77-698: The Potomac Creek Bridge ( Potomac Creek Viaduct or Potomac Run Bridge ) was first built in 1842 by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad across the Potomac Creek in Stafford County, Virginia , United States. During the American Civil War , the bridge offered the only rail access between the Potomac River and the cities of Fredericksburg and Richmond , making it a vital supply line to both
154-862: A branch of the RF&;P, but it was reorganized as the Virginia Central Railroad in 1850 and merged into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1868 as its oldest predecessor. In 1896, the Washington Southern Railway opened a 1.13 miles (1.82 km) branch that connected the south end of the Long Bridge in Jackson City to the south end of the Aqueduct Bridge in Rosslyn . The Railway built much of
231-411: A cafe-parlor car, all built by American Car and Foundry . In 1956, the RF&P operated two daily passenger trains, one of which was a local and the other an express in addition to operating numerous through trains from other railroads. The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac and Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Connection was chartered March 3, 1866, and opened May 1, 1867, as a connection between
308-646: A general advance. When the Union Sixth Corps broke through Confederate lines on the Boydton Plank Road south of Petersburg, Confederate casualties exceeded 5,000, about a tenth of Lee's defending army. Lee then informed President Jefferson Davis that he intended to evacuate Richmond. On April 2, 1865, the Confederate Army began Richmond's evacuation. Confederate President Davis and his cabinet, Confederate government archives, and its treasury's gold, left
385-456: A general retreat southwestward, and General Lee continued to reject General Grant's surrender entreaties until Sheridan's infantry and cavalry encircled the shrinking Army of Northern Virginia and cut off its ability to retreat further on April 8. Lee surrendered his remaining approximately 10,000 troops the following morning at Appomattox Court House , meeting Grant at the McLean Home. Davis
462-620: A major railroad crossroads, showcasing the world's first triple railroad crossing. Tobacco warehousing and processing continued to play a central economic role, advanced by the world's first cigarette-rolling machine that James Albert Bonsack of Roanoke invented between 1880 and 1881. Another important contributor to Richmond's resurgence was the Richmond Union Passenger Railway , a trolley system developed by electric power pioneer Frank J. Sprague . The system opened its first Richmond line in 1888, using an overhead wire and
539-461: A more centralized location for Virginia's increasing western population and theoretically isolating the capital from a British attack from the coast. In 1781, Loyalist troops led by Benedict Arnold led a raid on Richmond and burnt it, leading Governor Thomas Jefferson to flee while the Virginia militia , led by Sampson Mathews , unsuccessfully defended the city. Richmond recovered quickly from
616-476: A multimillion-dollar flood wall was completed, protecting the city's low-lying areas from the oft-rising James River. Consequently, the River District businesses grew rapidly, bolstered by the creation of a Canal Walk along the city's former industrial canals. Today the area is home to much of Richmond's entertainment, dining, and nightlife activity. In 1996, racial tensions grew amid controversy about adding
693-488: A new corporation, named the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway Company, was formed on October 9, 1991. On December 31, 1925, RF&P operated 118 miles of road and 432 miles of track; on December 31, 1970, mileages were 118 and 518. As the link between "North and South" the RF&P primarily hosted the trains of other railroads, particularly those on the lucrative New York–Florida run. In March 1950 this included
770-641: A railroad hub, and one of the largest slave markets. It also had the largest Confederate arms factory, the Tredegar Iron Works . The factory produced artillery and other munitions, including heavy ordnance machinery and the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS Virginia , the world's first ironclad ship used in war. The Confederate States Congress shared quarters in the Jefferson-designed Virginia State Capitol with
847-495: A suburban character as part of Chesterfield County before being annexed by Richmond, most notably in 1970. Richmond has a humid subtropical ( Köppen : Cfa ) or oceanic ( Trewartha : Do ) climate, with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. The mountains to the west act as a partial barrier to outbreaks of cold, continental air in winter. Arctic air is delayed long enough to be modified and further warmed as it subsides in its approach to Richmond. The open waters of
