State

 

What state are you in?

You’ve seen a globe or a map and there are designated areas defined by lines and named states. I’ve flown over these areas and have never seen any of the lines or fences or the names on the ground?

When the invaders, explorers, immigrants, refugees, privateers, colonist,  your choice-of-title came to this plot of land from over the sea, they found people already living here. They traded trinkets for food and tried to move in to this new frontier. They built forts due to suspicion of the others and the expansion habits of moving the old neighborhood out to make room from continuous boatloads of tourist, pioneers, settlers with their customs and religions. The present inhabitants could not hold back the alliances formed by these new foreign residents building their churches, saloons, hotels, general stores, brothels, banks, jails and post offices. Towns were connected by roads and waterways and wealthy landowners plotted out regions for governmental control. These territories were called States.

Alabama

• Joined United States: Dec. 14, 1819 (22nd state to join)

• Capital: Montgomery

• Population: 4,888,949

The genesis of the Alabama name is believed to have come from a fusion of two Choctaw words, Alba and Amo. Alba means "vegetation," while Amo refers to "gatherer." The name "vegetation gatherers" would fit the Alabama Indians who cleared the land for farming.

Alaska

• Joined United States: Jan. 3, 1959 (49th state to join)

• Capital: Juneau

• Population: 738,068

The name "Alaska" comes from the Aleut word "Alyeska" which means "great land." The Aleuts are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands and western Alaska.

Arizona

• Joined United States: Feb. 14, 1912 (48th state to join)

• Capital: Phoenix

• Population: 7,123,898

It is not clear how Arizona got its name. Historian James H. McClintock believes the name was derived from a Native American place name that sounded like Aleh-zon or Ali-Shonak, which meant "small spring" or "place of the small spring," according to the Southern Arizona Guide.

Arkansas

• Joined United States: June 15, 1836 (25th state to join)

• Capital: Little Rock

• Population: 3,020,327

The word "Arkansas" came from the Quapaw Native Americans. The Quapaws were known as the "people who live downstream," or Ugakhopag. "The Native Americans who spoke Algonquian and lived in the Ohio Valley called the Quapaws Arkansas, which means "south wind."

California

• Joined United States: Sept. 9, 1850 (31st state to join)

• Capital: Sacramento

• Population: 39,776,830

Credit the Spanish conquistadors for naming California. The name of the nation's largest state comes from Califia, a legendary queen of the island paradise described in a Spanish romance novel from the early 16th century.

Colorado

• Joined United States: Aug. 1, 1876 (38th state to join)

• Capital: Denver

• Population: 5,818,049

Another state whose name owes it origins to the Spanish is Colorado. The state's name means "colored red" or "color rojo" in Spanish. It was used for the Colorado River because of the abundance of red sandstone soil in the region.

Connecticut

• Joined United States: Jan. 9, 1788 (5th state to join)

• Capital: Hartford

• Population: 3,588,683

The Dutch were the first Europeans to reach Connecticut in 1614. But there were already Native Americans in what would become the Nutmeg State. The name "Connecticut" is derived from the Algonquian word "quinnehtukqut" that means "beside the long tidal river."

Delaware

• Joined United States: Dec. 7, 1787 (1st state to join)

• Capital: Dover

• Population: 971,180

Delaware, the first state to ratify the Constitution, owes its name to explorer Samuel Argall, who named the Delaware River and Bay for Virginia Gov. Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. The state takes its name from the river and bay.

Florida

• Joined United States: March 3, 1845 (27th state to join)

• Capital: Tallahassee

• Population: 21,312,211

Famed Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon may not have found the fountain of youth, but he is credited with naming Florida, as the first European to reach it. The region was named by de Leon in 1513 and it comes from the Spanish word "florido," which means "full of flowers."

Georgia

• Joined United States: Jan. 2, 1788 (4th state to join)

• Capital: Atlanta

• Population: 10,545,138

Georgia, founded by James Oglethorpe, was named for King George II of England, who granted the colony its charter in 1732. The –ia suffix means "state of" and comes from the Greek language.

Hawaii

• Joined United States: Aug. 21, 1959 (50th state to join)

• Capital: Honolulu

• Population: 1,426,393

There are several theories of how America's youngest state got its name. One theory maintains that "Hawai'i" is derived from the word "owhyhee," which means homeland in native Hawaiian. Another theory postulates that the name comes from a combination of the words "Hawa" and "ii" and means a small or new homeland. Still another belief is that the name originates from the Polynesian Hawaii Loa, who discovered the islands, according to an ancient local legend.

Idaho

• Joined United States: July 3, 1890 (43rd state to join)

• Capital: Boise

• Population: 1,753,860

Idaho, a state made famous in a B-52s song, may sound like a Native American name, but the word is made up. "Idaho" was created by mining lobbyist George M. Willing, who insisted it was a Native American Shoshone expression meaning "gem of the mountains" for the area around Pike's Peak. By the time it was discovered the name was phoney, it was already being used.

Illinois

• Joined United States: Dec. 3, 1818 (21st state to join)

• Capital: Springfield

• Population: 12,768,320

The Prairie State gets its official name from Native Americans. Illinois comes from "Illiniwek," which is what the Illini people were called. The name means "best people." Illinois is the spelling we use for the indigenous people the French explorers encountered in the region in the late 17th century.

Indiana

• Joined United States: Dec. 11, 1816 (19th state to join)

• Capital: Indianapolis

• Population: 6,782,564

The name "Indiana" means "Land of the Indians" or "Land of Indians." After the French lost the French and Indian War in 1763, the English took over the territory that would include latter-day Indiana. The new owners of the land sought a new name for the territory, and in recognition of the people who originally occupied it, named it Indiana.

Iowa

• Joined United States: Dec. 28, 1846 (29th state to join)

• Capital: Des Moines

• Population: 3,160,553

The story behind Iowa's name is a bit complicated. One version claims the name comes from the Iowa river, which was named for the native American Iowas (or Ioways), who were a Sioux tribe. One frontiersman wrote in 1868 that Native Americans encamped by a river were pleased with the location and said in their native tongue "'Iowa, Iowa, Iowa," meaning "beautiful." Members of the Ioway people have a different version of the name. One is the French spelling of Ayuhwa, meaning "sleepy ones."

Kansas

• Joined United States: Jan. 29, 1861 (34th state to join)

• Capital: Topeka

• Population: 2,918,515

Kansas gets its name from the Native American Kaws or Kansa people, also a Sioux tribe. They derived the name from the Sioux word for "southwind." The Kansa people are also referred to as "people of the south wind."

Kentucky

• Joined United States: June 1, 1792 (15th state to join)

• Capital: Frankfort

• Population: 4,472,265

There are several different theories regarding the name "Kentucky," though it has a Native American origin. Kentucky comes from the Iroquois word "ken-tah-ten," which means "land of tomorrow." The other possible meanings for "Kentucky" that derive from the Iroquois language are: "meadow," "prairie," and "the river of blood."

Louisiana

• Joined United States: April 30, 1812 (18th state to join)

• Capital: Baton Rouge

• Population: 4,682,509

There is no disputing the origin of Louisiana's name. The home of Cajun cooking and jazz music was named in honor of King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, by explorer René-Robert Cavelier in the mid-1600s.

Maine

• Joined United States: March 15, 1820 (23rd state to join)

• Capital: Augusta

• Population: 1,341,582

Maine's name might have originated from Royal Navy mariners Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason, who received a charter for what would become Maine and used the name to differentiate the mainland from the islands around it.

Maryland

• Joined United States: April 28, 1788 (7th state to join)

• Capital: Annapolis

• Population: 6,079,602

The state of Maryland, which as a colony, was founded as a haven for Catholics persecuted in England, was named to honor Queen Henrietta Maria, the Catholic wife of England's King Charles I.

Massachusetts

• Joined United States: Feb. 6, 1788 (6th state to join)

• Capital: Boston

• Population: 6,895,917

The name "Massachusetts" is derived from the language of the Algonquian nation and translates as "at or about the great hill." The hill refers to the Blue Hills southwest of Boston.

Michigan

• Joined United States: Jan. 26, 1837 (26th state to join)

• Capital: Lansing

• Population: 10,390,149

One account maintain the Michigan name is based on a Native American Chippewa word, "meicigama," meaning "great water." Another version of the name claims the state gets its name from Lake Michigan and that Michigan is a French conversion of the Ojibwa word misshikama, which means "big lake," "large lake," or "large water."

Minnesota

• Joined United States: May 11, 1858 (32nd state to join)

• Capital: St. Paul

• Population: 5,628,162

As we move west, many of the state names are derived from Native American place names or language. Minnesota is one of them. The name "Minnesota" comes from the Dakota Sioux word "Mnisota," the Native American name for the Minnesota River, which means "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water."

Mississippi

• Joined United States: Dec. 10, 1817 (20th state to join)

• Capital: Jackson

• Population: 2,982,785

The name "Mississippi" comes from the word "Messipi" - the French version for either the Ojibwe or Algonquin name for the river, "Misi-ziibi," meaning "great river."

Missouri

• Joined United States: Aug. 10, 1821 (24th state to join)

• Capital: Jefferson City

• Population: 6,135,888

The name Missouri originates from the Native American Sioux of the state called the Missouris. Missouri means "town of the large canoe." Other meanings for "Missouri" include "those who have dugout canoes," "wooden canoe people," or "he of the big canoe."

Montana

• Joined United States: Nov. 8, 1889 (41st state to join)

• Capital: Helena

• Population: 1,062,330

The name "Montana" is based on the Spanish word for mountain, montaña, though it is not known who first used the name for the territory. The name "Montana" was proposed in 1864 when the area was separated from the Nebraska Territory.

Nebraska

• Joined United States: March 1, 1867 (37th state to join)

• Capital: Lincoln

• Population: 1,932,549

The Cornhusker State's name is based on an Otoe Indian word "Nebrathka," meaning "flat water," which refers to the Platte River, a symbol of Nebraska.

Nevada

• Joined United States: Oct. 31, 1864 (36th state to join)

• Capital: Carson City

• Population: 3,056,824

The Spanish influence is evident in Nevada, whose name is derived from the Spanish phrase "Sierra Nevada," meaning snow-covered mountain range. "Nevada" is Spanish for "covered in snow" or "snow-capped."

New Hampshire

• Joined United States: June 21, 1788 (9th state to join)

• Capital: Concord

• Population: 1,350,575

New Hampshire was named by Captain John Mason after Hampshire, England, where Mason had lived as a child. Mason received a land grant for what would become New Hampshire in 1629.

New Jersey

• Joined United States: Dec. 18, 1787 (3rd state to join)

• Capital: Trenton

• Population: 9,032,872

New Jersey, the third state to join the Union, was named for the island of Jersey in the English Channel in honor of Sir George Carteret, one of the two men to whom the land that would become New Jersey was originally given. The city of Carteret in central New Jersey is named after Sir George Carteret.

New Mexico

• Joined United States: Jan. 6, 1912 (47th state to join)

• Capital: Santa Fe

• Population: 2,090,708

The origin of the world "Mexico" is from the Aztec word meaning "place of Mexitli," which is an Aztec god. Other possible origins include a combination of metztli ("moon"), xictli ("center") and the suffix -co ("place") and means "place at the center of the moon." The Spanish named the lands north of the Rio Grande "Nuevo Mexico," or New Mexico. The name was anglicized after the area was turned over to the U.S. by Mexico after the Mexican-American War ended in 1848.

New York

• Joined United States: July 26, 1788 (11th state to join)

• Capital: Albany

• Population: 19,862,512

The Empire State was named after the Duke of York and Albany, the brother of King Charles II, in 1664. There had been a settlement called York in England since before the Romans invaded England. The word York comes from the Latin word for city.

North Carolina

• Joined United States: Nov. 21, 1789 (12th state to join)

• Capital: Raleigh

• Population: 10,390,149

No mystery as to how the Tar Heel State got its name. Carolina, derived from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus), was named by King Charles II of England to honor his father, King Charles I in the 17th century. Carolina would eventually be divided into two colonies, North and South Carolina, in 1712.

North Dakota

• Joined United States: Nov. 2, 1889 (39th state to join)

• Capital: Bismarck

• Population: 755,238

Both North and South Dakota get their name from the Sioux word for "friend" or "ally," though there is no definitive detail for this origin.

