About Richmond

Richmond is the capital of Virginia. It's a city of monuments, parks, museums, street lamps, and cobblestones, modern business, good restaurants, and a diverse population. Richmond is located in central Virginia on the James River.

Richmond was founded in 1737 by Colonel William Byrd II. He inherited lands on both sides of the James River from his father and became known as the "Father of Richmond." He visited here in 1733 and planned to build a city. Four years later, his friend William Mayo made a map of Richmond and the first lots were sold.

Memories of yesterday fill the streets in Richmond. Magnificent monuments, cobblestone streets, a 300-year old farmers' market, renovated tobacco warehouses and the White House of the Confederacy are examples of the reminders Richmond offers about the capital city's place in our nation's turbulent, fascinating history. In Richmond grand riverfront estates, wrought iron gates, a paddlewheel showboat, gaslit cobblestone streets, and miles of historic battlefields blend the past into the present.