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#1732877040013924-450: A trolley pole to connect to the current and electric motors on the car's trucks. The success led to electric streetcar lines rapidly spreading to other cities. A post-World War II transition to buses from streetcars began in May 1947 and was completed on November 25, 1949. By the beginning of the 20th century, the city's population had reached 85,050 in 5 sq mi (13 km ), making it
1001-498: Is 11 °F (−12 °C), set on February 11 and 12, 1899 . The record warm minimum is 81 °F (27 °C), set on July 12, 2011. The warmest months recorded were July 2020 and August 1900, both averaging 82.9°F (28.3 °C). The coldest, January 1940, averaged 24.2 °F (-4.3 °C). Precipitation is rather uniformly distributed throughout the year. Dry periods lasting several weeks sometimes occur, especially in autumn, when long periods of pleasant, mild weather are most common. There
1078-697: Is considerable variability in total monthly precipitation amounts from year to year, so no one month can be depended to be normal. Snow has been recorded during seven of the 12 months. Falls of 4 in (10 cm) or more within 24 hours occur once a year on average. Annual snowfall is usually moderate, averaging 10.5 in (27 cm) per season. Snow typically remains on the ground for only one or two days, but it remained for 16 days in 2010 (January 30 to February 14). Ice storms (freezing rain or glaze) are not uncommon, but they are seldom severe enough to cause considerable damage. The James River reaches tidewater at Richmond, where flooding may occur in any month of
1155-656: Is home to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and a Federal Reserve Bank (one of 13 such courts and one of 12 such banks ). After the first permanent English-speaking settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia , in April 1607, Captain Christopher Newport led explorers northwest up the James River to an inhabited area in the Powhatan Nation. Richmond was Arrohattoc territory where Arrohateck village
1232-502: Is located at the James River's fall line , 44 mi (71 km) west of Williamsburg , 66 mi (106 km) east of Charlottesville , 91 mi (146 km) east of Lynchburg and 92 mi (148 km) south of Washington, D.C. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, Richmond is at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64 and encircled by Interstate 295 , Virginia State Route 150 and Virginia State Route 288 . Major suburbs include Midlothian to
1309-566: Is nothing in it but cornstalks and beanpoles." The Haupt bridge stood until June 1863. The Union Army built as many as four railroad bridges atop the same abutment over the remaining years of the war. Around 1899, the bridge was replaced and the south abutment and its approaching right-of-way were abandoned. 38°21.401′N 77°24.533′W / 38.356683°N 77.408883°W / 38.356683; -77.408883 Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad ( reporting mark RFP )
1386-574: Is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city since 1871. The city's population in the 2020 census was 226,610, up from 204,214 in 2010, making it Virginia's fourth-most populous city . The Richmond metropolitan area , with over 1.3 million residents, is the Commonwealth's third-most populous . Richmond
1463-728: Is the city's traditional hub of African American commerce and culture, once known as the "Black Wall Street of America" and the "Harlem of the South." At the beginning of the 20th century, Richmond had one of the world's first successful electric streetcar systems. Law, finance, and government primarily drive Richmond's economy. The downtown area is home to federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as notable legal and banking firms. The greater metropolitan area includes several Fortune 500 companies: Performance Food Group , Altria , CarMax , Dominion Energy , Markel , Owens and Minor , Genworth Financial , and ARKO Corp . The city
1540-598: The East Coast Champion , West Coast Champion , Miamian , Palmland , Silver Star , Silver Comet , Orange Blossom Special , Silver Meteor , Vacationer , Havana Special , Palmetto , Florida Special , Cotton Blossom , Sunland , and Everglades . The RF&P operated comparatively few trains of its own. One was the Old Dominion , a streamliner inaugurated in 1947 between Washington and Richmond. This train used four 70-seat coaches and
1617-550: The Alexandria and Washington Railway . In 1873 the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad 's branch over the Long Bridge opened, giving a route into Washington, D.C. , over which the A&;W obtained trackage rights . The Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway was chartered February 3, 1864, to continue the line from Alexandria to Fredericksburg. It opened on July 2, 1872, only reaching Quantico,
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#17328770400131694-695: The Blue Ridge Mountains . Significant bodies of water in the region include the James River , the Appomattox River , and the Chickahominy River . The Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 44th largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights , Hopewell , and Petersburg , and the counties of Charles City , Chesterfield , Dinwiddie , Goochland , Hanover , Henrico , New Kent , Powhatan , and Prince George . On July 1, 2009,