Ohio

• Joined United States: March 1, 1803 (17th state to join)

• Capital: Columbus

• Population: 11,694,664

There are several Native American name possibilities for Ohio. One suggests that the name "Ohio" originates from the Iroquois word for "good river." Other origins claim "Ohio" might have come from the Wyandot people's word meaning "large/great" or "the great one" or it was derived from the Seneca word "ohi-yo'" meaning "large creek."

Oklahoma

• Joined United States: Nov. 16, 1907 (46th state to join)

• Capital: Oklahoma City

• Population: 3,940,521

The Sooner State's name comes from the Choctaw people's words "okla humma," which roughly means "red people" or "red persons."

Oregon

• Joined United States: Feb. 14, 1859 (33rd state to join)

• Capital: Salem

• Population: 4,199,563

The origin of the state name is up for debate with a number of possible origins. The name "Oregon" might have been derived from a 1715 French map that references the Wisconsin River as "Ouaricon-sint." Another possibility is that the name "Oregon" stems from an English army officer's reference in the late 18th century to "the River called by the Indians Ouragon." Still another possibility is that the name comes from the French word "ouragan," meaning "hurricane," because French explorers called the Columbia River "Le Fleuve aux Ouragans," or "Hurricane River," because of the strong winds gusting out of the Columbia Gorge.

Pennsylvania

• Joined United States: Dec. 12, 1787 (2nd state to join)

• Capital: Harrisburg

• Population: 12,823,989

If you remember your high school Latin, then it's easy to deconstruct the name "Pennsylvania, meaning "Penn's woods" or "Penn's land." The state was named after William Penn, who was granted the land by King Charles II of England in 1681. The "sylvania" suffix is derived from the Latin word for forest, which is sylva.

Rhode Island

• Joined United States: May 29, 1790 (13th state to join)

• Capital: Providence

• Population: 1,061,712

The origin of Rhode Island's name harks back to the Old World. The first mention of Rhode Island in writing was by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in the early 16th century. He referred to an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay that he compared to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Still, others connect the name to 17th century Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who called it "Roodt Eylandt," meaning "red island" because of its red clay.

South Carolina

• Joined United States: May 23, 1788 (8th state to join)

• Capital: Columbia

• Population: 5,088,916

Carolina, derived from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus), was named by King Charles II of England to honor his father, King Charles I in the 17th century. Carolina would eventually be divided into two colonies, North and South Carolina, in 1712.

South Dakota

• Joined United States: Nov. 2, 1889 (40th state to join)

• Capital: Pierre

• Population: 877,790

Both North and South Dakota get their name from the Sioux word for "friend" or "ally," though there is no definitive proof for this origin.

Tennessee

• Joined United States: June 1, 1796 (16th state to join)

• Capital: Nashville

• Population: 6,782,564

The name "Tennessee" may have come from Creek and Cherokee words, but it is uncertain where the Volunteer State got its name. Spanish explorer Juan Pardo first recorded the name in 1567 as he and his soldiers passed through a Cherokee village called "Tanasqui."

Texas

• Joined United States: Dec. 29, 1845 (28th state to join)

• Capital: Austin

• Population: 28,704,330

"Texas" comes from the Native American Caddo word "teyshas," which means "friends" or "allies." Some Native American people like the Caddo or the Hasinais used the word as a greeting. In time, the word came to refer to the area north of the Rio Grande and east of New Mexico.

Utah

• Joined United States: Jan. 4, 1896 (45th state to join)

• Capital: Salt Lake City

• Population: 3,159,345

Utah owes its origin to an Apache Indian word, "yuttahih," that means "people of the mountains" or "they who are higher up." In the Native American people's language, the word "ute" means "land of the sun."

Vermont

• Joined United States: March 4, 1791 (14th state to join)

• Capital: Montpelier

• Population: 623,960

French explorer Samuel de Champlain called the stunning Green Mountains of Vermont "Verd Mont," which is French for "green mountain."

Virginia

• Joined United States: June 25, 1788 (10th state to join)

• Capital: Richmond

• Population: 8,525,660

The state of Virginia was named after England's Queen Elizabeth I, who was also known as "The Virgin Queen." The lands in North America claimed by England in the 1600s were called "Virginia." Queen Elizabeth I granted Walter Raleigh the charter to create a colony.

Washington

• Joined United States: Nov. 11, 1889 (42nd state to join)

• Capital:  Olympia

• Population: 7,530,552

The state of Washington was named in honor of George Washington and is the only state named after the the nation's first president, or any U.S. president.

West Virginia

• Joined United States: June 20, 1863 (35th state to join)

• Capital: Charleston

• Population: 1,803,077

West Virginia split from Virginia when the 39 western counties of Virginia refused to secede from the Union during the Civil War. West Virginia came into being in 1863. For Virginia's name origin please look up Virginia on our list.

Wisconsin

• Joined United States: May 29, 1848 (30th state to join)

• Capital: Madison

• Population: 5,818,049

The Wisconsin Historical Society says Wisconsin was originally called "Meskonsing" and is the English rendering of a French version of a Miami Indian name for the Wisconsin River that runs through the center of the state. The society said that in the Miami people's language it meant, "this stream meanders through something red," a reference to the red sandstone bluffs of the Wisconsin Dells.

Wyoming

• Joined United States: July 10, 1890 (44th state to join)

• Capital: Cheyenne

• Population: 573,720

The name "Wyoming" is derived from the Delaware people's word "mecheweami-ing," meaning "at the big plains." Another possible origin for Wyoming's name is that it is an Algonquin word meaning "large prairie place."

 

How is a state made?

In the context of geography and politics, "state" can refer to a sovereign political entity, like a country, or to a constituent political unit within a larger federation, such as a US state.

According to one definition, a state is a community formed by people and exercising permanent power within a specified territory. According to international law, a state is typically defined as being based on the 1933 Montevideo Convention.

A state refers to a political unit with sovereignty over a given territory. While a state is more of a "political-legal abstraction," the definition of a nation is more concerned with political identity and cultural or historical factors

For most of prehistory, people lived in stateless societies. The earliest forms of states arose about 5,500 years ago. Over time societies became more stratified and developed institutions leading to centralized governments. These gained state capacity in conjunction with the growth of cities, which was often dependent on climate and economic development, with centralization often spurred on by insecurity and territorial competition.

Over time, varied forms of states developed, that used many different justifications for their existence (such as divine right, the theory of the social contract, etc.). Today, the modern nation state is the predominant form of state to which people are subject. Sovereign states have sovereignty; any ingroup's claim to have a state faces some practical limits via the degree to which other states recognize them as such. Satellite states are states that have de facto sovereignty but are often indirectly controlled by another state.

Definitions of a state are disputed. According to sociologist Max Weber, a "state" is a polity that maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, although other definitions are common. Absence of a state does not preclude the existence of a society, such as stateless societies like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that "do not have either purely or even primarily political institutions or roles". The degree and extent of governance of a state is used to determine whether it has failed.

Land surveys legally document and help demystify the boundaries and physical features of a plot of land. There are several reasons you may want a deeper understanding of these features, from determining property value for your mortgage lender to assessing the land ahead of building a new construction

Nomadic hunters are estimated to have arrived in Virginia around 17,000 years ago. Evidence from Daugherty's Cave shows it was regularly used as a rock shelter by 9,800 years ago. During the late Woodland period (500–1000 CE), tribes coalesced, and farming, first of corn and squash, began, with beans and tobacco arriving from the southwest and Mexico by the end of the period. Palisaded towns began to be built around 1200. The native population in the current boundaries of Virginia reached around 50,000 in the 1500s. Large groups in the area at that time included the Algonquian in the Tidewater region, which they referred to as Tsenacommacah, the Iroquoian-speaking Nottoway and Meherrin to the north and south, and the Tutelo, who spoke Siouan, to the west.

In response to threats from these other groups to their trade network, thirty or so Virginia Algonquian-speaking tribes consolidated during the 1570s under Wahunsenacawh, known in English as Chief Powhatan. Powhatan controlled more than 150 settlements that had a total population of around 15,000 in 1607. Three-fourths of the native population in Virginia, however, died from smallpox and other Old-World diseases during that century, disrupting their oral traditions and complicating research into earlier periods. Additionally, many primary sources, including those that mention Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas, were created by Europeans, who may have held biases or misunderstood native social structures and customs.

 

Colony of Virginia

Several European expeditions, including a group of Spanish Jesuits, explored the Chesapeake Bay during the 16th century. To help counter Spain's colonies in the Caribbean, Queen Elizabeth I of England supported Walter Raleigh's 1584 expedition to the Atlantic coast of North America. The name "Virginia" was used by Captain Arthur Barlowe in the expedition's report, and may have been suggested by Raleigh or Elizabeth (perhaps noting her status as the "Virgin Queen" or that they viewed the land as being untouched) or related to an Algonquin phrase, Wingandacoa or Windgancon, or leader's name, Wingina, as heard by the expedition. The name initially applied to the entire coastal region from South Carolina in the south to Maine in the north, along with the island of Bermuda. Raleigh's colony failed, but the potential financial and strategic gains still captivated many English policymakers. In 1606, King James I issued a charter for a new colony to the Virginia Company of London. The group financed an expedition under Christopher Newport that established a settlement named Jamestown in 1607.

Though more settlers soon joined, many were ill-prepared for the dangers of the new settlement. As the colony's president, John Smith secured food for the colonists from nearby tribes, but after he left in 1609, this trade stopped and a series of ambush-style killings between colonists and natives under Chief Powhatan and his brother began, resulting in mass starvation in the colony that winter. By the end of the colony's first fourteen years, over eighty percent of the roughly eight thousand settlers transported there had died. Demand for exported tobacco, however, fueled the need for more workers. Starting in 1618, the headright system tried to solve this by granting colonists farmland for their help attracting indentured servants. Enslaved Africans were first sold in Virginia in 1619. Though other Africans arrived as indentured servants and could be freed after four to seven years, the basis for lifelong slavery was developed in legal cases like those of John Punch in 1640 and John Casor in 1655. Laws passed in Jamestown defined slavery as race-based in 1661, as inherited maternally in 1662, and as enforceable by death in 1669.

In 1699, after the statehouse in Jamestown was destroyed by fire, the Colony of Virginia's capitol was moved to Williamsburg, where the College of William & Mary was founded six years earlier.

From the colony's start, residents agitated for greater local control, and in 1619, certain male colonists began electing representatives to an assembly, later called the House of Burgesses, that negotiated issues with the governing council appointed by the London Company. Unhappy with this arrangement, the monarchy revoked the company's charter and began directly naming governors and Council members in 1624. In 1635, colonists arrested a governor who ignored the assembly and sent him back to England against his will. William Berkeley was named governor in 1642, just as the turmoil of the English Civil War and Interregnum permitted the colony greater autonomy. As a supporter of the king, Berkeley welcomed other Cavaliers who fled to Virginia. He surrendered to Parliamentarians in 1652, but after the 1660 Restoration made him governor again, he blocked assembly elections and exacerbated the class divide by disenfranchising and restricting the movement of indentured servants, who made up around eighty percent of the workforce. On the colony's frontier, tribes like the Tutelo and Doeg were being squeezed by Seneca raiders from the north, leading to more confrontations with colonists. In 1676, several hundred working-class followers of Nathaniel Bacon, upset by Berkeley's refusal to retaliate against the tribes, burned Jamestown.

Bacon's Rebellion forced the signing of Bacon's Laws, which restored some of the colony's rights and sanctioned both attacks on native tribes and the enslavement of their people. The Treaty of 1677 further reduced the independence of the tribes that signed it, and aided the colony's assimilation of their land in the years that followed. Colonists in the 1700s were pushing westward into the area held by the Seneca and their larger Iroquois Nation, and in 1748, a group of wealthy speculators, backed by the British monarchy, formed the Ohio Company to start English settlement and trade in the Ohio Country west of the Appalachian Mountains. France, which claimed this area as part of New France, viewed this as a threat, and in 1754 the French and Indian War engulfed England, France, the Iroquois, and other allied tribes on both sides. A militia from several British colonies, called the Virginia Regiment, was led by Major George Washington, himself one of the investors in the Ohio Company.

