Richmond Lifestyles | Richmond Resources

None Such Place

Providing a perfect blend of the past and present, the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area is a region that is both steeped in history and prepared for the future. The Richmond area is home to some 872,000 residents who revel in the city's history and culture while enjoying all of the amenities of a modern and thriving city. Richmond attracts both the history buff and the adventuresome.

The Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area, otherwise known as Central Virginia, is comprised of the City of Richmond and the surrounding counties of King William, Caroline, Hanover, Goochland, Louisa, Powhatan, Henrico, Chesterfield, New Kent and Charles City.

The city of Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is located at the head of the navigable waters of the James River where the coastal plain meets the piedmont plateau. Also known as River City, Richmond is approximately 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. and midway between Atlanta and Boston.

The origins of Richmond - or "None-Such-Place"- are as colorful as the city itself. There was "no place so strong, so pleasant, and delightful in Virginia, for which we call it None-such." So wrote Captain John Smith about the settlement site he chose in 1609 while on an expedition from Jamestown. Until that time, Indian tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy had inhabited the area. After two unsuccessful attempts to settle this naturally advantaged location for transportation and trade, settlers enjoyed a change of luck. By 1644, the construction of Fort Charles began attracting many new settlers. Soon, the community grew into a popular trading post for furs, hides and tobacco.

William Byrd I founded the second settlement in 1676. He built a fortified community, trading post, and

warehouses just across the river near the mouth of Goode Creek.  Richmond was founded in 1737 by Colonel William Byrd II. He inherited the lands on both sides of the James River from his father and became known as the "Father of Richmond."  In 1737 William Byrd II laid out Richmond - which he named for Richmond upon Thames, now a borough of London - here in the Shockoe valley. A historic marker in Richmond on Franklin Street between 17th and 18th Streets commemorates the city's rich history.

There were only 250 people living in Richmond when it became a town in 1742. In early 1780, the State Capitol was temporarily moved to Richmond from Williamsburg at the request of the General Assembly, which wanted a central location that was less exposed to British incursions. In May of 1782, eight months after the British surrendered at Yorktown, Richmond was incorporated as a city and officially became Virginia's new capital. On July 19 of that same year, Richmond's first City Charter was legalized.

Memories of yesteryear fill the streets in Richmond. Magnificent monuments, cobblestone streets, a 300-year old farmers' market, renovated tobacco warehouses and the White House of the Confederacy are examples of the reminders Richmond offers about the capital city's place in our nation's turbulent, fascinating history. In Richmond, grand riverfront estates, wrought iron gates, gas-lit cobblestone streets and miles of historic battlefields blend the past into the present.

Few cities in the country can boast such a glorious Capitol Square. Situated on a hilltop in the heart of downtown, Capitol Square is an oasis of ancient trees and rolling green lawn. Its crowning glory is the neo-Classical Virginia State Capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson. It is in the Capitol Rotunda that you will find Virginia's most treasured work of art. George Washington actually posed for a life-sized statue sculpted by famous artist Jean Antoine Houdon. It was the only time he ever posed for a sculpture.

From spring and well into autumn you'll find people partaking of their workday lunches on the lawn of Capitol Square or you can join the business crowd for lunch in the plaza in the downtown financial district complete with live entertainment by local musicians.  And don't miss the festivities during the Grand Illumination when the Christmas lights are lit in the downtown financial district.

Richmond is made up of numerous distinct neighborhoods. The Shockoe Slip is a lively, restored neighborhood that was once home to the city's largest commercial trading district and was part of an area devastated by fire during the Civil War. Today 19th-century warehouses contain sophisticated restaurants, lively nightclubs and elegant shops. The Shockoe Bottom has also been completely restored thanks to the completion of a multi-million-dollar flood wall.  The 17th Street Farmer's Market is perhaps the oldest in the country and features a wide assortment of produce.

Often called the "Birthplace of Black Capitalism," Jackson Ward became a cultural and entrepreneurial center following the Civil War. It was here that Maggie Lena Walker became the first woman bank president and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson refined his dance moves. This historic district, which boasts more cast ironwork than any neighborhood outside New Orleans, is currently undergoing dramatic changes and restoration.  Restoration and preservation of other Richmond neighborhoods has gained momentum during the last two decades.  If your dream is restoring a diamond in the rough to its former glory, Richmond is certainly the right place to do it!

