Richmond

Richmond lies along the falls of the James River as Virginia's state capital. William Byrd II named the site in the 1730s after the English town of Richmond upon Thames because the river bend resembled the view from Richmond Hill. The city witnessed the country's first successful commercial electric streetcar network when passenger trolleys began regular operation in the late 1880s.

Dominion Energy supplies electric power and piped natural gas to utility customers across several states. Tredegar Corporation manufactures aluminum extrusions used in transport and construction alongside specialized plastic films for consumer packaging. Agricultural commodities and leaf tobacco move through Universal Corporation, which operates leaf processing plants and supplies food processors across worldwide markets.

A trading post opened near the river falls in the 17th century before William Byrd II commissioned surveyor William Mayo to lay out the street grid in 1737. The settlement gained its municipal charter in the 1740s and expanded as river docks shipped regional tobacco, wheat, and timber. Richmond became the capital of Virginia in 1780 during the American Revolution, shifting state governance inland from coastal Williamsburg. Postwar rebuilding in the late 19th century restored manufacturing operations, foundries, and grain mills along the James River canal system.

St. John's Church hosted the Second Virginia Convention where orator Patrick Henry delivered his speech demanding American liberty. The Virginia State Capitol reflects classical Roman architecture modeled by Thomas Jefferson during the 18th century on the Maison Carrée. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum presents early manuscripts from the author, who spent his youth and early career in the city. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts displays international art collections, including five Russian imperial Fabergé eggs. Maymont includes an arboretum, Japanese water gardens, and an intact Romanesque revival mansion.