Greater Richmond
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, and surrounded by Interstate 295 and Virginia State Route 288 in central Virginia. The population was 200,123 in 2007 with an estimated population of 1,212,977 for the Richmond Metropolitan Area - making it the third largest in Virginia. The present chity of Richmond was founded in 1737. It became the capital of 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 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1779 - the latter of which was written by Thomas Jefferson in the city. During the American civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, and many important American Civil War landmarks remain in the city today, including the Virginia State Capitol and the White House of the Confederacy, among others.
Richmond's economy is primarily driven by law, fincance, and government with several notable legal and banking firms, as well as federal, state, and local governmental agencies, located in the downtown area.
The city is home to both the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, one of 13 United States courts of appeals, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, one of 12 Federal Reserve Banks. There are nine Fortune 500 and 13 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the city. Tourism is also important, as many historic sights are in or nearby the city.
Richmond enterd the twenty-first century in the process of undergoing several redevelopment initiatives. The city completed a $52 million restoration of the James River and Kanawha Canals, as well as the Haxall Canal, in 1999, which included a Canal Walk, designed to attract businesses such as restaurants and nightclubs to the area. The riverfront project has brought the 1.25 mile corridor back to life, with trendy loft apartments, restaurants, shops and hotels winding along the Canal Walk, along with canal boat cruises and walking tours. Riverfront development continued in April 2003 with the start of contruction of Riverside on the James, a 720,000 square foot residential and office complex near Brown's Island between 10th and 12th Streets downtown.
Schools
The city operates 31 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 8 high schools, with a cosmopolitan student population of 25,000 students. They are managed by the Richmond Public Schools school district
Private Shools:
- Richmond Christian School
- St. Christopher's School
- Collegiate Scholl
- St. Gertrude High School
- Southside Baptist Christian School
- St. Catherine's School
- St. Bridget's School
- The Steward School
- Trinity Episcopal School
- Veritas Classical Christian School, a K-11 christian school located on Jahnke Road
- Orchard House School (grades 5-8)
- Benedictine High School
Colleges and Universities:
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)- Public
- University of Richmond (U of R)- Private
- Virginia Union University- Private
- Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education- Private
- J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
- John Tyler Community College (Chesterfield County)
- ITT Technical Institute
- ECPI College of Technology
- Beta Tech
: Virginia State University is located about 20 miles south of Richmond, in the suburb of Ettrick, just outside of Petersburg. Randolph-Macon College is located about 15 miles north of Richmond, in the incorporated town of Ashland.
Fortune 500 Companies and Other Larger Corporations
The area is home to seven Fortune 500 companies which include:
- Electric Dominion Resources
- CarMax
- Performance Food Group
- Owens & Minor
- Genworth Financial (the former insurance arm of GE)
- MeadWestvaco (a leading global producer of packaging, coated and specialty papers, consumer and office products; and specialty chemicals)
- Altria Group (Philip Morris USA)
Other Fortune 500 companies, while not headquartered in the area, do have a major presence here. These include SunTrust Banks Incorporated (based in Atlanta), Capital One Financial Corporation (officially based in McLean, Virginia, but founded in Richmond with its operations center and most employees in the Richmond Area), the medical and pharmaceutical giant, McKesson (based in San Francisco). Both Capital One and Altria's compnay, Philip Morris USA are two of the largest private Richmond-area employers.
Richmond is home to the rapidly developing Virginia Bio Technology Research Park, which opened in 1995 as an incubator facility for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Located adjacent to the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, the park currently has more that 575,000 square feet of research, laboratory and office space for a diverse tenant mix of companies, research institutes, government laboratories and non-profit organizations. The United Network for Organ Sharing, which maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list, occupies one building in the park. Philip Morris USA opened a $350 million research and development facility in the park in 2007. Once fully developed, park officials expect the site to employ roughly 3,000 scientist, technicians and engineers.
Richmond is home of the Ukrop's Super Market, a regional family-owned chain of supermarkets known for its customer service and innovation. Ukrop's is a high-profile sponsor of community events, such as the Monument Avenue 10K, Easter on Parade, and the Ukrop's Christmas Parade.
Cavalier Telephone, a telephone, internet, and digital television provider formed in Richmond in 1998, also has its headquarters in the city.
Geography and Climate
According to the Unites States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.5 square miles. 60.1 square miles of it is land and 2.5 square miles of it is water. The city is located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, at the highest navigable point of the James River. The Piedmont region is categorized by relatively low, rolling hills, and lies between the low, sea level tidewater region and 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 43rd largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg, as well as the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, and Prince George. As of July 1, 2005, the total population of the Richmond - Petersburg (MSA) is 1,194,008.
Climate:
Richmond has a humid subtropical climate with moderate seasonal changes. Spring arrives in March with mild days and cool nights, and by late May, the temperature warms up considerably to herald warm summer days. Summer temperatures can be hot, often topping 90 degrees fahrenheit. On average, the city receives 83 nights below freezing, and July is the warmest month of the year, with the maximum average precipitation. Days stay warm to mild until October, and Autumn is marked by the return of cooler nights. Winter is usually mild in Richmond, with the coldest days featuring low in the mid-to-upper 20s and highs in the mid 40s. On average, the coldest month of the year is January.
Demographics
As of the 2005-2007 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, White Americans made up 41.6% of Richmond's population; of which 39.5% were non-Hispanic whites. Blacks or African Americans made up 52.3% of Richmond's population; of which 52.1% were non-Hispanic blacks. American Indians made up 0.4% of the city's population; of which 0.3% were non-Hispanic. Asian Americans made up 1.6% of the city's population. Pacific Islander Americans made up less than 0.1% of the city's population. Individuals from some other race made up 1.7% of the city's population; of which 0.2% were non-Hispanic. Individuals from two or more races made up 2.4% of the ciy's population; of which 2.1% were non-Hispanic. In addition, Hispanics and Latinos made up 4.2% of Richmond's population.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,121, and the median income for a family was $38,348. Males has a median income of $30,874 versus $25,880 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,337. About 17.1% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.