1771-591: The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean contribute to the humid summers and cool winters. The coldest weather normally occurs from late December to early February, and the January daily mean temperature is 37.9 °F (3.3 °C), with an average of 6.0 days with highs at or below the freezing mark. Richmond's Downtown and areas south and east of downtown are in USDA Hardiness zones 7b. Surrounding suburbs and areas to
1848-478: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Doswell . Until 2024, it (along with the former Conrail properties) was the only CSX line to have cab signal requirements on their entire system; the railroad ended this practice on the line in June of that year in favor of positive train control . The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad was chartered on February 25, 1834, to run from Richmond north via Fredericksburg to
1925-688: The Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the Revolutionary War period, several notable events occurred in the city, including 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 was the capital of the Confederate States of America . The Jackson Ward neighborhood
2002-591: The Confederate and Union armies. In the spring of 1862 as Confederate forces retreated to Fredericksburg the bridge was destroyed. In 1862, the United States Military Railroad was formed under the command of General Herman Haupt . One of the first tasks was to restore the 13-mile stretch of railroad from Aquia Creek to Falmouth that was destroyed by the retreating Confederate Army. In May 1862, Herman Haupt supervised common Union infantrymen from
2079-582: The Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system). The Potomac Railroad lease was transferred to the Washington Southern on June 30, 1904. On February 24, 1920, the Washington Southern was formally merged into the RF&P. The Richmond-Washington Company was incorporated September 5, 1901, as a holding company , owning the entire capital stock of
2156-576: The Potomac River . It opened from Richmond to Hazel Run in 1836, to Fredericksburg on January 23, 1837, and the rest of the way to the Potomac River at Aquia Creek on September 30, 1842. Steamboat service to Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was provided by the Washington and Fredericksburg Steamboat Company , later renamed the Potomac Steamboat Company , controlled by
2233-601: The River Thames . In 1742, the settlement was incorporated as a town. In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous " Give me liberty, or give me death " speech in Richmond's St. John's Church , greatly influencing Virginia's participation in the First Continental Congress and the course of the American Revolution . On April 18, 1780, the state capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, providing
2310-600: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 62 sq mi (160 km ), of which 60 sq mi (160 km ) is land and 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km ) (4.3%) is water. The city is in the Piedmont region of Virginia , at the James River's highest navigable point. The Piedmont region is characterized by relatively low, rolling hills, and lies between the low, flat Tidewater region and
2387-568: The Virginia General Assembly . The Confederacy's executive mansion, known as the " White House of the Confederacy ," was two blocks away on Clay Street. Located about 100 mi (160 km) from the national capital in Washington, D.C. , Richmond was at the end of a long supply line and difficult to defend. For four years, its defense required the bulk of the Army of Northern Virginia and
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2464-761: The Virginia Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts . South of the Downtown Expressway are Byrd Park , Maymont , Hollywood Cemetery , the predominantly black working-class Randolph neighborhood, and white working-class Oregon Hill . Cary Street between Interstate 195 and the Boulevard is a popular commercial area called Carytown . Richmond's Northside is home to numerous listed historic districts. Neighborhoods such as Chestnut Hill-Plateau and Barton Heights began to be developed at
2541-715: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opened a surface-level section of Metrorail 's Blue Line that replaced most of the section of the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad's line that had traveled within the Alexandria Canal's grade. The section of the Blue Line parallels Virginia State Route 110 where passing Arlington National Cemetery . Richmond (VA) Richmond ( / ˈ r ɪ tʃ m ə n d / RITCH -mənd )