In the decade following the French and Indian War, the British Parliament passed new taxes which were deeply unpopular in the colonies. In the House of Burgesses, opposition to taxation without representation was led by Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, among others. Virginians began to coordinate their actions with other colonies in 1773 and sent delegates to the Continental Congress the following year. After the House of Burgesses was dissolved in 1774 by the royal governor, Virginia's revolutionary leaders continued to govern via the Virginia Conventions. On May 15, 1776, the Convention declared Virginia's independence and adopted George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was then included in a new constitution that designated Virginia as a commonwealth. Another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, drew upon Mason's work in drafting the national Declaration of Independence. After the American Revolutionary War began, George Washington was selected by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to head the Continental Army, and many Virginians joined the army and revolutionary militias. Virginia was the first colony to ratify the Articles of Confederation in December 1777. In April 1780, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg's coastal location would make it vulnerable to British attack. British forces under Benedict Arnold did take Portsmouth in December 1780, and raided Richmond the following month. The British army had over seven thousand soldiers and twenty-five warships stationed in Virginia at the beginning of 1781, but General Charles Cornwallis and his superiors were indecisive, and maneuvers by the three thousand soldiers under the Marquis de Lafayette and twenty-nine allied French warships together managed to confine the British to a swampy area of the Virginia Peninsula in September. Around sixteen thousand soldiers under George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau quickly converged there and defeated Cornwallis in the siege of Yorktown. His surrender on October 19, 1781, led to peace negotiations in Paris and secured the independence of the colonies. Virginians were instrumental in writing the United States Constitution: James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan in 1787 and the Bill of Rights in 1789. Virginia ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788. The three-fifths compromise ensured that Virginia, with its large number of slaves, initially had the largest bloc in the House of Representatives. Together with the Virginia dynasty of presidents, this gave the Commonwealth national importance. Virginia is called the "Mother of States" because of its role in being carved into states such as Kentucky, and for the numbers of American pioneers born in Virginia.

Virginia is called a commonwealth because the term reflects its founding principles of popular sovereignty and the common good, emphasizing that the government exists to serve the well-being of its citizens. This designation was adopted when Virginia declared independence in 1776 and was formalized in its first constitution. 

A "commonwealth" refers to a political community founded for the common good, often implying a state or nation where supreme power is held by the people or their elected representatives. It can also denote a loose alliance of countries or states with shared interests or objectives. In the context of the United States, four states (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) officially designate themselves as commonwealths. 

 

Survey

From the founding of the colony, Virginia's surveyors and mapmakers charted westward expansion, internal development, and natural resources. Colonial surveyors were generally literate men who learned their craft from books on surveying or through experience. Among Virginia's early surveyors were John Henry (father of Patrick Henry), Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas Jefferson), and George Washington. Surveyors, especially those who were appointed as surveyors for a county, were key figures in colonial society. George Washington was not the only surveyor to use skill to increase his holdings of land, the basis of wealth and social status in colonial Virginia.

Virginians' pattern of settling land in advance of surveying was common to the southern colonies. A person interested in acquiring a land patent was not required to choose land contiguous to land already surveyed or land of a regular shape. Surveys by metes and bounds created tracts that reflected the owner's desire to choose the best land, no matter its location. The resulting surveys were irregularly shaped. Surveying on the frontier entailed considerable risk to the members of the surveying party as they tramped through unexplored swamps and forests and battled mosquitoes, disease, and snakes. 

The Virginia Company of London appointed a surveyor general for Virginia in 1621, and the crown continued to appoint surveyors general after Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. From 1693 until the Revolutionary War, the College of William and Mary was responsible for the Office of the Surveyor General, which appointed official surveyors and received one-sixth of the fees that they collected. The new Commonwealth of Virginia established the Land Office on 22 June 1779, which continued the earlier practice of transferring title to land only after a survey had been executed.

Confusion arose in the case of the Northern Neck Proprietary, more than five million acres controlled by the Fairfax family from about 1685, which the colonial government was forced to recognize after 1660. The Proprietary recognized titles granted previously by the government but maintained a separate land office until 1781. Surveys became part of the legal documentation that determined the boundaries of the Proprietary. Thomas, sixth baron Fairfax, retained control of the Proprietary through the Revolutionary War because he was not recognized as a British loyalist. At his death in 1781, however, the Commonwealth of Virginia considered Fairfax's heirs as loyalists and claimed control over the Proprietary. Ownership of Northern Neck Proprietary was finally decided in favor of Virginia in 1816.

       Surveys, as well as being exercises in mathematics, also reflected the artistic talents of their creators. Using pen and ink and watercolor, early surveyors and mapmakers produced maps that exemplified cartography as a craft. Notations of forests and settlements were individualistic, and each surveyor had his own method of drawing a compass rose. Colors added interest to surveys but generally had no symbolic function in maps.

Mapmaking changed rapidly during the Civil War. To meet the military's demand for maps of unfamiliar territory and troop movements, cartographers embraced technologies that made their work more accurate and that produced maps quickly for a wider distribution. Army mapmakers used lithography to produce maps quickly. They also embraced the new technology of photography to reproduce maps. Army engineers increasingly accepted standardized symbols to indicate natural features and human settlements. By the late 1800s mapmakers had incorporated scientific principles to create maps uniform in appearance.

Beginning in the 1850s, the use of lithography as an economical printing technology served a growing middle class that clamored for colorful images of cities or landmarks. Using an elevation or bird's-eye view of a scene or city, such as the view of Alexandria in 1862, artists and printmakers created a type of map called the panoramic map to decorate private homes and public buildings. In the 20th century, mapmakers and printers took the bird's-eye view one step further by using photographic techniques to map the landscape from airplanes and later from satellites.

Computers now enable mapmakers to develop Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which use a variety of methods to create multiple geographic databases. Maps are used today to plan urban development, to direct environmental projects, and to document the impact of human activity on the land.

The early maps of Virginia reflected the ideological perspectives of their makers and users. They also served both as political and as propaganda statements for the British, French, and Spanish explorers intent on colonizing the North American continent. Pamphlets, books, and engraved images encouraged settlement in America. John Smith's map of Virginia, first published in 1612, showed the new territory as a veritable Garden of Eden. In the early years of settlement, maps of Virginia presented the colony as though approached by the sea, with west at the top and north to the right. These maps used information gained from both American Indians and European explorers. The Appalachian Mountains formed a major barrier to discovery of what lay beyond. After explorers pushed past the mountains and mapmakers visually described the new explorations Virginians recognized the potential for trade, settlement, and mining.

For much of Virginia's early history, the Chesapeake Bay and its coastal rivers were crucial to developing a trans-Atlantic trade with Europe in tobacco and other agricultural products. Easy access to the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean from the many rivers hampered efforts to establish inland towns. The scattershot pattern of houses dotting maps of colonial Virginia reflects the relative ease with which farmers could transport their hogsheads of tobacco to British ports.

Expanding settlement of Virginia's interior produced demand for land surveys and plans of towns. The number and variety of maps thus formed a body of basic documents for mapmakers interested in defining larger areas of the colony. Surveyors such as Joshua Fry, Peter Jefferson, and John Henry made their own surveys but also used existing maps to create large-scale maps of the entire colony of Virginia.

The Fry-Jefferson map was the first map of the colony to show the correct orientation of the Appalachian range through which ran the Great Wagon Road that connected Philadelphia with North Carolina. Having worked on surveys of both the Virginia-North Carolina boundary and the boundaries of the Northern Neck Proprietary, Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson incorporated those completed surveys into their map. Commissioned in 1750 by the Board of Trade and Plantations in England, Fry and Jefferson completed their map of the colony in 1751. The map was first published in 1754 with an elaborate cartouche that emphasized Virginia's dependence on a tobacco economy based on chattel slavery.

Maps of Virginia during the mid-1700s expressed British claims at the expense of competing French and Spanish claims. In 1755 John Mitchell published a large map of North America to show where French and British claims overlapped. The American and British diplomats consulted the map extensively to draw up the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. European countries expected the new United States of America to stay within the treaty boundaries, but the new country intended to push its boundaries deeper into the interior. Virginia's claim to the West suggested a vision of an empire controlled by the eastern states.

Virginians in the new nation turned their energies to creating a commercial empire that would extend Virginia's influence to the Ohio River and beyond. Virginia and other states scrambled to create canals and establish road systems in a race to control the potential wealth of the trans-Appalachian interior. Throughout the 19th century, Virginia focused on developing internal transportation systems to funnel goods from the West to its eastern ports.

Numerous companies attempted to raise funds for canal construction. The James River and Kanawha Company was founded in 1785 at the insistence of George Washington. After Andrew Alexander's 1814 survey of the headwaters of the James to determine the extent to which the James was navigable revealed the potential for development, the commonwealth of Virginia began to oversee the internal improvement projects. On 5 February 1816 the General Assembly established the Board of Public Works and created a fund for "the purpose of rendering navigable, and uniting by canals, the principal rivers, and of more intimately connecting, by public highways, the different parts of this Commonwealth." The Board of Public Works invested public money in the development of the state's infrastructure after private funds had been subscribed. With oversight by its principal engineer, the Board developed maps as planning documents that individuals and companies used to develop natural resources, understand demographics, and to plan turnpikes and railroads.

The commonwealth also commissioned a map of the state based on extensive county surveys, which John Wood executed and Herman Boye then completed and compiled. Published in 1827, their creation served as the basic map of the state until its revision in 1859. Specialized maps, such as Claudius Crozet's internal improvement map of 1848, detailed the routes of canals and railroads, as well as locations of Virginia's rich coalfields, and were distributed not only to document the internal improvements of the state, but also to advertise the economic potential of the commonwealth. William Barton Rogers led a geological survey of the state from 1835 to 1841, Rogers's map of Virginia's geological divisions remained unpublished until 1876 when Jedidiah Hotchkiss included a map based on Rogers's data in a volume on the state's natural resources. Maps of Virginia's coalfields and iron ore deposits, such as Charles R. Boyd's 1881 map of southwestern Virginia, served as documents of Virginia's mineral resources and also as enticements to development in the state's western counties.

Corporations and private citizens create maps to claim property, assert legal rights, seek justice, and further their individual economic interests. In so doing, they record the values and concerns of their culture and society. Virginians have produced a wide variety of maps documenting everything from land disputes to the location of burial grounds. Maps of cities range from simple plats of lots to complicated documents displaying population densities, personal economic status, and crime rates. Land development companies printed inexpensive maps to advertise their lots for sale. Maps reflected the growing tourist trade beginning in the mid-1800s, and today's official state map distributed annually by the Virginia Department of Transportation highlights the many tourist destinations in the state.

Maps of cities and towns also include maps used by fire insurance companies that detail the changes in building materials and the development of public services. Policies of the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, founded in 1794, include plans of the insured buildings, information about their size, composition, and locations. After the Civil War standardized insurance maps, such as those created by the Sanborn Company, used color to indicate building materials, building types, and roof types as well as water mains and the location of fire hydrants. Insurance maps enabled owners and city leaders to assess the fire potential for any block in the city.

When laying out towns and cities, surveyors imposed a grid pattern that often ignored the natural contours and features of the landscape. In the 1737 plan by William Mayo and James Wood, Richmond appeared flat despite the reality of hilly terrain and creeks running through the town to the James River. Town planning using grids facilitated sale of standard lots. From the 1930s city governments have used maps to understand their cities and to plan urban development, including transportation arteries, parks, schools, and shopping centers. City plans, such as the 1934 plan of Lynchburg, merged base maps with statistical data that planners used to predict growth, manage transportation, and develop commercial centers.

The City of Richmond

·                Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Great Indian Warpath had a branch that led from present-day Lynchburg to present-day Richmond.

·                By 1607, Chief Powhatan had inherited the so known as the chiefdom of about 4–6 tribes, with its base at the Fall Line near present-day Richmond and with political domain over much of eastern Tidewater Virginia, an area known to the Powhatans as "Tsenacommacah."

17th century

1600s-1610s

·                1607 (May) – Capt. Christopher Newport leads a party of Englishmen on an exploration and they first visit "Pawatah", one of the capitals of the Powhatan Confederacy, at Shockoe hill overlooking the falls.

·                1608 (September) – Newport returns to the falls with 120 soldiers, to explore the Monacan country upriver.^[1]

·                1609 (September) – Captain John Smith, now President of Virginia Colony, sends another force of 120 men under Francis West to settle "West's Fort" in what is now the Rockett's neighborhood; Smith then purchases the Powhatan village from the chief Parahunt and renames it "Nonsuch", however, the native inhabitants resist the settlers, forcing them to return to Jamestown.

·                1610–1614 – First Anglo-Powhatan War resulting in a seven-year "Peace of Pocahontas" between the English and the Powhatan confederacy.

