in the area, and the Richmond
   International Raceway also hosts two annual NASCAR Nextel Cup races,
   the Suntrust Indy Challenge, as well as the Virginia State Fair and
   other community and sporting events. Southside Speedway also sits just
   southwest of Richmond in Chesterfield County, and is a .33 mile oval
   short-track that features weekly stock car racing on Friday nights.
   Southside Speedway has acted as the breeding grounds for many past
   NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Darrell
   Waltrip, and claims to be the home track of current NASCAR superstar,
   Denny Hamlin. Richmond was considered as one of the possible resting
   places for the future NASCAR Hall of Fame, but was ultimately awarded
   to Charlotte, North Carolina.

   Richmond has played host to the Xterra (off-road triathlon) East
   Championship since 2000. Mountain bikers and Triathletes alike revel in
   the incredible trail system of the James River Park. Each June the best
   off-road Triathletes in the world converge on Richmond for the Xterra
   East Regional Championship bringing with them the Xterra Triathlon
   festival, including, family events, athletic competitions, and a
   twilight concert.

Religion

   Richmond has several historic churches. Because of its early English
   colonial history from the early 1600s to 1776, Richmond has a number of
   prominent Anglican/Episcopal churches including Monumental Church, St.
   Paul's Episcopal Church and St. John's Episcopal Church. Methodists and
   Baptists made up another section of early churches, and First Baptist
   Church of Richmond was the first of these, established in 1780. In the
   Reformed church tradition, the first Presbyterian Church in the City of
   Richmond was First Presbyterian Church, organized on June 18, 1812. On
   February 5, 1845, Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond was founded,
   which was an historic church where Stonewall Jackson attended and was
   the first Gothic building and the first gas-lit church to be built in
   Richmond. Due to the influx of German immigrants in the 1840s, Saint
   Johns German Evangelical church was formed in 1843.

   The first Jewish congregation in Richmond was Kahal Kadosh Beth
   Shalome. Beth Shalome was the sixth in the United States and was the
   westernmost Jewish congregation in the United States at the time of its
   foundation. By 1822 K.K. Beth Shalome members worshipped in the first
   synagogue building in Virginia. They eventually merged with
   Congregation Beth Ababah, an offshoot of Beth Shalome. Today there is a
   diverse Jewish community with the largest temple, Beth El, located in
   Henrico County.

   There are several seminaries in Richmond. Three of these have banded
   together to become the Richmond Theological Consortium. This consortium
   consists of a theology school at Virginia Union University, a
   Presbyterian seminary called Union PSCE , and a Baptist seminary known
   as Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.

   Two bishops sit in Richmond, those of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
   (the denomination's largest) and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. The
   Presbytery of the James -- Presbyterian Church (USA) -- also is based
   in the Richmond area.

   There are five masjids in the Greater Richmond area, accommodating the
   growing muslim population. They are Islamic Centre of Virginia (ICVA)
   in the south side, Islamic Society of Greater Richmond (ISGR) in the
   west end, Masjidullah in the north side, Masjid Bilal near downtown,
   and Masjid Ar-Rahman in the east end.

   The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was penned in Richmond by
   Thomas Jefferson.

Infrastructure

Government

   Richmond city government consists of a city council with
   representatives from nine districts serving in a legislative and
   oversight capacity, as well as a popularly elected, at-large mayor
   serving as head of the executive branch. Citizens in each of the nine
   districts elect one council representative each to serve a two-year
   term. The city council elects from among itself one member to serve as
   Vice-Mayor (Council President) and one to serve as Assistant Vice-Mayor
   (Council Vice President).

   Richmond's government in 2004 changed from a council-manager form of
   government to an at-large, popularly elected Mayor. During the
   election, mayor Rudy McCollum was defeated by L. Douglas Wilder, who
   previously served Virginia as the first and only black governor. In
   2004, Virginia Commonwealth University named its School of Government
   and Public Affairs in honour of L. Douglas Wilder.

   As of the November, 2004 election, the Richmond City Council consists
   of: Manoli Loupassi (President of Council, 1st District), Jacqueline M.
   "Jackie" Jackson (City Council Vice President, 8th District), William
   J. Pantele (2nd District), Chris A. Hilbert (3rd District), Kathy A.
   Graziano (4th District), E. Martin "Marty" Jewell (5th District), Ellen
   F. Robertson (6th District), Delores McQuinn (7th District), and Eugene
   A. Mason, Jr. (9th District).

   The Mayor is not a part of the Richmond City Council.

   See also: List of mayors of Richmond, Virginia

Education

   The city of Richmond operates 31 elementary schools, nine middle
   schools, and eight high schools, with a cosmopolitan student population
   of 25,000 students. Here is a listing of Richmond City Public Schools.

   The city is also home to many college preparatory schools. Several of
   these, such as St. Christopher's School, St. Catherine's School,
   Collegiate School and The Steward School offer a full K-12 education.
   Other area prep schools include the Benedictine High School, Maggie L.
   Walker Governor's School, Trinity Episcopal School, and St. Gertrude
   High School.