2618-491: The 25th Corps of the United States Colored Troops , accepted Richmond's surrender from the mayor and a group of leading citizens who did not evacuate. Union troops eventually contained the fires, but about 25% of the city's buildings were destroyed. On April 3, President Abraham Lincoln visited Grant at Petersburg and took a launch up the James River to Richmond on April 4. While Davis attempted to organize
2695-585: The Army of the Rappahannock in harvesting two million feet of local lumber to construct the Potomac Creek Bridge, accomplishing this task in just nine working days. President Abraham Lincoln , on a visit on May 28, 1862, observed "That man Haupt has built a bridge four hundred feet long and one hundred feet high, across Potomac Creek, on which loaded trains are passing every hour, and upon my word, gentlemen, there
2772-682: The Carver and Newtowne West neighborhoods are demographically similar to neighboring Jackson Ward .Carver has seen some gentrification due to its proximity to VCU. The affluent area between the Boulevard , Main Street, Broad Street, and VCU, known as the Fan , is home to Monument Avenue , an outstanding collection of Victorian architecture , and many students. West of the Boulevard is the Museum District, which contains
2849-597: The Confederacy's best troops and commanders. The Union army made Richmond a main target in the campaigns of 1862 and 1864–65. In late June and early July 1862, Union General-in-Chief George B. McClellan threatened but failed to take Richmond in the Seven Days Battles of the Peninsula campaign . Three years later, Richmond became indefensible in March 1865 after nearby Petersburg fell and several remaining rail supply lines to
2926-506: The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter , the Virginia legislature voted to secede from the United States and join the newly created Confederate States of America on April 17, 1861. The action became official in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its national capital to Richmond from Montgomery, Alabama . Richmond held local, state and national Confederate government offices, hospitals,
3003-681: The Confederate government in Danville , Lincoln met Confederate Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell , handing him a note inviting Virginia's state legislature to end their rebellion. After Campbell spun the note to Confederate legislators as a possible end to the Emancipation Proclamation , Lincoln rescinded his offer and ordered General Weitzel to prevent the state legislature from meeting. On April 6, Union forces killed, wounded, or captured 8,000 Confederate troops at Sayler's Creek , southwest of Petersburg. The Confederate Army continued
3080-585: The North. Nonetheless, the James Falls area saw more White settlement in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In early 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid, completed in April. Byrd named the city after the English town of Richmond near (and now part of) London, because the view of the James River's bend at the fall line reminded him of his home at Richmond Hill on
3157-650: The Potomac. The old line to the Aquia Creek wharf was abandoned on the opening of the Quantico wharf on May 1, 1872. On the other end of the line, the Alexandria and Washington Railroad was chartered on February 27, 1854, to build from the south end of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River south to Alexandria . That line opened in 1857. The railroad went bankrupt and was sold July 9, 1887, being reorganized November 23, 1887, as
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3234-522: The RF&P and the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad (later part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad ) west of downtown Richmond . It was operated jointly by those two companies. In addition, a downtown connection was owned by the R&;P past Broad Street Station . The Louisa Railroad was chartered in 1836, running from the RF&P at Doswell west to Louisa . At first it was operated as
3311-532: The RF&P connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad at Richmond. At Alexandria and through trackage rights to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. , where connections were made with the Pennsylvania Railroad , Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , and the Southern Railway . The railine connected to the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad at Potomac Yard and interchanged with
3388-442: The Richmond area. Downtown Richmond averages 84 days of nighttime frost annually. Nighttime frost is more common in areas north and west of Downtown and less common south and east of downtown. From 1981 to 2010, the average first temperature at or below freezing was on October 30 and the average last one on April 10. See or edit raw graph data . Richmond's population is approximately 226,000. As an independent city, Richmond