·                1610 (Fall) – Lord De La Warr, brother of Francis West and now colony governor, makes another attempt to establish a fort at the falls, but it too is abandoned in early 1611. He ultimately established West and Sherley Hundred in 1613.

·                1611 – The English establish Henricus a few miles downstream and make no further attempt to occupy the falls of the James for the time being.

·                1612 – Sir Thomas Dale and 350 others move to the upper James with intent on developing a settlement outside Jamestown.

·                1613 – Sir Thomas Dale establishes Charles City Point at the confluence of the Appomattox and James rivers and remarks how this area (Bermuda Hundred) resembles the newly settled Virginia colony of Bermuda.

·                1614 – On April 5, John Rolfe marries Pocahontas and they move to Varina Farms (across the James River from Henricus). For the next two years, they develop Nicotiana tabacum tobacco as a viable cash crop. Their son Thomas Rolfe is born here in 1615.

·                1617 – Rector and charter colonist of Henricus Alexander Whitaker drowns in the James River.

·                1619

o        Falling Creek Ironworks is built at confluence of Falling Creek with the James River.

o        Thomas Dowse and John Polentine represent Henrico Cittie in the first meeting of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown

o        After 38 settlers arrive safely at Berkeley Hundred, Thanksgiving is celebrated Berkeley Plantation on December 4.

o        Samuel Jordan settles at Jordan's Journey (Jordan Point).

1620s-1640s

·                March 1622 – Henricus abandoned after Indian massacre of 1622

·                From 1622 to 1632 the Second Anglo-Powhatan War made living away from Jamestown treacherous for colonial settlers. Attempts to continue settlement at Henricus continued, but only 22 inhabitants and 10 "dwelling houses" were there in May 1625.

·                1634 – The Virginia shire system is established, with most of Central Virginia included in Henrico Shire.^[8] with the county seat at Varina

·                1635 – Captain Thomas Harris plants a tobacco farm at Curles Neck

·                1636 – Fur trader Captain Henry Fleet drove the Appomattoc away from the falls of the Appomatox River, built a fort, and thereby opened that area for settlement.

·                1637 – William Farrar finally receives patent for the 2,000-acre tract around Henricus that he had abandoned in 1622. This ownership bestowed the family name to Farrar's Island.

·                1644–1645 – Third Anglo-Powhatan War

·                1645 – To secure the border between the English and the Native Americans, the English built Fort Charles built at falls of the James and Fort Henry (commanded by Abraham Wood) at the falls of the Appomattox River.

·                1646

o        Opchanacanough dies, and leaves Necotowance as the Weroance (chief) of the Pamunkey tribe.

o        Peace Treaty of 1646 ends Anglo-Powhatan War by giving English control of territory as far west as Mowhemencho (now Bernard's Creek on the James in Powhatan County, Virginia), as well as granted an exclusive enclave between the York and Blackwater Rivers. This physically separated the Nansemonds, Weyanokes and Appomattox, who retreated southward, from the other Powhatan tribes then occupying the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, and effectively ends the Powhatan Confederacy

·                1647 – Location of Fort Charles moved across the James River to "Manastoh", now Southside Richmond.

·                1649 – Necotowance dies, leaving Totopotomoi as the chief of the Pamunkeys.

1650s-1670s

·                1654 – New Kent County was created from York County. The county's name originated because several prominent inhabitants, including William Claiborne, recently had been forced from their settlement at Kent Island, Maryland by Lord Baltimore upon the formation of Maryland.

·                1656

o        Battle of Bloody Run -- Mahocks, Nahyssans and Rehecrechians, recently defeated by the Five Nations in the Beaver Wars, camp at what is now called Church Hill. They combat a combined force of English and Pamunkey, and the spring runs red with blood, including that of dead Pamunkey chief Totopotomoi. Cockacoeske becomes chief of the Pamunkeys.

o        Theodorick Bland of Westover acquires the previously abandoned Jordan's Journey (Jordan Point) tract.

·                1658—The first Indian reservation in the New World, the Pamunkey Indian Reservation, is established east of present-day Richmond.

·                1660 -- Theodorick Bland of Westover marries Anne Bennett, the daughter of the former Puritan governor Richard Bennett. (Bennett had been appointed colonial governor under Oliver Cromwell April 30, 1652, to March 31, 1655.)

·                1663 – Henry Randolph I builds Swift Creek Mill (widely believed to be one of the first grist mills in the United States. )

·                1670s – between May and July, John Lederer leads an expedition from Fort Charles (now Richmond) exploring the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Catawba River near what is now Charlotte. He returns in July to Fort Henry (now Petersburg).

·                1670s – Nathaniel Bacon arrives from England and purchases land in the frontier of Virginia: at Curles Neck Plantation

·                1673 – William Byrd I is granted lands at the falls and establishes a trading post and small settlement.

·                1675 – Wood's son-in-law, Peter Jones commands Fort Henry and opens a trading post nearby, known as Peter's Point. (~75 years later, Peter's Point would be merged with nearby Blandford and incorporated as Petersburg, Virginia)

·                1676

o        The Pamunkeys (led by Cockacoeske) and other tribes assist Nathaniel Bacon in his rebellion.

o        After Bacon's rebellion occurs at Jamestown, William Randolph (a recent arrival from England) purchases Bacon's land and other land holdings along the James river in Henrico.

·                1677 – Charles II of England signs the Treaty of 1677, making peace with Virginia Indians, including such Richmond-area tribes as the Monicans (west of the falls) and the Appomattoc (near modern-day Tricities, Virginia).

1680s-1690s

·                1685 – Cleric James Blair arrives from London to become the rector of Henrico Parish in Varina.

·                1688 – Protestants King William and Queen Mary II of England depose Catholic James II of England in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution and institute the Toleration Act 1688. It is not immediately clear whether this act applies in the colonies, and Virginia remains largely Anglican (free of English Dissenters).

·                1689 -- Reverend Dr. James Blair, becomes became commissary (making him the Anglican bishop's representative in America and the Virginia colony's top religious leader).

·                1691 – King and Queen County is created from New Kent County

·                1693 – Blair obtains a royal charter/Letters patent for The College of William and Mary in Virginia, and departs Varina to Middle Plantation (soon to be Williamsburg) to become president for the next 50 years.

·                1699 – The Monacan abandon their town Mowhemencho, moving to North Carolina to escape Iroquois pressure.

·                1700 – King William III orders Virginia Governor Francis Nicholson to make land grants for settling French Huguenot refugees in the recently abandoned Monacan regions (in part to be a buffer between the Indians and English). Between November 1700 and August 1701, five shiploads of French Protestants arrive in Virginia and Mannakin Town is built, now Manakin-Sabot) to include a Non-Anglican church.

18th century

1700s-1740s

·                1702

o        King William County is created out of King and Queen County

o        First burial in Blandford Cemetery.

·                1703 – Prince George County was formed from a portion of Charles City County south of the James River. It was named in honor of Prince George of Denmark, husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. (Anne reigned over Great Britain starting in 1702)

·                1704 William Byrd II inherits his father's estates

·                1710 William Randolph's 2nd son Thomas begins building Tuckahoe Plantation near Manakin Town.

·                1719 – Hanover County was created on November 26, 1719, from the area of New Kent County called St. Paul's Parish.

·                1728

o        Goochland County (named after the new royal lieutenant governor Sir William Gooch is formed; this is the first county formed from Henrico Shire.

o        Caroline County was established from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties.

·                1730 -

o        the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 establishes a tobacco inspection at Warwick and at "Shockoe's upon Col. Byrd's land"

o        by this year, Three Notch'd Road is widely used to connect the Richmond area to the Shenandoah Valley

o        Henry Cary builds Ampthill at Falling Creek

·                1733 – Richmond named by William Byrd II, after Richmond upon Thames, England.

·                1735

o        Amelia County was created from parts of Prince George and Brunswick counties. It was named in honor of Princess Amelia of Great Britain.

o        Blandford Church build next to Blandford Cemetery

·                1737 – Street grid laid out.

·                After George Whitefield's 1739–1740 tour (particularly his 1739 sermon at Williamsburg), the First Great Awakening takes hold in Virginia.

·                1741

o        St. John's Episcopal Church built.

o        William Randolph II dies, and his son Beverley inherits the Westham Plantation.

·                1742 – Town of Richmond incorporated.

o        Louisa County was established in 1742 from Hanover County

·                1744

o        William Byrd II dies. Byrd III goes to London to study law and will not return until 1748

o        Virginia General Assembly creates Albemarle County from the western portion of Goochland County.

o        Peter Jefferson moves his family (including two-year-old Thomas Jefferson) from his Shadwell estate (in Albemarle County) to Tuckahoe Plantation in Goochland County to become guardian of dying William Randolph III's four children.

·                1748 – Samuel Davies becomes the first non-Anglican minister licensed by the Virginia Governor's Council, and ministers to several non-Anglican churches in the area including Byrd Presbyterian Church (founded 1748) in Goochland, Polegreen Church (founded 1743) in Hanover County, and Providence Presbyterian Church (founded 1747) in Louisa County).

·                1749

o        Chesterfield County is created from land carved out of Henrico County.

o        Cumberland County is created from land carved out of Goochland County.

1750s-1790s

·                1750

o        Old Stone House built (approximate date).

o        Archibald Cary opens up the Chesterfield Forge near his family plantation at Falling Creek

o        circa 1750, Wm Byrd III builds a "small but elegant" house called Belvedere on a parcel of land that is known today as Oregon Hill.

·                1751 – After Beverley Randolph dies, his brother Peter Randolph carries through plans to sell lots and create the town of Westham, Virginia. Westham provides merchants an upriver storage alternative to Byrd III's warehouse at the falls.

·                1752

o        The county seat of Henrico County moves from Varina to the falls of the James.

o        Dinwiddie County was formed May 1, 1752, from Prince George County. The county is named for Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 1751–58.

·                1755 – On October 3, Samuel Davies and regional presbyterian leaders founded the Hanover Presbytery

·                1756–1761 – William Byrd III serves in the French and Indian War and rises to command the Virginia Regiment

·                1762 – Petersburg expands by adding a 28-acre parcel of land north of the Appomattox River (this north parcel was known in 1749 as Wittontown and in 1752 as Pocahontas). For this reason, the original area of Petersburg became known as "Old Town."

·                1765 – Peter Randolph, William Byrd III, and Thomas Jefferson form a company to build a canal around the James River.^[38]

·                1768 – William Byrd III sells off many Richmond-area lots in a land lottery in a failed bid to cover his gambling debts. (He went broke and committed suicide in 1777)

·                1775

o        Second Virginia Convention held at St. John's Episcopal Church where Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death!"

o        James River bateau begin to ply the waters between Lynchburg and Richmond.

·                1777 – In May 1777, the Virginia General Assembly created Powhatan County out of land from the eastern portion of Cumberland County between the Appomattox and James rivers.

·                1780

o        Under Governor Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia capital moves to Richmond from Williamsburg to make it more secure from British attack.

o        The Richmond Baptist Church was established, now known as First Baptist Church.

·                1781

o        January 1 – 19, 1781—Turncoat Benedict Arnold sets fire to the city and area plantations during his infamous Raid of Richmond

o        On April 25, 1781, the British, under the command of MG William Phillips defeat Baron Von Steuben, Peter Muhlenberg and 1000 men at the Battle of Blandford in the Petersburg area.

o        Later on, in May, the Marquis de Lafayette defends Richmond from the British.

o        May 20, Cornwallis reached Petersburg on May 20 and begins to pursue Lafayette around Central Virginia just prior to the culminating battle in Yorktown that occurred in October 1781.

o        On June 3, 1781, Tarleton departs from his camp on the North Anna River and heads towards Charlottesville to capture the Virginia State government that was in hiding there. Yankee Jack Jouett makes his famous 40-mile ride from Cuckoo Tavern to warn the Virginia government.

·                1785

o        Virginia State Capitol building constructed.

o        Mason's Hall built.

o        One of the Midlothian's first coal mines, Black Heath opens.

·                1786 – Richmond Theatre opens.

·                1788

o        Virginia Ratifying Convention meets at Richmond's theater in Court End from June 2 through June 27 and agrees to ratify the US Constitution.

o        Amicable Society organized.

o        Legislative acts take Nottoway Parish, a district of Amelia County, and establish a new county, Nottoway County.

o        Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome forms the first Jewish congregation in Virginia and the sixth oldest congregation in the United States. The congregation would not build a synagogue until 1822.

