Richmond

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond is an autonomous city and is not a part of any county. It houses over 240000 people.

The area where today Richmond is located was an important settlement of the Powhatan Confederacy. It was settled by English colonists. City of Richmond was founded in 1737. It became the capital of the Virginia colony in 1780.

Among the famous events occurring within the city may be noted the speech of Patrick Henry, in 1775. It became known under the slogan "Give me liberty or give me death."

During the Civil War, Richmond played the role of capital of the Confederate States of America.

In the early twentieth century trams first appeared in the city. The city has a very African culture.

Richmond city’s economy is based primarily on financial institutions and governance. The city offices are located at very prestigious banks and companies. The city benefits from tourism, because there are many historical sites that are visited by tourists from around the world.

Before the British settle in the territory of present-day Richmond lived the Pouhatan Indian tribe. In 1606, King James I allowed English colonists to be introduced in America. In 1609 and 1610, the British attempted to settle the territory of present-day Richmond, but quickly left the area. This is mostly due to the fact that local tribes were reluctant to surrender their land without a fight.

In 1645, Fort Charles was built, which was raised as a protective device. The new settlers settling on the territory of the fort and the community gradually grew and began to make a living from trading furs and tobacco.

In 1737 the name Richmond was chosen in the city, named after the English town of Richmond, located near London . The city of Richmond received official city status in 1742.

The city grew with the slave business. They were brought from Africa and sold and bought in the city.

In 1780, the state capital was moved to Richmond. In 1781, Richmond was burned by British troops, which prompted then-Governor of the town Thomas Jefferson to leave the city.

After the war, Richmond was able to recover very quickly and became again a flourishing town. The city built the Capitol building of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson. It was finally completed in 1788.

After the American Revolutionary War, Richmond became an industrial center. The sale of slaves went on to the mid nineteenth century. Then Henry Brown went down in history as he managed to arrange to be closed in a small wooden box and so managed to reach Philadelphia, where he became a free man.

In 1861, Virginia joined the Confederate states. The capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Alabama to here. In April 1865, Union forces captured the city of Richmond and the Confederate capital was moved again. During the capture of Richmond by Union troops over twenty percent of buildings were destroyed by arson.

In the sixties of the twentieth century, a boom of construction in the city center started, which led to the construction of seven hundred new buildings. In 1970, the territory of the city increased by seventy square kilometres. In 1995 was finished a huge dam worth millions of dollars, which was built to protect the city from flooding.