Richmond travel guide — Richmond tourism and travel information

Richmond travel guide

about Richmond

Richmond is the capital of Virginia, a state (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 197,790. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city, not part of any county. The City of Richmond is surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, located to the north and south of the city respectively. The Richmond metropolitan area includes the city and its two adjoining counties and an extensive area of central Virginia. Other jurisdictions in the Richmond metropolitan area include the nearby counties of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, King and Queen, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex, and the independent cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg as well as the town of Ashland in Hanover County. The metropolitan area attained a total population of 1,126,262 in 2003.

Richmond geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 162.0 km² (62.5 mi²). 155.6 km² (60.1 mi²) of it is land and 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.96% water. The James River runs through Richmond.

Richmond sights

Some popular tourist attractions include:

Richmond history

Richmond was first settled in 1607 by Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith, who navigated up the James River ten days after landing at Jamestown. The city was not known as "Richmond" until 1737, when it was laid out by Major William Mayo on on land donated by Colonel William Byrd II.

In 1775, Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in St. John's Church at a meeting of the Second Continental Congress. Also in attendance at this meeting were Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

Richmond became the capital of Virginia in 1780.

During the American Civil War, Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America. In April of 1865, Richmond was burned by a retreating Confederate Army and was returned to Northern control, becoming part of "Military District #1."

After the war, Richmond rebuilt, expanding largely to the west. Monument Avenue was laid out it 1887. Monument Avenue honors the city's Confederate heroes in a series of impressive monuments. In 1995, a controversial statue of Richmond native and tennis star Arthur Ashe was added to the series of statues on Monument Avenue.

Richmond had the first electrically-powered trolley system in the US. Designed by Frank Sprague, the trolley system opened its first line in January 1888. This accelerated Richmond's westward expansion.

Near cities to Richmond

• Williamsburg travel guide 75 km
• Stafford travel guide 96 km
• Charlottesville travel guide 100 km
• Newport News travel guide 110 km
• Hampton travel guide 110 km
• Suffolk travel guide 120 km
• Waldorf travel guide 130 km
• Portsmouth travel guide 130 km
• Norfolk travel guide 130 km
• Chesapeake travel guide 130 km

Near webcams to Richmond

• Washington Monument webcam 150 km
• Washington webcam 150 km
• Roanoke webcam 210 km
• Avalon - Beachcam webcam 300 km
• Cape Hatteras - Lighthouse webcam 310 km
• Huntingdon webcam 330 km
• Camden - Philly View webcam 330 km
• Camden - The Roof webcam 330 km
• Philadelphia - taxi webcam 330 km
• Charleston - Towercam webcam 370 km

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Richmond travel services

cheap flights to Richmond

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Richmond real estate

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City Travel Guide comes with Richmond real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Richmond property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in USA, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Richmond.

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Richmond travel books

Richmond travel guide books

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Richmond maps and atlases

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