·                1790

o        Population: 3,761.

o        James River Company opens the first commercial canal in the United States, stretching from Richmond to Westham and paralleling the James for 7 miles (11 km).

o        Then still a politician and lawyer, future Supreme Court justice John Marshall builds a house near the new state capitol building in Court End

·                1790s – Gallego Flour Mills starts up.

·                1795 – Bushrod Washington purchased William Byrd III's former estate, Belvidere, from outgoing Governor Light-Horse Harry Lee and lives there until his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1798

·                1799 - The City of Richmond purchased two parcels of land, for the main purpose of becoming the city's municipal burying grounds. Land acquired on the northern end of Shockoe Hill was originally intended for white interments (see Shockoe Hill Cemetery and Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District). Land acquired in Shockoe Valley was used to establish the Burial Ground for Negroes, for the interment of free people of color and the enslaved. It is now referred to as the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground.

·                1800

o        Population: 5,704

o        Gabriel's Rebellion

19th century

1800s-1810s

·                1803 – James T. Callender drowns in the James River. The controversial Scottish-American journalist was editor of the Federalist "Richmond Recorder" newspaper and had been slated to testify in the People v. Croswell case. Callender had also reported in a series of articles that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children by his slave Sally Hemings.

·                1804

o        Thomas Ritchie bought out the Republican newspaper the Richmond Enquirer in 1804, and as editor and publisher for 41 years, made it a financial and political success. Thomas Jefferson said of the Enquirer, "I read but a single newspaper, Ritchie's Enquirer, the best that is published or ever has been published in America."

o        a turnpike from Midlothian opens (although it does not reach the falls of the James until 1807).

o        Abraham B. Venable becomes founding president of the Bank of Virginia

·                1807

o        Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall (a resident of Richmond) presides over the Burr conspiracy trial in Richmond.

o        Soldier, statesman, and Burr jury foreman Edward Carrington begins the first of his two terms (1807–1808 and 1809–1810) as mayor of Richmond.

·                1810

o        Theatre built.

o        Major John Clarke and prominent lawyer William Wirt build the Bellona Foundry near the Midlothian coal mines on the James River above the rapids. (In 1816, the Bellona Arsenal would be built here by the US Government.)

·                1811

o        Richmond Theatre fire in Court End kills many prominent citizens.

o        Virginia Governor's Mansion built.

o        One of Virginia's first charitable institutions, the Female Humane Association is founded in Richmond.

·                1812 – Lawyer and businessman John Wickham builds his house on Clay Street in the fashionable Court End neighborhood.

·                1813 – June 16, 1813–11-year Society of the Cincinnati president and former governor (1796–1799) James Wood dies in Richmond.

·                1814 – Monumental Church (designed by architect Robert Mills) built in Court End on the site of the 1811 theater fire.

·                1815

o        Richmond Enquirer newspaper begins publication.

o        Phoenix Burying Ground founded, now part of the Barton Heights Cemeteries.

·                1816

o        The "Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground" was established by the City of Richmond on Shockoe Hill at 5th and Hospital Street. It was referred to at the time as the "Burying Ground for Free People of Colour" and the "Burying Ground for Negroes" (the enslaved) on the city's 1816 plan.

o        The "Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground" (or African Burial Ground in Shockoe Bottom) historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes" in Shockoe Valley (Shockoe Bottom) was closed upon the opening of the Shockoe Hill African Burying ground.

·                1818 – Dr. John Brockenbrough, Scottish-born president of the Bank of Virginia, builds a house in Court End.

1820s-1830s

·                1820

o        Pope Pius VII establishes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond on July 11, 1820.

o        With burial grounds at St. John's churchyard largely full, Shockoe Hill Cemetery was established as the first city-owned burial ground in Richmond. The first burial did not take place until 1822.

o        The 2nd Baptist Church was founded July 12,1820.

·                1823

o        State Library founded.

o        Colonization Society of Virginia formed.

·                1824

o        During the Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States, Lafayette stops in Richmond at least twice; once in October 1824 and once in January/February 1825.

o        Mary Randolph publishes The Virginia House-Wife

·                1826 – a turnpike opens between Manchester (modern day downtown Richmond) and Petersburg, Virginia

·                1828 – Virginia Randolph Cary publishes "Letters on Female Character, Addressed to a Young Lady, on the Death of Her Mother," an influential advice book.

·                1830 – Population: 6,056.

·                1831

o        Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society founded.

o        Nicholas Mills opens the 13-mile Chesterfield Railroad to carry coal from Midlothian to the falls of the James.

·                1832 – Richmond College opens.

·                1833

o        Third Baptist Church (later known as Grace Street Baptist, and now Grace Baptist Church) was organized by members of Second Baptist Church.

o        Petersburg Railroad opens, connecting Petersburg to the North Carolina border in Garysburg, North Carolina

·                1834

o        Typographical Society formed.

o        Southern Literary Messenger opens (hires Edgar Allan Poe as a staff writer in 1835)

o        The first Catholic church in Richmond, St. Peter's Church is erected.

·                1835 -- Bosher Dam built across the James River and several Lock-Keeper's Houses built as part of the continued construction of the James River and Kanawha Canal.

·                1836

o        Midlothian Coal Mining Company is organized with A. S. Wooldridge as president. Four shafts are Pump Shaft, Middle Shaft, Grove Shaft, and Wood Shaft.

o        Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad opens from Richmond to Hazel Run in 1836. It would not reach Fredericksburg until January 23, 1837, and reach the rest of the way to the Potomac River at Aquia Creek until September 30, 1842.

·                1837 – Tredegar Iron Works in business.

·                1838

o        Richmond and Petersburg Railroad opens.

o        The Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College (later known as the Medical College of Virginia) is founded in Richmond. It temporarily rents out the Union Hotel

1840s-1850s

·                1840

o        Population: 20,153.

o        1840: the Bosher Dam opens on the James river at the site of the Fore's Fish Dam that had been built in 1823.

o        A Baptist Seminary founded in 1830 was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly as Richmond College (First degree was not conferred until 1849)

·                1841

o        After the Panic of 1837 froze the railroad construction boom, the struggling Tredegar Iron Works hires Assistant State Engineer and Virginia Board of Public Works employee Joseph R. Anderson in 1841. By 1848, Anderson would become its owner.

o        First African Baptist Church founded.

o        Richmond Library Association formed.

o        With increased German and Eastern European immigration, 100 Jews break away from the Sephardic "Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome" synagogue to form the Ashkenazi Congregation Beth Ahabah.

·                1842

o        The City of Richmond was officially part of Henrico County until 1842, when it became a fully independent city.

o        On March 17, Charles Dickens stays at the Exchange Hotel in Richmond and met with newspaperman Thomas Ritchie, politician James Lyons, Senate of Virginia members Charles J. Faulkner, William Ballard Preston, and acting governor John Rutherfoord.

o        German immigrant William Thalhimer opens Thalhimers dry goods store.

·                1843 – Saint John's German Lutheran Evangelical Church founded.

·                1844 – Robert Lumpkin purchases what would become an infamous a slave jail in Shockoe Bottom.

·                1845

o        Second Presbyterian Church founded.

o        The Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College (later known as Medical College of Virginia) builds its first permanent structure, the Egyptian Building in Court End.

·                1847 – On March 9, 1847, the Richmond and Danville Railroad is chartered. Andrew Talcott began construction in 1849, reached Coalfield Station in 1850, and completed work to Danville in 1856.

·                1849 – Hollywood Cemetery established.

·                1850 – Population: 27,570.

o        Shockoe Hill Burying-ground is increased by 14 acres. Five acres were added to the walled Shockoe Hill Cemetery for white interments, and 9 acres, plus the grounds of the City Hospital were added to the portion of the Burying-ground for Coloured People (a.k.a. the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground). (Common Council Minutes 1848–1852, January 16, 1850)

·                1851

o        Monroe Park laid out.

o        James River and Kanawha Canal built.

·                1852

o        Gesangverein Virginia formed.

o        Virginia State Agricultural Society organized.

·                1853 – Richmond and York River Railroad connects to York River port of West Point, Virginia

·                1854

o        Virginia Mechanics Institute founded.

o        Woman's College opens.

o        the Southside Railroad acquires City Point Railroad and completes connections between City Point and Lynchburg

·                1856

o        Richmond and Danville Railroad in operation; Ashland, Virginia founded as a mineral springs resort along the train line.

o        Oakwood Cemetery established.

·                1858

o        Ebenezer Baptist Church, originally known as the Third African Baptist Church was founded.

o        Washington Monument unveiled on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol.

o        Thirty-one-year-old engineer William Mahone completes the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, lessening Richmond and Petersburg's role in export shipping trade.

1860s-1870s

·                1860 - Population: 37,910.

·                1861

o        Richmond becomes capital of Confederate States of America.

o        Chimborazo Hospital opens.

o        Libby Prison in operation.

·                1862

o        from March to July the Peninsula Campaign brings several Civil War battles near Richmond including the Seven Days Battles, Battle of Drewry's Bluff, Battle of Hanover Court House, and the Battle of Seven Pines.

o        Virginian and former US President John Tyler dies while staying at the Exchange Hotel and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

·                1863 – April 2: Bread riot.

·                1864

o        May 4 – June 24, 1864 Overland Campaign

o        May Bermuda Hundred Campaign

§     Port Walthall Junction (May 6–7, 1864) destroying Port Walthall

§     Swift Creek (May 9)

§     Chester Station (May 10)

§     Proctor's Creek (May 12–16)

§     Ware Bottom Church (May 20)

o        May 31 – June 12 Battle of Cold Harbor

·                1864–1865 – Richmond-Petersburg Campaign

·                1865 -

o        April 2 – Richmond business district burned by retreating Confederate forces.

o        THE WAR ENDS Mayor Joseph Mayo surrenders to Union Army forces at Tree Hill. Richmonder and Union Spy Elizabeth Van Lew is the first to hoist the US flag in Richmond.

o        April – Francis Harrison Pierpont relocates Restored Government of Virginia to Richmond.

o        Allen & Ginter Toboacco company forms.

o        State Planters Bank Of Commerce And Trusts (later Crestar Bank) is founded in Richmond.

o        American Baptist Home Mission Societies form two schools Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary to train freed blacks. These were merged to become Virginia Union University in 1899

·                1866 – Richmond National Cemetery established.

·                1867

o        Black suffrage granted.

o        Colver Institute organized.

·                1868

o        With passage of Reconstruction Acts, Richmond becomes part of First Military District during Reconstruction Era, which would last until 1870

o        Richmonder Williams Carter Wickham (president of the war-battered Virginia Central Railroad) becomes the president of Chesapeake and Ohio in 1868, when the Virginia Central merges with the Covington and Ohio Railroad to form the C&O.

o        Virginia Methodists relocate Randolph–Macon College from Boydton, Virginia in Southside Virginia to make it closer to rail service.

·                1870

o        A tragic collapse at the Virginia State Capitol occurs as the overly large crowd seeks remove Reconstruction Era mayor George Chahoon. Sixty-two people were killed and 251 injured.

o        Mann Valentine II formulates "Valentine's Meat Juice" to cure his ailing wife and begins to market it aggressively throughout the 1870s.

o        Population: 51,038.

o        First municipal election where Freedmen can vote.

·                1871 – Life Insurance Company of Virginia forms in Petersburg and eventually moves to Richmond.

·                1873

o        Lewis Ginter returns from New York after Panic of 1873 and forms the Allen & Ginter tobacco company with John Allen.

o        Richmond achieves railroad connection to the Ohio River. The final spike ceremony for the 428-mile (689 km) long C&O line from Richmond to the Ohio River was held on January 29, 1873, at Hawk's Nest railroad bridge in the New River Valley, near the town of Ansted in Fayette County, West Virginia.^[81]

·                1874

o        P.H. Mayo & Bros. open a cigarette-manufacturing tobacco company in 1874, further expanding the city's economic importance to the tobacco industry.

o        Richmond's Board of Alderman approves the construction of Chimborazo Park which is completed over the following decade.

·                1875 – The city begins to acquire land that would become Byrd Park and construct a new municipal waterworks system around it.

