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Richmond, Virginia

"River City"
Capital of the Confederacy and now grappling with that legacy more honestly than almost any American city — Richmond's history runs from Patrick Henry's 'Give me liberty' to the removal of Confederate monuments.
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Founded 1737 | Population 226,610 | Peak 249,621 (1970) | County Richmond City

Top 10 Most Important Events for Richmond, Virginia

1
1861Capital of the Confederacy: Richmond became the capital of the Confederate States of America, making it the primary target of Union forces for the entire Civil War.
2
1865Fall of Richmond and Evacuation Fire: As Union forces closed in, retreating Confederates set fire to Richmond's tobacco warehouses. The fire spread and destroyed much of the city's commercial district.
3
2020Confederate Monuments Removed: Following George Floyd protests, Richmond removed its Confederate statues from Monument Avenue, including the massive Robert E. Lee monument that had stood since 1890.
4
1775Patrick Henry's Speech: Patrick Henry delivered his famous 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' speech at St. John's Church in Richmond, rallying Virginians to the Revolutionary cause.
5
1800Gabriel's Rebellion: An enslaved blacksmith named Gabriel planned a massive slave revolt in Richmond. The plot was betrayed and Gabriel was executed, but the conspiracy terrified slaveholders across the South.
6
1737Richmond Founded: William Byrd II founded Richmond at the falls of the James River, establishing the trading post that would become Virginia's capital.
7
1870Former Confederate Capital Rebuilds: Richmond rebuilt its economy after the devastation of the Civil War, becoming a center for tobacco manufacturing and finance.
8
1904Maggie Walker's Bank: Maggie L. Walker became the first Black woman to charter a bank in America, founding St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood.
9
1960Sit-Ins at Thalhimers: Students staged sit-ins at the Thalhimers department store lunch counter, part of the broader civil rights movement challenging segregation in the former Confederate capital.
10
2018Richmond Renaissance: Richmond's craft beer scene, food culture, and arts district made it one of the most exciting mid-sized cities in America.
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Population Over Time

0 62,405 124,811 187,216 249,621 1790 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Latest News in Richmond

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Complete Historical Timeline

1737 Government
William Byrd II founds Richmond
1775 Politics
Patrick Henry's 'Give me liberty' speech
1780 Government
Richmond becomes Virginia's capital
1800 Civil Rights
Gabriel's slave rebellion plot discovered
1861 Politics
Richmond becomes Confederate capital
1865 Disaster
Evacuation fire destroys much of Richmond
1870 Industry
Tobacco industry drives rebuilding
1904 Business
Maggie Walker charters first Black-woman-owned bank
1960 Civil Rights
Civil rights sit-ins at Thalhimers
2020 Civil Rights
Confederate monuments removed from Monument Avenue

Did You Know?

1
Richmond's Monument Avenue once held five massive Confederate statues — by 2021 all had been removed, transforming the most prominent Confederate memorial boulevard in America.
2
Maggie L. Walker of Richmond was the first Black woman in America to charter and run a bank — her home in Jackson Ward is now a National Historic Site.
3
Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood was called the 'Black Wall Street of the South' and the 'Harlem of the South' for its thriving Black business district in the early 1900s.
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