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View of Downtown from the James River

City Hall

Gardens of Maymont

Broad Street

Main Street Train Station

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Science Museum of Virginia

Virginia State Capitol

Belle Isle

Old City Hall

OUR LOCALITIES

City of Richmond

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.

Community
Profile

2010 Population

204,214

Land area in sq mi

57.81

Persons per sq mi

3414.7
The population of
Richmond grew

0%

in the past 24 years.
Residents per square mile
increased by

0%

in the past 24 years.
Median age of residents
decreased by

0 years

between 1990 and 2014.

0%

of Richmond's working residents work inside the city.
richmond-seal-1200-px_7549721878_o

City of Richmond

Mayor  Levar M. Stoney

Chief Administrative Officer
Lincoln Saunders

City Council  (Website)

Main Administration Building
900 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Google Maps link

Phone number: (804) 646-7000

Services

Featured Reports:

Local Pride

  • State Capitol
  • Old City Hall
  • Main Street Station
  • Black History Museum & Cultural Center
  • City Skyline over James River
  • River District Canal Cruises
  • Maymont House & Park
  • Carillon at Byrd Park
  • Belle Isle
  • James River Park
  • Maggie Walker House
  • Edgar Allan Poe Museum
  • Science Museum of Virginia and Ethyl Imax Dome & Planetarium

City Events

  • Richmond Folk Festival
  • 2nd Street Festival
  • Carytown Watermelon Festival
  • Grand Illumination
  • Dominion Riverrock
  • Richmond Jazz Festival
  • Greek Festival
  • Indian Festival
  • First Fridays
  • Arts in the Park
  • The French Film Festival
  • RVA Street Art Festival

Learn more

richmond

Sources:
U.S. Decennial Census 1990-2010, American Community Survey, 2014 5-Year Estimates.
U.S. Census, OnTheMap Application, Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics Program, 2014.