Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Greater Richmond area. The population within the city limits was 204,214 in 2010, with an estimated population of 1,231,675 for the Richmond Metropolitan Area — making it the third largest in Virginia. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, and encircled by Interstate 295 and Virginia State Route 288.The site of Richmond, at the fall line of the James River, had been an important village of the Powhatan Confederacy, and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown in 1609, and in 1610–11. The present city 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 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America. The city entered the 20th century with one of the world's first successful electric streetcar systems, as well as a national hub of African-American commerce and culture, the Jackson Ward neighborhood.
Civil War and late 19th century:
In the early morning of April 12, 1861, the Confederate army fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, beginning the Civil War. On April 17, 1861, Virginia voted to secede from the United States and joined the Confederate States (though not officially doing so until May), and soon thereafter the Confederate government moved its capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond.
Religion:
In 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, penned in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted by the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond. The site is now commemorated by the First Freedom Center.
Crime:
The following tables show Richmond's crime rate in six crimes that Morgan Quitno uses for their calculation for "America's most dangerous cities" ranking, in comparison to the national average. The statistics provided are not for the actual amount of crimes committed, but how many crimes committed per capita. All crime rankings provided by Morgan Quitno are based upon the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs).
Crime     Richmond Virginia (2006) National Average
Murder     38.8     7.0
Rape     38.8     33.1
Robbery     504.3     205.8
Assault     460.9     336.5
Burglary     1167.0     813.2
Automobile Theft     744.5     501.5
Education:
The city of Richmond operates 28 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and eight high schools, serving a total student population of 24,000 students.
Private schools:
* Collegiate School
* Luther Memorial School, PreK-8, Oldest Parochial School in Richmond
* Millwood School, JK-9
* Richmond Christian School
* Richmond Academy, K–12
* St. Christopher's School
* St. Gertrude High School
* The New Community School (9-12)
* Southside Baptist Christian School
* St. Catherine's School
* The Steward School
* Trinity Episcopal School
* Veritas Classical Christian School, a K–12 christian school located on Jahnke Road
* Orchard House School (grades 5–8)
* Benedictine High School
* Seven Hills School (grades 5–8)
* Landmark Christian School (grades K4-12)
Colleges and universities:
The Richmond area has many major institutions of higher education, including Virginia Commonwealth University (public), University of Richmond (private), Virginia Union University (private), Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education (private), and the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond (BTSR—private). Several community colleges are found in the metro area, including J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College (Chesterfield County). In addition, there are several Technical Colleges in Richmond including ITT Technical Institute, ECPI College of Technology and Beta Tech. There are several vocational colleges also, such as Fortis College and Bryant Stratton College.
Virginia State University is located about 20 miles (32 km) south of Richmond, in the suburb of Ettrick, just outside of Petersburg. Randolph-Macon College is located about 15 miles (24 km) north of Richmond, in the incorporated town of Ashland.
Your Guide to Richmond Travel and Tourism :
Discover history, adventure and an easily accessible location in the Historic Richmond Region. Here, more than 400 years of American history live on through magnificent architecture, monument-lined cobblestone streets, and world-class museums – for an experience that’s anything but textbooK.But the area makes history in other ways, too. Brave the gorgeous yet intense James River, which distinguishes the Richmond Region as the only urban setting with Class IV rapids. It’s just one form of outdoor recreation for thrill seekers. Event planners will love the Greater Richmond Convention Center, a prime destination for meetings and groups. See how the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is expanding its world-class offerings. And with more than 900 restaurants, diverse shopping and enticing events, the Region is ideal for weekend getaways and vacations.
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