·                1876 P.H. Mayo & Bros. have a tobacco display in the agricultural building at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Centennial Exposition, the first official World's Fair in the United States

·                1877

o        Westmoreland Club formed.^[84]

o        Algernon Sidney Buford, Thomas M. Logan, and other members of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, form the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company to create Bon Air, Virginia on a tract of land Buford had purchased 2 years earlier.

·                1879 - The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground was closed to new burials due to overcrowded conditions.

1880s-1890s

·                1880

o        James H. Dooley opens the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal.

o        Population: 63,600.

·                1881 – C&O completes its Peninsula_Extension (Richmond's Fulton Yard and Church Hill Tunnel are part of this development). The line enables West Virginia Coal to be shipped through Richmond to Newport News shipyards. It opens just in time for the Yorktown Centennial.

·                1882

o        A New Pump-House is constructed upriver from the old one, and New Reservoir Park opens (approximate date).

o        Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute established in Ettrick (Virginia State University)

o        The Richmond Planet newspaper was founded by 13 of Richmond's former enslaved. It was initially edited by Edmund Archer Randolph, the first African American graduate of Yale Law School.

·                1883 – Hartshorn Memorial College opens.

o        Entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson begins his career as a child, performing as a "pick" in Richmond area Minstrel shows.

·                1884

o        21-year-old John Mitchell, Jr. joins the staff of the Richmond Planet, an African-American newspaper.

o        As the first major league baseball team in the south, the Richmond Virginians form in the American Association and last one year before folding.

·                1885

o        Miller, Rhoads, & Gerhart in business.

o        The Robert E. Lee Camp, No. 1 Confederate Soldier Home opens (current site of VMFA.

o        Chiswell Langhorne (tobacco auctioneer and railroad industrialist) moves family to Richmond. Langhorne's daughter Irene, would marry illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in 1895 and become one of the first Gibson Girl models.

·                1886 – Richmond Daily Times begins publication.

·                1887

o        German-American pharmacist Conrad Frederick Sauer founds the C. F. Sauer Company.

o        Richmond Locomotive Works opens

·                1888

o        Richmond Union Passenger Railway (electric trolley) begins operating.

o        The Richmond News Leader newspaper begins publication.

·                1889

o        Four years before the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition is to open, Chicago businessman Charles F. Gunther purchases Civil-War era Libby Prison, dismantles it brick-by-brick, and reassembles it in Chicago as a war museum for Northern veterans.

o        Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities founded.

·                1890

o        A statue of Robert E. Lee is unveiled on the new Monument Avenue, one of six large monuments that will eventually be built.

o        Monopolistic practices by James B. Duke force Allen & Ginter to join the American Tobacco Company trust, with Lewis Ginter joining the ATC as a board member.

o        St. Catherine's School, a girl’s prep school, opens.

o        Richmond Camera Club founded.

o        Population: 81,388.

·                1891

o        Rosemary Library Association chartered.

o        Evergreen Cemetery, a private African-American cemetery in the East End, is founded.

·                1892 – Randolph-Macon Academy prep school opens in Ashland

·                1894

o        The city of Richmond opens a brand new gothic-styled City Hall.

o        Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument unveiled.

o        After the Richmond Terminal Company went bankrupt in 1892, J. P. Morgan merged the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the Richmond and York River Railroad, and other holdings into the Southern Railway (U.S.) based in Washington, D.C.

·                1895

o        Lewis Ginter opens both the Ginter Park development and his Jefferson Hotel.

o        Intense land development of the Fan district and Museum District begins westward from the Lee Monument

·                1896 – Sons of Confederate Veterans is formed in Richmond. Confederate Museum opens in Court End.

·                1898

o        Valentine Museum opens.

o        Union Theological Seminary relocates to Richmond.

·                1899

o        William R. Trigg Shipbuilding Company opens. On October 31, President William McKinley and members of his cabinet came to Richmond to watch the launch of the USS Shubrick (TB-31) Two months later, the USS Stockton (TB-32) launches.

o        Lewis Ginter convinces Hampden–Sydney College to move its theological department from Farmville, Virginia to Ginter Park, establishing what is now the Union Presbyterian Seminary. The Training School for Lay Workers would not be established until 1914.

·                1900

o        Population: 85,050.

o        James H. Dooley, veteran of several rail mergers in the South, helps organize the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and serves as chairman of SAL's executive council.

o        Seaboard Airline constructs part of its railroad tracks on top of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, immediately south of the Bacon's Quarter Branch. This track connects directly to Main St. Station.

20th century

1900s-1910s

·                1901

o        Main Street Station completed, built by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O).

o        C&O also completes the 3-mile-long Peninsula Subdivision Trestle as an alternative route to the Church Hill Tunnel. This establishes the Triple Crossing.

o        As part of the Southern Railway expansion under Samuel Spencer, the Hull Street Station opens just south of the James River in Manchester.

o        Maggie L. Walker announces her intent to found St. Luke Penny Savings Bank through the Independent Order of St. Luke

·                1903

o        Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper begins publication.

o        The Richmond News Leader newspaper begins publication.

o        St. Luke Penny Savings Bank chartered. (bank approved by a new agency called the Virginia Corporation Commission, and opens November 2, 1903)

o        Gilded Age hotel Hotel Richmond built overlooking the State Capitol grounds.

·                1905

o        Population: 92,000

o        Cathedral of the Sacred Heart built with funds from tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate Thomas Fortune Ryan.

o        Richmond Public Library Association formed.

o        Frank Jay Gould establishes the Richmond and Chesapeake Bay Railway interurban from Richmond to Ashland

o        As part of a drinking water project, Williams Island Dam is built west of the rapids and an L-shaped annex is added to the Byrd Park Pump House

·                1906 – Chester High School (current day Thomas Dale High School) opens in Chester, Virginia

·                1908

o        Treble Clef and Book Lovers' Club formed.

o        After the Richmond Colts formed in 1894 in the Virginia League (1894–1896) and joining another Virginia League in 1900, the Richmond Colts joined a third Virginia League in 1906 and won their first league championship in 1908 under the leadership of Perry Lipe.

·                1909 – Virginia Railway & Power Company formed by Frank Jay Gould.

·                1910

o        Manchester becomes part of city through annexation.

o        Population: 127,628.

o        The estate of Times-Dispatch editor Joseph Bryan donates Bryan Park to the City of Richmond.

·                1911 – The Chamberlayne School (a boy's prep school later known as St. Christopher's School) opens.

·                1912

o        George Ainslie becomes mayor, a position he would hold for the next 12 years.

o        After the 6-cylinder Kline Kar (invented in 1910 in York, Pennsylvania) begins to win national attention for winning auto races, a group of Richmond businessmen bring the Kline Motor Car Corporation factory to Richmond in 1912. Production on the Kline Kar would continue until 1923.

·                1913

o        Charles Gillette, prominent in the field of Colonial Revival architecture, begins his Virginia landscaping career by completing Warren H. Manning's landscape design of Richmond College grounds at Westhampton.

o        Society for the Betterment of Housing and Living Conditions incorporated.

o        Confederate Memorial Institute ("Battle Abbey") built.

·                1914

o        Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond headquartered in Richmond.

o        Richmond College moves to site of former Westhampton Amusement Park; Westhampton College for women opens.

o        Barton Heights, Fairmount, and Highland Park become part of city.

o        Hippodrome Theater opens in Jackson Ward

·                1915 – Douglas Southall Freeman becomes the editor of the Richmond News Leader, a position he would hold for the next 34 years

·                1916 – John Russell Pope designs and begins building the Branch House on Monument Avenue

·                1917

o        Broad Street Station completed by John Russell Pope.

o        Richmond School of Social Economy opens.

o        Richmond Professional Institute founded

o        The US War Department establishes Camp Lee in the Tricities, Virginia area for mobilization and training of World War I soldiers

·                1919

o        John Kerr Branch's Branch House is completed.

o        Stonewall Jackson equestrian sculpture by Frederick William Sievers unveiled October 11, 1919

1920s-1930s

·                1920

o        Population: 171,677.

o        Richmond business men organize the Richmond-New York Steamship Company to replace the fact that Virginia Navigation Company and Old Dominion Steamship Company steamships to Norfolk were discontinued.

o        Richmond authors James Branch Cabell and Ellen Glasgow begin their collaborative friendship

·                1922

o        Edgar Allan Poe Museum opens.

o        White Supremacist Earnest Sevier Cox and white musician John Powell founded the Anglo-Saxon Clubs of America in Richmond and begin to agitate for Anti-miscegenation laws and, eventually, Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

·                1923

·                Chesterfield annexes the Henricus site from Henrico County.

o        Richmond farmers form the Virginia Seed Service that would be renamed "Southern States Cooperative" in the 1930s

o        Virginia Transit Co. begins implementing buses to augment its network of trolley lines.

o        National Theater built on Broad Street downtown.

·                1924 -- John Fulmer Bright begins his 16-year stint as mayor.

·                1925

o        WRVA radio begins broadcasting.

o        Church Hill Tunnel collapses.

o        Under the leadership of its chairman John Stuart Bryan, the Richmond Public Library opens in the former home of Lewis Ginter.

o        After the death of James H. Dooley and his wife Sallie, the Maymont property passes to the city

o        Boulevard Bridge is built nearby to Maymont

o        William Byrd Hotel built across the street from the new Broad Street Station.

·                1926

o        WMBG radio begins broadcasting.

o        As part of the Windsor Farms development near Byrd Park, Agecroft Hall shipped from England and reassembled in Richmond. Other neighborhood houses built in the style of Colonial Revival architecture.

·                1927

o        Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field dedicated.

o        After a decade of road improvements, the Jefferson Davis Highway officially opens as a major automobile thoroughfare

o        WRNL radio begins broadcasting.

o        DuPont purchases land near Ampthill/Bellwood for a large rayon and cellophane plant known as "Spruance Plant"

o        Inter-state traffic along Jefferson Davis Highway and its James River toll bridge leads to Belt Boulevard bypass development by 1933.

o        The Italian community dedicates a statue to Christopher Columbus in Byrd Park

o        Richmond Shriners open Acca Temple Shrine near Monroe Park, also known as "The Mosque" (later changed to the Landmark Theater in the 1990s and then the Altria theater in the 2010s).

·                1928

o        After four years of planning and site selection, construction of the Virginia World War I Memorial Carillon began in Byrd Park in 1928. It was dedicated in 1932.

o        Byrd Theatre opens.

o        Loew's Theatre opens.

·                1929

o        Warwick Priory shipped from England and reassembled as Virginia House in the Windsor Farms development in Richmond.

o        Richmond builds City Stadium near Byrd Park.

o        A fifth monument, Matthew Fontaine Maury, is unveiled on Monument Avenue. The sixth monument will not take place for another 67 years.

·                1930

o        Charles M. Robinson-designed Thomas Jefferson High School opens in Richmond's western suburbs

o        After receiving $500,000 from the Dooley estate in 1925, the Richmond Public Library opens the newly built Dooley Library near Linden Row, downtown.

o        Population: 182,929.

·                1932 – Forest Hill Amusement Park (that includes carousel, roller coaster, fun house, dance hall, penny arcade, and golf course) closes dues to impacts of the Great Depression; the city would purchase the property and raze the dilapidated amusements in 1933.

·                1934

o        Tri-State Gang members (Walter Leganza, Bobby Mais, and others) terrorize Richmond by hijacking a federal reserve truck behind Broad Street Station. They were executed in Richmond in 1935. The three-state crime spree was later dramatized in the 1950 film Highway 301

o        Parker Field is built on the site of the state fairgrounds.

o        The New York Deli (founded in 1929) moves to its current location in Carytown. The Sailor sandwich would be invented there in 1943.

o        Eighteen months after it was announced, the original Lee Bridge was dedicated November 4, 1934. The issue of whether the city should charge tolls would not be settled until July 1935 when the city negotiated with Richmond Bridge Corporation and the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) to make the bridge toll-free.

·                1935 – Gottfried Krueger Brewery sells the first canned beer on January 24, 1935

·                1936

o        Richmond National Battlefield Park established.

o        Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opens.

o        Virginius Dabney became the editor of the Richmond Times Dispatch, a position he would hold for the next 33 years.

