Captain Christopher Newport first led English explorers in 1607 to the site later named Richmond after a suburb of London, England. Until that time, Indian tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy had lived in the region.

Richmond was founded in 1737 by Colonel William Byrd II. He inherited the former Stegg lands on both sides of the James River from his father and became known himself as the "Father of Richmond." He visited there in 1733 and planned to build a city. Four years later, his friend William Mayo developed a map of Richmond and the first lots were sold. Richmond became a town in 1742. In early 1780, the State Capitol was temporarily moved to Richmond from Williamsburg at the request of the General Assembly. In May of 1782, Richmond was incorporated as a city and officially became Virginia's new capital. On July 19 of that same year, Richmond's first City Charter was legalized.

The City of Richmond is surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties. The city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64. Richmond is located at the fall line of the James River. Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Greater Richmond Region.