3465-476: The Richmond—Petersburg MSA 's population was 1,258,251. Richmond is located 21.69 mi (34.91 km) north of Petersburg, Virginia , 66.1 mi (106.4 km) southeast of Charlottesville, Virginia , 79.24 mi (127.52 km) northwest of Norfolk, Virginia , 96.87 mi (155.90 km) south of Washington, D.C. , and 138.72 mi (223.25 km) northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina . Richmond's original street grid, laid out in 1737, included
3542-462: The South and the country. By 1850, Richmond was connected by the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad to Port Walthall , where ships carrying over 200 tons of cargo could connect to Baltimore or Philadelphia . Passenger liners could reach Norfolk, Virginia , through the Hampton Roads harbor. In the 19th century, Richmond was connected to the North by the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad , later replaced by CSXT . The railroad also
3619-442: The affluent and middle-class suburban Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Southampton, Stratford Hills, Oxford, Huguenot Hills, Hobby Hill, and Woodland Heights to the impoverished Manchester and Blackwell areas, the Hillside Court housing projects, and the ailing Jefferson Davis Highway commercial corridor. Other Southside neighborhoods include Fawnbrook, Broad Rock, Cherry Gardens, Cullenwood, and Beaufont Hills. Much of Southside developed
3696-402: The area between what are now Broad, 17th, and 25th Streets and the James River. Modern Downtown Richmond is slightly farther west, on the slopes of Shockoe Hill. Nearby neighborhoods include Shockoe Bottom , the historically significant and low-lying area between Shockoe Hill and Church Hill , and Monroe Ward, which contains the Jefferson Hotel . Richmond's East End includes neighborhoods like
3773-418: The areas around the Regency Mall. More affluent areas include Glen Allen, Short Pump, and the areas of Tuckahoe away from Regency Mall, all north and northwest of the city. The University of Richmond and the Country Club of Virginia are located on this side of town near the Richmond-Henrico border. The portion of the city south of the James River is known as the Southside. Southside neighborhoods range from
3850-438: The branch within the grade of the old disused Alexandria Canal . In 1904, the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad , which the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad controlled, acquired the branch on the same day (February 29) that the railroad was incorporated in accordance with Virginia law. The Rosslyn Connecting Railroad abandoned nearly all of its line in 1962 and closed in 1969 after operating for 65 years. In 1977,
3927-476: The city itself had declined to less than 200,000. On November 2, 2004, former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder was elected as the city's first directly elected mayor in over 60 years. Most of the statues honoring Confederate leaders such as the Robert E. Lee monument on Monument Avenue were removed during or after the George Floyd protests on June 2020 following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek M. Chauvin . The city removed
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#17328770400134004-416: The city that night by train. Confederate officials burned documents and troops burned tobacco and other warehouses to deny the Union any spoils. In the early morning of April 3, Confederate troops exploded the city's gunpowder magazine, killing several paupers in a temporary Almshouse and a man on 2nd St. The concussion shattered windows all over the city. Later that day, General Godfrey Weitzel , commander of
4081-431: The downtown area suffered extensive flood damage after the remnants of Hurricane Gaston dumped up to 12 in (300 mm) of rain. Damaging storms occur mainly from snow and freezing rain in winter, and from hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms in other seasons. Damage can come from wind, flooding, rain, or a combination of the three. Tornadoes are infrequent, but some notable ones have been observed in
4158-475: The end of the 19th century when the new streetcar system made it possible for people to live on the city's outskirts and commute downtown. Other prominent Northside neighborhoods include Azalea, Barton Heights, Bellevue, Chamberlayne, Ginter Park, Highland Park, and Rosedale. Farther west is the affluent, suburban West End . Windsor Farms is among its best-known sections. The West End also includes middle- to low-income neighborhoods, such as Laurel, Farmington, and
4235-408: The fall line to the ocean-faring ships below. The canal boatmen legacy is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag. Because of the canal and the hydropower the falls generated, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center after the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). It became home to some of the largest manufacturing facilities, including iron works and flour mills, in