   There are also several schools of higher education, including the
   University of Richmond (private), Virginia Commonwealth University
   (public), Virginia Union University (private) and the Union Theological
   Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education (private).
   Several community colleges are found in the metro area, including J.
   Sargeant Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College.

   Virginia State University is located about 20 miles south of Richmond,
   in the suburb of Ettrick, just outside Petersburg. Randolph-Macon
   College is located about 15 miles north of Richmond, in the
   incorporated town of Ashland.

Transportation

   Richmond's downtown Main Street Station in 1971.
   Enlarge
   Richmond's downtown Main Street Station in 1971.

   Richmond is served by the Richmond International Airport ( IATA: RIC,
   ICAO: KRIC), located in nearby Sandston, seven miles southeast of
   Richmond and within an hour drive of historic Williamsburg, Virginia,
   RIC airport is served by seven airlines with non-stop flights to 21
   destinations and connecting flights to destinations worldwide. In 2004,
   the airport served approximately 2.5 million passengers.

   Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines. Local transit and
   paratransit bus service in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield counties
   is provided by the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC). The GRTC,
   however, serves only small parts of the suburban counties. The far West
   End (Innsbrook and Short Pump) and almost all of Chesterfield County
   have no public transportation despite dense housing, retail, and office
   development. Recent statistics in the Richmond Times-Dispatch have
   shown that the vast majority of GRTC riders ride the bus because they
   do not own a car and have no other choice; automobile owners in
   Richmond find that due to the layout of the city and its roads, driving
   is always a far faster method of reaching one's destination than is
   walking or the sparse bus service.

   Richmond also has two railroad stations served by Amtrak. Each station
   receives regular service from north of Richmond from Washington, DC,
   Philadelphia, and New York. The suburban Staples Mill Road Station is
   located on a major north-south freight line and receives all service to
   and from all points south including, Raleigh, Durham, Savannah, Newport
   News, Williamsburg and Florida. The historic and recently renovated
   Main Street Station near downtown Richmond only receives trains bound
   for Newport News and Williamsburg at this time, due to its track
   layout. As a result, the Staples Mill Road station receives more
   service overall.

   Richmond also benefits from an excellent position in reference to the
   state's transportation network, lying at the junction of east-west
   Interstate 64 and north-south Interstate 95, two of the most heavily
   traveled highways in the state, as well as along several major rail
   lines.

Utilities

   Electricity in the Richmond Metro area is provided by Dominion Virginia
   Power. The company, based in Richmond, is one of the nation's largest
   producers of energy, serving retail energy customers in nine states.
   Electricity is provided in the Richmond area primarily by the North
   Anna Nuclear Generating Station and Surry Nuclear Generating Station,
   as well as a coal-fired station in Chester, Virginia. These three
   plants provide a total of 4,453 megawatts of power. Several other
   natural gas plants provide extra power during times of peak demand.
   These include a facility in Chester, in Surry, and two plants in
   Richmond (Gravel Neck and Darbytown).

   Water is provided by the city's Department of Public Utilities, and is
   one of the largest water producers in Virginia, with a modern plant
   that can treat up to 132 million gallons of water a day from the James
   River.

   Wastewater: The treatment plant and distribution system of water mains,
   pumping stations and storage facilities provide water to approximately
   62,000 customers in the city. The facility also provides water to the
   surrounding area through wholesale contracts with Henrico,
   Chesterfield, and Hanover counties. Overall, this results in a facility
   that provides water for approximately 500,000 people. There is also a
   wastewater treatment plant located on the south bank of the James
   River. This plant can treat up to 70 million gallons of water per day
   of sanitary sewage and stormwater before returning it to the river. The
   wastewater utility also operates and maintains 1,500 miles of sanitary
   sewer, pumping stations, 38 miles of intercepting sewer lines, and the
   Shockoe Retention Basin, a 44-million-gallon stormwater reservoir used
   during heavy rains.

   Telephone service for the Richmond area is provided by three local
   exchange carriers: Verizon is the incumbent telephone company, and
   Cavalier Telephone & TV and Comcast are the competitive local exchange
   carriers.

Sister cities

   Richmond has six sister cities, as designated by the Sister Cities
   International, Inc.:
     * United Kingdom Richmond-upon-Thames (England)
     * Japan Saitama, Saitama (Japan)
     * South Korea Uijongbu (South Korea)
     * Japan Urawa, Aichi (Japan)
     * Namibia Windhoek (Namibia)
     * People's Republic of China Zhengzhou (China)

In Fiction

   Richmond is featured in various forms of film, television and writing.
   Numerous episodes of The X-Files took place, in part, in and at
   largely-fictionalized locations in Richmond. The television show Doug
   took place in a town called Bluffington, in which many places were
   based upon creator Jim Jinkins's childhood growing up in Richmond. The
   ABC drama Line of Fire was set specifically in Richmond, with several
   shooting locations taking place in the city. Parts of the movies
   Hannibal and The Contender were filmed in Richmond as well.

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