Richmond Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Richmond

Richmond is the capital city of Virginia, situated along the fall line of the James River. Founded in 1737 by planter William Byrd II and mapped by Major William Mayo, the settlement was named after an English town on the River Thames due to the striking similarity of its riverside view. The municipality was incorporated in 1742. Before European colonization and brief settlements by English colonists from Jamestown, the surrounding territory was inhabited by the Powhatan Nation. Richmond later replaced Williamsburg as the state capital in 1780 to create a more centralized administrative seat shielded from coastal military attacks.

The city features deep connections to early American political and architectural history. In 1775, St. John's Church hosted Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech. Thomas Jefferson authored the landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom enacted here in 1786, and alongside Charles-Louis Clérisseau, he designed the Greek Revival-style Virginia State Capitol completed in 1788. To help bypass the James River rapids and link cargo routes westward, George Washington helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal, an engineering effort represented by the boatman figure on the municipal flag.

During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America from 1861 until 1865. The city housed government offices, large slave markets, and major manufacturing operations such as the Tredegar Iron Works, which produced heavy ordnance and armor plating for the ironclad ship CSS Virginia. Significant historical structures from this period include the Confederate executive mansion on Clay Street, known as the White House of the Confederacy, and the State Capitol. The city suffered severe fire damage during its evacuation in April 1865 before surrendering to Union troops.

Following the war, Richmond re-emerged as an industrial, railroad, and tobacco center filled with iron-front buildings and brick factories. In 1888, the city established an early electric streetcar network, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, designed by Frank J. Sprague. The historic Jackson Ward district developed into a thriving African-American business community known as the "Wall Street of Black America," where Maggie L. Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903. Cultural landmarks include the Jefferson Hotel and 1920s performing arts venues such as the Byrd, Landmark, and Carpenter theatres.

Today, Richmond's economy is anchored by law, finance, and government. The downtown area hosts federal, state, and local agencies, making it one of the few U.S. cities with both a Federal Reserve Bank and a U.S. Court of Appeals. The broader region is home to major Fortune 500 corporations, including Dominion Energy, CarMax, Altria, Performance Food Group, Markel, Owens and Minor, Genworth Financial, and ARKO Corp, while higher education is represented by Virginia Commonwealth University.