·                1937 – The Ukrop family opens their first of many Richmond-area grocery stores

·                1938

o        Reynolds Group Holdings moves its headquarters from New York to Richmond.

o        Cary Street Park and Shop Center opens in Carytown

o        the Swift Creek Recreational Demonstration Area opens

o        Department store William B. Thalhimer became national chairman for a refugee resettlement group aligned with Groß Breesen.^[133] Thalhimer and his cousin Morton mobilize the German-Jewish community in Richmond to purchase Hyde Park Farms in Burkeville, VA and aid in the immigration of Jewish refugees to this farm

o        Estes Express Lines (founded in 1931 in Chase City) opens a branch in Richmond. It would move its headquarters here in 1946.

·                1939 – June 27 – July 2 – Richmond hosts the 30th annual conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at The Mosque, with welcome by Mayor John Fulmer Bright, Richmond NAACP President Jesse M. Tinsley, and keynote addresses by William H. Hastie and Sam Solomon. The conference also featured in-person appearance^[135] by Eleanor Roosevelt presenting the Spingarn Medal to Marian Anderson as it was broadcast over NBC and CBS stations.^[136]

1940s-1950s

·                1940

o        US War Department re-establishes Camp Lee for the purpose of training Quartermaster soldiers for World War II.

o        Richmond, Virginia's two newspapers, the Times-Dispatch and News Leader, merged to form a quickly-growing media company known as Richmond Newspapers (now Media General).

·                1941

o        Eastern Steamship Company discontinues service from Richmond

o        The US Government acquires land in the area of Bellwood and builds a large logistics supply center to at the World War II effort.

o        Robert E. Lee Camp, No. 1 Confederate Soldier Home (current site of VMFA) closes as last veteran resident dies.^[89]

o        John Malcus Ellison (the first African American president of Virginia Union University) arranges for the Belgian Building from 1939 New York World's Fair to be donated to VUU. Belgium donated it in part for racial reconciliation reasons, and in part because the tenuous political situation in Europe prevented shipment of the building back to Belgium.

·                1946

o        The Commonwealth of Virginia takes possession of the CCC-developed Swift Creek Recreational Demonstration Area and renames it Pocahontas State Park

o        WRVA begins broadcast of The Old Dominion Barn Dance, a nationally popular live country music program that continued until 1957.

·                1947 – Philanthropist Lillian Thomas Pratt donates Fabergé eggs and other Russian objects to the VMFA.

·                1948 – WTVR-TV begins broadcasting.

·                1949

o        The last of Richmond's electric trolleys are replaced by buses

o        Samuel S. Wurtzel opens his first retail electronics store ("Wards") that would grow to become Circuit City.

o        Douglas Southall Freeman steps down as editor of the Richmond News Leader.

·                1950 – Population: 230,310.

·                1952 – Wilton House Museum opens.

·                1954 – Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County is decided as part of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling (officially overturned racial segregation in U.S. public schools). the Davis case was the work of Richmond civil rights attorneys Oliver Hill and Spottswood William Robinson III who took on the state's law firm of Hunton & Williams, also based in Richmond.

o        Parker Field is converted for use as a baseball field, as the Richmond Virginians minor league baseball team forms in the International League and lasts for ten years.

·                1955

o        Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane occur.

o        Virginia War Memorial installed.

o        VMFA, under the leadership of Leslie Cheek Jr, constructs a 500-seat proscenium stage known as the "Virginia Museum Theater" to feature the arts of drama, acting, design, music, and dance alongside the static arts of the galleries.

·                1956

o        WRVA-TV (television) begins broadcasting.

o        Following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling the Byrd Organization passed the Stanley Plan to advance Massive Resistance policy of segregated schools. Some of the intellectual framework for these laws was due to forceful editorials from Richmond News Leader editor James J. Kilpatrick. Effects of these policies would affect the Richmond area for years, especially in rural areas like New Kent and Prince Edward County.

o        Historic Richmond Foundation established by Elisabeth Scott Bocock.

o        Willow Lawn Shopping Center in business just outside the city limits.

·                1957 -

o        Richmond Symphony Orchestra formed.

o        Best Products opens its first of many catalog showroom retail stores

o        United Daughters of the Confederacy builds its national headquarters building beside the VMFA on the Boulevard.

·                1958 – Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike opens to include the I-95 James River Bridge.

1960s-1970s

·                1960 – Huguenot High School opens in Chesterfield county (it would be annexed into Richmond Public Schools system in 1970)

·                1961

o        Richmond's first public television station, WCVE-TV goes on the air.

o        Richmond observes the centennial of the Civil War with various commemorations including building the modernist Centennial Dome.

·                1962

o        Eleanor P. Sheppard, who had become Richmond's first female city council member in 1954, becomes Richmond's first female mayor.

o        Azalea Mall opens on the Northside.

·                1963 – The Hand Art Center founded by Elisabeth Scott Bocock

·                1964 – Congregation Kol Emes founded.

·                1966

o        After a two-year hiatus from minor league baseball, the Richmond Braves baseball team formed and plays at Parker Field.

o        Richmond Metropolitan Authority established to build and maintain a toll expressway system for the Richmond area.

o        St. Mary's Hospital opens in Richmond's West End

·                1967 – John Tyler Community College established in Chester.

·                1968 – the Virginia General Assembly merged Medical College of Virginia with the Richmond Professional Institute to create Virginia Commonwealth University.

·                1969

o        Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in business.

o        Virginius Dabney steps down from the Richmond Times Dispatch

·                1970

o        Portion of Chesterfield County becomes part of Richmond.

o        Science Museum of Virginia established.

·                1971

o        Richmond Coliseum opens

o        Richmond begins hosting the annual Richmond WCT, a stop on the World Championship Tennis circuit.

o        After Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr.'s ruling in Bradley v. Richmond School Board, Richmond Public Schools were forced to institute Desegregation busing, leading to long rides and accelerated white flight to the counties.

·                1972

o        June – Hurricane Agnes leads to widespread flooding in Central Virginia, including Richmond's Shockoe Bottom / Main Street Station and the Fulton Hill slum

o        The City of Richmond forms the James River Park System

o        Cloverleaf Mall opens at the intersection of Midlothian Turnpike and Chippenham Parkway^[146]

o        After four years of planning, the dams for creating Lake Anna begin to fill (VEPCO's North Anna Nuclear Generating Station would not come online until 1978.)

·                1973

o        The 3.4 Powhite Parkway was completed from Downtown Richmond (Carytown) to Chippenham Parkway. Planning for the 10-mile Powhite Parkway Extension through Bon Air began, but would not extend to I-288 near Brandermill until 1988.

o        Phillip Morris opens a state-of-the-art cigarette manufacturing facility on Commerce Road^[149]

o        Chesterfield County Airport opens

o        the first of three campuses of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College opens.

·                1975

o        Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond built.

o        Regency Square shopping mall opens.

o        King's Dominion opens in Doswell on May 3, 1975

o        the planned community of Brandermill, Virginia in suburban Chesterfield begins construction

o        The Chesterfield Mall opens at the corner of Midlothian and Huguenot in Chesterfield County.

o        Amtrak creates Staples Mill Station in the suburbs to replace Main Street Station

o        Six years after coining Virginia is for Lovers, Ad-man David N. Martin creates The Martin Agency

·                1976 – Virginia State Route 195 (Downtown Expressway) opens.

·                1977

o        Henry L. Marsh becomes Richmond's first African-American mayor.

o        Theatre IV (children's theater) active.

o        Richmond Children's Museum organized.

·                1978 – Richmond Marathon established by the Richmond Times Dispatch

·                1979

o        Richmond Jewish Foundation established.

o        The Briley Brothers embark on a seven-month serial-killing spree, terrorizing Richmond

1980s-1990s

·                1980 – CSX Corporation forms as a merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries. With its headquarters in Richmond, CSX begins merging various railroads into CSX Transportation.

·                1981 – James Monroe Building built between 14th and 15th streets in Downtown Richmond, Virginia. At 137 meters (449 feet) and 29 floors, it remains in 2015 as the tallest building in Richmond.

·                1983

o        Dominion Resources, Inc. in business.

o        Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden founded.

o        Richmond hosts the 1983 Central Fidelity Banks International indoor tennis tournament.

·                1984

o        Congress establishes the United Network for Organ Sharing, headquartered in Richmond; and in 1986 they are designated as the sole Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network manager in the US.

o        Richmond and surrounding municipalities build a new baseball stadium, The Diamond, to replace Parker Field.

o        6th Street Marketplace opens and hosts the first ever "Friday Cheers

·                1985 – Innsbrook After Hours begins

·                1987 – Crestar Financial Corporation moves into a modern office tower on Main Street

·                1988—after three years of construction, the Lee Bridge was completely rebuilt and dedicated in November 1988.

·                1989

o        U.S. Supreme Court decides City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. affirmative action-related lawsuit.

o        In the mid-1980s, completion of the State Route 144 (Temple Avenue Connector) and a new bridge across the Appomattox River provided connection between Colonial Heights and State Route 36 near Fort Lee.

o        Southpark Mall in business in Tri-Cities.

o        Virginia State Route 288 is completed between I-95 and Brandermill.

o        Richmond begins hosting a leg of the annual Tour de Trump, which would become the Tour DuPont in 1991.

o        December 1989 : The Edward E. Willey Bridge is completed across the James River, connecting Parham Road in the west end to the Chippenham Parkway on the Southside.

·                1990

o        January 13: Douglas Wilder sworn in as governor.^[158]

o        Population: 203,056.

o        Interstate 295 (a toll-free beltway around the east side of Richmond and Petersburg) opens.

o        Eugene P. Trani becomes president of Virginia Commonwealth University and begins strategic planning for the rapid growth of VCU.

o        Miller & Rhoads goes defunct and closes its department store.

·                1991

o        Virginia Center Commons opens at the northside intersection of 295 and I-95.

o        The Alliance of Baptists-established Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond opens and classes begin.

·                1992

o        The state of Virginia eliminated toll collection along the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike

o        Richmond News-Leader (Richmond's evening daily newspaper) ceases publication.

o        Thalhimers vacates its downtown department store.

o        Sports Backers is established.

·                1993

o        VCU French Film Festival begins.

o        Circuit City spins off CarMax.

o        Richmond Kickers is founded and plays games at City Stadium

·                1994

o        Richmond-based Signet Financial Corp spins off of its credit card division, later renaming it Capital One. Capital One remains a significant employment presence in Richmond.

o        Area musicians GWAR and Cracker, Agents of Good Roots, and Dave Matthews Band experience mainstream success.

·                1995

o        Landmark Theater refurbished.

o        Flood wall built, leading the development of Tobacco Row area into shops and loft apartments

o        Azalea Mall closes

o        Virginia BioTechnology Research Park Opens near the VCU Medical Center of Virginia campus

·                1996

o        In early January, a blizzard dumps one to two feet of snow on Central Virginia, blocking roads and closing area schools for days

o        City website online (approximate date).

o        Controversy over a Paul DiPasquale-designed Arthur Ashe monument on Monument Avenue being built

o        VCU Brandcenter and VCU School of Engineering open

o        The VMFA's Fabergé eggs are part of a popular Fabergé in America exhibit.

o        From 1996 to 2001, James Comey was Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the Richmond Division of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. In 1996, Comey acted as deputy special counsel to the Senate Whitewater Committee. He also was the lead prosecutor in the case concerning the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. While in Richmond, Comey was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Richmond School of Law.

·                1997

o        Project Exile begins.

o        Ukrop's Food Group launches First Market Bank (now Atlantic Union Bank) with branches inside its grocery stores.

·                1998

o        Richmond-based Crestar Bank is acquired by SunTrust Banks

o        Sports Backers takes over the Richmond Marathon and makes several changes to the 1998 race including adding Crestar as the title sponsor.

o        Future governor and senator Tim Kaine is elected by his fellow council members to become the 76th Mayor of Richmond

·                1999

o        VCU Completes its new gymnasium, the Siegel Center

o        Richmond begins hosting an XTERRA Triathlon on James River Parks system trails

o        Sports Backers completes the Sports Backers Stadium

o        Mayor (1994–1996) and city council member (1993–1999) Leonidas B. Young, II is removed from city council for several felonies related to "influence peddling"^[174]

·                2000

o        Population: 197,753 (996,512 in the Richmond metro area)

o        Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works opens.

o        The Valentine Museum rebrands as "The Valentine Richmond History Center"

o        For seven weeks, the movie Hannibal filmed in Shockoe Bottom, primarily for a dramatic scene involving a shooting at a fish market.

o        In late May, Kroger enters the Richmond grocery market, and announces it has bought ten Hannafordstores in the Richmond area.

o        Ukrop supermarkets sponsor first ever Monument Avenue 10K which would grow to become one of the 10th largest 10Ks in the US

o        Richmond-based Reynolds Metals Company is purchased by Alcoa

21st century

2000s

·                2001

o        Richmond's First Fridays Art Walk is initiated by area galleries with primary funding support from the Ukrop family

o        On September 11, 2001, Rudy McCollum is sworn in as Richmond's 77th Mayor after being elected by his fellow city council members.

