Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia
State capital and independent city
City of Richmond
Top: Skyline above the falls of the James River Middle: St. John's Episcopal Church, Jackson Ward, Monument Avenue. Bottom: Virginia State Capitol, Main Street Station
Nickname(s):  RVA, The River City, Former Capital of the South
Motto:  Sic Itur Ad Astra ("Thus do we reach the stars")
Richmond Location in Virginia and the United States Richmond Richmond (the United States)
Coordinates: 37°32′N 77°28′W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	None (independent city)
Named for	Richmond, London
Government
• Mayor	Levar Stoney (D)
Area
• City	62.6 sq mi (162 km2)
• Land	59.9 sq mi (155 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (7 km2)
Elevation	166.45 ft (45.7 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	226,610 (100th)
• Density	3,781.6/sq mi (1,460.1/km2)
• Metro	1,314,434 (45th)
Demonym	Richmonder
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	23173, 23218–23242, 23249–23250, 23255, 23260–23261, 23269, 23273–23274, 23276, 23278–23279, 23282, 23284–23286, 23288–23295, 23297–23298
Area code	804
FIPS code	51-76000
GNIS feature ID	1499957
Website	www.ci.richmond.va.us
Nomenclature evolution Prior to 1071 – Richemont: a town in Normandy, France. 1071 to 1501 – Richmond: a castle town in Yorkshire, UK. 1501 to 1742 – Richmond, a palace town in Surrey, UK. 1742 to present – Richmond, Virginia.

Richmond (/ˈrɪtʃmənd/) is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. The population within the city limits was 226,610 in 2020. The population of the Richmond metropolitan area was over 1.3 million — making it the third largest in Virginia.

Location

Richmond is at the fall line of the James River, 108 miles (174 km) south of Washington DC, 71 miles (114 km) east of Charlottesville, Virginia, and 54 miles (87 km) west of Williamsburg, Virginia. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, and encircled by Interstate 295 and Virginia State Route 288.

History

Richmond began as an important village of the Powhatan Confederacy, and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown in 1609, and in 1610–11. English settlers returned to found a permanent town in 1737. It became the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the Revolutionary War period, the city was known for Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in 1775 at St. John's Church, and the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America. The city entered the 20th century with one of the world's first successful electric streetcar systems.

Economy

Richmond's economy is primarily driven by law, finance, and government. It has federal, state, and local governmental agencies in its downtown. The downtown also has offices for legal and banking firms. The city is home to both the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, one of 13 federal appellate courts, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks. Dominion Resources, Carmax, Genworth Financial, and MeadWestvaco, Fortune 500 companies, along with Massey Energy and Universal Corporation, Fortune 1000 companies, are headquartered in the city. The historic sites in the area bring tourists.