Named for its streets that "fan" out from downtown, The Fan District is said to be the largest intact Victorian neighborhood in the U.S. Best described as architecturally diverse, The Fan is comprised of everything from traditional brownstones to elegant townhouses in softly muted yellows, pinks and blues. The area is locally famous for its variety of eateries and sidewalk cafes.

The Historic West of the Boulevard Association was formed in1964 by residents who were interested in preserving the character of this historic and architecturally significant neighborhood. Architectural and historic treasures abound throughout the district, including Historic Monument Avenue, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Historical Society and Museum, and the Confederate Chapel. The eclectic shopping district Carytown defines the southern boundary.

The abundance of world-class museums within the boundaries of the neighborhood has earned the area the nickname, "The Museum District." Home to 4600 residents the neighborhood comprises one of the largest Historic Districts in the state. Historic West of the Boulevard was nominated and won the citywide award for the Neighborhood of the Year in 1996.

Church Hill sits poised above the James River as a time capsule of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is along the narrow, shady streets in this neighborhood that visitors will find elegantly restored townhouses presented with a dash of cobblestone, a sprinkling of gas lanterns and a heavy layering of cast ironwork.

The centerpiece of the district is historic St. John's Church. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry presented his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech here at the Second Virginia Convention. On summer Sundays, re-enactments give visitors the chance to sit next to a Virginia revolutionary and relive this dramatic moment in our country's history.

Thrill-seekers enjoy whitewater rafting through downtown, defying gravity during a roller coaster ride at

nearby Paramount's Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens or joining in the fast-paced excitement of NASCAR. The city's recreation department is one of the finest in the nation. Culturally speaking, Richmond enjoys its own symphony, opera and ballet and more than 15 museums. And the area boasts excellent school systems as well as a number of institutions of higher learning.

The history of Central Virginia is taught to some 140,000 students are enrolled in 132 elementary schools, 41 middle schools and 35 high schools, six exceptional education schools and five vocational and alternative schools through the Richmond Public School District and the school districts of the surrounding counties.  The city is also home to four four-year universities and a number of two-year and special institutions that offer a full scope of higher educational and continuing education programs.

When not in school, the city and county Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities offers numerous opportunities for young people in cultural enrichment, health and physical education, recreation, citizenship and leadership and outdoor enrichment. The city and counties also provides after-school programs at many public school sites that offer a combination of social interaction, recreation,

instruction and tutoring. Dance, swimming and golf programs are among those that have earned national recognition, and nearly every imaginable team sport is provided for young people in the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area.

Other areas of the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area offer excellent opportunities for residences, education and recreation.  We offer services in all of the surrounding counties of Henrico, Hanover, Chesterfield, New Kent, Powhatan, Goochland, Louisa, Caroline and King William. 

Greater Richmond's real estate market is comprised of numerous distinct neighborhoods and is as diverse as the region itself with every lifestyle imaginable - from country living to suburban and urban environments - all within an easy commute to downtown Richmond. 

¨       Settle in a planned community where activities abound for the entire family.

¨       Buy or build a home in the country and you’ll rarely see your neighbors much less hear them.

¨       Choose the urban lifestyle in an historic area and be close to restaurants, clubs and cultural events.

¨       Move to a maintenance-free or over-55 community and never worry about your lawn or shoveling snow again.

The condominium and townhouse markets are gaining momentum in the Richmond area.  These housing options, once the exception to the rule, are growing in popularity.  The “recycling” of alternative use structures is an emerging trend.  Developers are converting existing buildings, both small and large, to condominiums and townhomes.  A church on Grove Avenue, a retirement home on Stuart Avenue, a warehouse in Manchester and a hospital at Stuart Circle and Monument Avenue have been converted to condominiums, with additional projects in the planning stages.

Whether you're looking for a fast-paced urban lifestyle or a planned suburban community or privacy in the country, there's None-Such-Place as Richmond, Virginia!