4312-439: The first European settlement in Central Virginia was established at Henricus , where the Falling Creek empties into the James River. In 1619, early Virginia Company settlers established the Falling Creek Ironworks there. Decades of conflicts between the Powhatan and the settlers followed, including the Battle of Bloody Run , fought near Richmond in 1656, after tensions arose from an influx of Manahoacs and Nahyssans from
4389-474: The former Pennsylvania Railroad, in its later incarnation as Conrail, has been split between CSX and Norfolk Southern with most of PRR's routes becoming part of Norfolk Southern. However, the portion of the former PRR that connected to the very north of the RF&P's former Potomac Yard, across the Long Bridge and into Washington DC, became part of CSX following the takeover of Conrail by NS and CSX. The RF&P company became Commonwealth Atlantic Land V Inc., and
4466-536: The former city of Manchester consolidated with Richmond, and in 1914 the city annexed Barton Heights, Ginter Park, and Highland Park in Henrico County . In May 1914, Richmond became the headquarters of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve Bank . Several major performing arts venues were constructed during the 1920s, including what are now the Landmark Theatre, Byrd Theatre, and Carpenter Theatre. The city's first radio station, WRVA , began broadcasting in 1925. WTVR-TV (CBS 6), Richmond's first television station,
4543-477: The last Confederate statue, honoring Confederate General General A. P. Hill , on December 12, 2022. The only statue remaining on Monument Avenue is of Arthur Ashe, the pioneering Black tennis player. The Bill "Bojangles" Robinson monument in Jackson Ward was untouched during the protests and remained in place. Richmond is located at 37°32′N 77°28′W / 37.533°N 77.467°W / 37.533; -77.467 (37.538, −77.462). According to
4620-464: The most densely populated city in the Southern United States . In the 1900 Census, Richmond's population was 62.1% white and 37.9% black. Freed slaves and their descendants created a thriving African-American business community, and the city's historic Jackson Ward became known as the "Wall Street of Black America." In 1903, African-American businesswoman and financier Maggie L. Walker chartered St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, served as its president, and
4697-628: The north and west of Downtown are in Hardiness Zone 7a. Temperatures seldom fall below 0 °F (−18 °C), with the most recent subzero reading on January 7, 2018, when the temperature reached −3 °F (−19 °C). The July daily mean temperature is 79.3 °F (26.3 °C), and high temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) approximately 43 days a year; 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures are not uncommon but do not occur every year. Extremes in temperature have ranged from −12 °F (−24 °C) on January 19, 1940, to 107 °F (42 °C) on August 6, 1918. The record cold maximum
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#17328770400134774-435: The north end of the RF&P. At Quantico the 1.7-mile (2.7 km) Potomac Railroad , chartered April 21, 1867, and opened May 1, 1872, connected the two lines. It was leased to the RF&P for 28 years from May 17, 1877. On March 31, 1890, the two companies terminating in Alexandria merged to form the Washington Southern Railway . Until November 1, 1901, it was operated by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad and its successor
4851-408: The railroad after 1845. Badly damaged during the Civil War , on October 11, 1870, an extension to the north toward Quantico was authorized at a special meeting of the company's stockholders. The company's charter limited this branch to 10 miles, leaving it 1.7 miles short of the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad. This split from the existing line at Brooke and ran north to Quantico, also on
4928-461: The rapidly gentrifying Church Hill , home to St. John's Church , poorer areas like Fulton , Union Hill, and Fairmont, and public housing projects like Mosby Court , Whitcomb Court, Fairfield Court, and Creighton Court closer to Interstate 64 . The area between Belvidere Street, Interstate 195 , Interstate 95 , and the river, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University , is socioeconomically and architecturally diverse. North of Broad Street,
5005-450: The south and southwest were broken. On March 25, Confederate General John B. Gordon 's desperate attack on Fort Stedman , east of Petersburg, failed. On April 1, Union Cavalry General Philip Sheridan , assigned to interdict the Southside Railroad, met brigades commanded by Southern General George Pickett at the Five Forks Junction, defeated them, took thousands of prisoners, and advised Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant to order
5082-404: The southwest, Chesterfield to the south, Varina to the southeast, Sandston to the east, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west, and Mechanicsville to the northeast. Richmond was an important village in the Powhatan Confederacy and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown from 1609 to 1611. Founded in 1737, it replaced Williamsburg as the capital of
5159-409: The statue of African American Richmond native and tennis star Arthur Ashe to the series of statues of Confederate figures on Monument Avenue . After several months of controversy, Ashe's bronze statue was finally completed on July 10, 1996. By the beginning of the 21st century, the population of the greater Richmond metropolitan area had reached approximately 1,100,000, although the population of
5236-414: The two railroads. The stock of the company was owned equally by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , Southern Railway , Seaboard Air Line Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway . Four of these companies (B&O, ACL, SAL, C&O) have since become part of CSX . The Southern Railway is now part of Norfolk Southern and does not use the former RF&P;
5313-404: The upper James River and provide a water route across the Appalachian Mountains to the Kanawha River , which flows westward into the Ohio River and converges with the Mississippi River , George Washington helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal . The canal started in Westham and cut east to Richmond, facilitating the transfer of cargo from flat-bottomed James River bateaux above
5390-426: The war, thriving within a year of its burning. In 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom , drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was enacted, separating church and state and advancing the legal principle for freedom of religion in the United States. In 1788, the Virginia State Capitol , designed by Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clérisseau in the Greek Revival style , was completed. To bypass Richmond's rapids on
5467-412: The year, most frequently in March and least in July. Hurricanes and tropical storms have been responsible for most flooding during the summer and early fall months. Hurricanes passing near Richmond have produced record rainfalls. In 1955, three hurricanes, including Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane , which brought heavy rains five days apart, produced record rainfall in a six-week period. In 2004,
5544-594: Was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia , to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&;P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad company. The RF&P was a bridge line , with a slogan of "Linking North & South," on a system that stretched about 113 miles. Until around 1965, RF&P originated less than 5% of its freight tonnage, probably less than any other Class I railroad. For much of its existence,
5621-690: Was also the first TV station south of Washington, D.C. Between 1963 and 1965, there was a "downtown boom" that led to the construction of more than 700 buildings. In 1968, Virginia Commonwealth University was created by the merger of the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute . On January 1, 1970, Richmond's borders expanded south by 27 sq mi (70 km ) and its population increased by 47,000 after several years of court cases in which Chesterfield County unsuccessfully fought annexation. In 1995,
5698-473: Was captured on May 10 near Irwinville, Georgia and taken back to Virginia, where he was imprisoned two years at Fort Monroe until freed on bail. A decade after the Civil War, Richmond resumed its position as a major urban center of economic productivity with iron front buildings and massive brick factories. Canal traffic peaked in the 1860s, with railroads becoming the dominant shipping method. Richmond became
5775-484: Was located. However, as time progressed relations between the Arrohattocs and English colonists declined, and by 1609 the tribe was unwilling to trade with the settlers. As the population began to dwindle, the tribe declined and was last mentioned in a 1610 report by the visiting William Strachey. By 1611 the tribe's Henrico town was found to be deserted when Sir Thomas Dale went to use the land to found Henricus. In 1611,
5852-499: Was the first black female bank president in the United States. Charles Thaddeus Russell was Richmond's first black architect, and he designed the bank's office. Today, the bank is called the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company and is the country's oldest surviving African-American bank. Another prominent African-American from this time was John Mitchell Jr. , a newspaper editor, civil rights activist, and politician. In 1910,
5929-491: Was used by some to escape slavery in the mid-19th century. In 1849, Henry "Box" Brown had himself nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to abolitionists in Philadelphia through Baltimore 's President Street Station on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad , often used by the Underground Railroad to assist escaping disguised slaves reach the free state of Pennsylvania . Five days after
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