·                2002

o        MeadWestvaco is created from a merger and moves their headquarters to Richmond.

o        Convention Center opens.

o        Virginia Commonwealth University hires Jeff Capel III as the head coach of its men's basketball team and during the 2003–04 season leads the team to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996.

o        HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels films in the Richmond area Fall 2002.

o        Virginia State Route 895 opens, shortening by 11 minutes the drive time between Chippenham Parkway to Richmond Airport.

o        Beltway snipers strike in Ashland

·                2003

o        Stony Point Fashion Park and Short Pump Town Center both open.

o        Hurricane Isabel knocks out power in Richmond for up to 10 days.

o        In February, the Greater Richmond Convention Center opened

o        Philip Morris USA moved headquarters from New York to Richmond.

o        Rod Lurie films a short-lived Sopranos-style gang drama based in Richmond called Line of Fire.

o        Sixth Street Marketplace torn down to make room for hotels and convention center developments^[186]

o        CSX Corporation headquarters moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and the president John Snow is appointed Secretary of the Treasury.

o        Main Street Station re-opens train service after a multimillion-dollar renovation.

o        Sa'ad El-Amin (city councilman from 1998 to 2003) resigns from city council after he is convicted of felony count of "conspiracy to attempt or evade taxes."

·                2004

o        Hurricane Gaston floods Shockoe Bottom and dumps over 12 inches of rain in the Richmond area.

o        The segment of Virginia State Route 288 from Brandermill northward across the James River is completed.

o        General Electric spins off its insurance businesses to create Genworth Financial, to be headquartered in Richmond.

o        River City Sports and Social Club founded as a coed adult social sports league

·                2005

o        After Congress passed low power broadcasting laws in 2000, WRIR-LP begins broadcasting one of the first LPFM stations in the United States.

o        Richmond switches to a mayor–council government system and Douglas Wilder is elected mayor by the voters of Richmond.

o        Craigslist adds a Richmond, Virginia page.

o        Gallery 5 opens.

o        RVA Magazine begins publication.

o        Virginia Center for Architecture opens.

o        University of Richmond hires Chris Mooney as its men's basketball coach.

o        2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission leads to economic development in the Virginia Tricities area; over $1.36 billion is programmed for fiscal years 2007 to 2011 to fund construction at Fort Lee.

o        In October, the National Folk Festival holds the first of three (2005, 2006, 2007) annual festivals. Richmond creates the Richmond Folk Festival in 2008 with the same format.

·                2006

o        American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar opens.

o        2006 Richmond spree murders

o        RavenCon science fiction convention begins.

o        No BS! Brass forms.

o        VCU hires Anthony Grant as VCU Men's basketball coach. From 2006 to 2009, he coached future NBA players Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders and upset Duke in the 2007 NCAA tournament before departing for Alabama in 2009.

o        RVA Magazine and the New York Deli organize a guerilla "ball hoist" in Carytown atop the Byrd Theater a tradition that eventually draws thousands of people

·                2007

o        As part of the Jamestown 2007 festivities, the governor hosts Queen Elizabeth II at the Capitol Building.

o        The city of Richmond and Forest Hill community organizes South of the James Farmer's market at Forest Hill Park

o        Historian Edward L. Ayers becomes president of the University of Richmond, a post he would hold until 2015.

·                2008

o        Inaugural Richmond Folk Festival takes place

o        Cloverleaf Mall closes

o        Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. (HDL) is founded in Richmond Biotech Park

o        The University of Richmond opens UR Downtown campus to house three main programs: the Richmond Families Initiative, the Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono Service and the Family Law Clinic

o        Richmond Kickers Academy established

o        The National concert venue opens on Broad Street

o        The 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession puts several regional employers out of business including Circuit City, Qimonda, LandAmerica

o        20-something Aaron Kremer founds Richmond BizSense on January 1, 2008, to cover Richmond business news.

·                2009

o        Dwight Clinton Jones becomes mayor.

o        Richmond CenterStage inaugurated.

o        Virginia Commonwealth University hires Shaka Smart as its men's basketball coach.

o        A Toad's Place franchise opens and quickly closes along the canal Walk.

o        The State Fair of Virginia moves from Richmond International Raceway to its new home in Meadow Event Park

o        Derek Cha opens his first Sweet Frog store, in Short Pump.

o        Richmond's chapter of the Social Media Club is founded

o        Venture Richmond and Sports Backers launch the annual Dominion RiverRock event in May and Anthem Moonlight Ride bicycle event in August

2010s

·                2010

o        Population: 204,214. (1,208,101 in the Richmond Metro Area)

o        Ukrop family sells their chain of grocery stores to Giant foods; stores are renamed "Martin's"

o        In May, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts completes its largest expansion in the museum's history, a four-year project that resulted in 165,000 more square feet, a new sculpture garden, the BEST cafe and Amuse Restaurant, and a 600-car parking deck.

o        Richmond Raiders indoor football team established

o        University of Richmond completes its on-campus football stadium, E. Claiborne Robins Stadium, and vacates City Stadium.

o        Venture Richmond partners with Martin Agency, the VCU Brandcenter, and local PR firms to promote "RVA Downtown/RVA Creates" concept. This logo leads to the development the ubiquitous RVA Sticker in 2011.

o        After the Richmond Braves relocated to Atlanta suburbs in 2009, the Richmond Flying Squirrels began playing in 2010. While the Flying Squirrels play at The Diamond, team management expects Richmond to build a replacement stadium.

·                2011

o        Richmond is selected to host the 2015 UCI Road World Championships

o        Both the U of R and VCU basketball teams advance to the elite 8; VCU gets to the Final Four.

o        Megabus begins operating at Main Street Station, with connections to cities between Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

o        Richmond Kickers makes a "Cinderella run" to the Semifinals of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

o        Hardywood Park Craft Brewery opens in the industrial area north of Broad Street near the Fan

o        From October to December, Steven Spielberg films his Lincoln movie almost entirely within the Richmond-Petersburg area including the State Capitol Grounds, Old Town Petersburg, and Maymont Park. Richmonders spot Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and others at area establishments.

o        In November 2011, Richmond hosts a WordCamp conference.

·                2012

o        Virginia Repertory Theatre formed.

o        Peter Chang establishes restaurant presence in Richmond

o        Musician Matthew E. White earns accolades, including Paste magazine's Best New Act of 2012,

o        Beer Boom in Scott's Addition begins: Virginia changes its blue laws to permit breweries to sell beer on site without offering food, and the "Virginia Beer Boom" begins in Richmond, particularly in Scott's Addition. By 2018, VinePair named Richmond the world's top beer destination for 2018.

·                2013

o        Richmond Kickers sign a multi-year deal to become the USL Pro affiliate of the D.C. United

o        The VMFA acquires "Red Reeds" a site-specific work Dale Chihuly created for the VMFA's reflecting pool in conjunction with his exhibit October 20, 2012- February 10, 2013,

o        In March, Richmond hosts its first annual TEDxRVA event

o        On July 9, 2013, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced that an International Mountain Bicycling Association Richmond Region Ride Center would open in 2014 in the Richmond, Virginia metro region as the first legacy project of the Richmond 2015 Bike Race.

·                2014

o        Estimated Population: 217,853 (estimated 1,260,000 in the Richmond Metro Area)

o        Amazon.com opens a Fulfillment Center in Meadowville Technology Park

o        In October, Stone Brewing Co. announced that Richmond would be the site for its first brewery in the eastern United States.

·                2015

o        First Freedom Center opens in Shockoe Slip in January and becomes part of The Valentine in July.

o        Work begins on a Tier II environmental impact statement for the 123 mi portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor between the Washington, D.C., metro area and Richmond. SEHSR promotional materials project that passenger service would begin between 2018 and 2022.

o        The GRTC announces that bus rapid transit system called GRTC Pulse to begin operations by October 2017

o        After winning the A10 Championship, VCU men's basketball coach Shaka Smart departs for University of Texas, and is quickly replaced by Will Wade.

o        Quirk Hotel and Virginia Capital Trail are completed in time for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships held September 19–27.

o        October 29 -- Libbie Mill library opens, representing the first fruits of the massive 80-acre Libbie Mill-Midtown development being undertaken by Gumenick Properties.

o        Population: 220,289 (estimate).

·                2016

o        Lucy Dacus, a Richmond area native, releases her debut album No Burden, signs to Matador Records, and rises to national attention (performing at Lollapalooza, CBS This Morning, and NPR's Tiny Desk Concert).

o        In January, Winter Storm Jonas dumps 16 inches of snow on Richmond, cancelling all flights out of Richmond International Airport on January 23, and causing the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GTRC) bus system to take the rare step of suspending all routes on January 24.

o        In February, Stone Brewing Co. opens its first brewery on the East Coast, in Rockett's Landing.

o        In June, the 29-story art deco skyscraper Central National Bank building reopens as "Deco at CNB"

o        December 2 -- The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial pedestrian bridge opens, connecting Brown's Island to the James River Parks System on the Manchester side of the river.

·                2017

o        On January 7, Levar Stoney is sworn in as Richmond's youngest ever mayor. He is 35 years old.

o        In the wake of the Unite the Right rally violence incidents in Charlottesville, protestors including Antifa and Black Lives Matter gathered on Monument Avenue to stage an anti-racist counter-demonstration on August 14. A CBS6 cameraman was injured in the fracas. A month later, when local confederate groups announced a rally on Monument Avenue for September 17, a significant police presence and counter-demonstration staged opposition and continued the debate over Monument Avenue's confederate statues.

o        In October, Facebook announces plans to construct a $1 billion, 970,000-square-foot data center on about 330 acres of White Oak Technology Park.

o        In November, Mayor Stoney announces a major downtown development plan involving replacing the Richmond Coliseum with a 17,500-seat arena and redeveloping the surrounding area.

·                2018

o        On Sunday January 7, a cold snap sends temperatures plummeting to negative 3 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest recorded temperature in 33 years. Pipes break across the city including flooding of I-95 downtown.

o        Richmond Grocery Wars: In the wake of the disappearance of Martin's and Ukrops, grocery chains such as Lidl, Publix, Wegmans, and Aldi continue to open stores in the Richmond area, squeezing existing stores like Kroger, Walmart, and Food Lion.

o        June 24—the GRTC Pulse (bus rapid transit system) opens, connecting Rocketts Landing to Scott's Addition to Willow Lawn. Mayor Stoney states that the $65 million project will generate $1 billion in economic activity over the next 20 years, resulting in a $15 return on investment for every dollar invested.

o        As Hurricane Florence made landfall and moved through North Carolina, low-topped supercells developed from this system remnants that had moved north to the Richmond area. This system created 10 tornadoes (ranging from EF0 to EF2) that hit the greater Richmond region in the course of the afternoon of Monday September 17, killing one and damaging multiple buildings on the Southside. Many area schools sheltered students in place in some cases until 6:30PM.

2020s

·                2020

o        On June 1, Richmond Police fired tear gas on violent protestors and rioters vandalizing the Robert E. Lee Monument.

 

Counties

The idea of counties originated with the counties of England. English (after 1707, British) colonists brought to their colonies in North America a political subdivision that they already used in the British metropole: the counties. Counties were among the earliest units of local government established in the Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Virginia created the first counties in order to ease the administrative workload in Jamestown. The House of Burgesses divided the colony first into four "incorporations" in 1617 and finally into eight shires (or counties) in 1634: James City, Henrico, Charles City, Charles River, Warrosquyoake, Accomac, Elizabeth City, and Warwick River. America's oldest intact county court records can be found at Eastville, Virginia, in Northampton (originally Accomac) County, dating to 1632. Maryland established its first county, St. Mary's in 1637. In 1639, the Province of Maine founded York County. Massachusetts followed in 1643. Pennsylvania and New York delegated significant power and responsibility from the colony government to county governments and thereby established a pattern for most of the United States, although counties remained relatively weak in New England.

When independence came, the framers of the Constitution left the matter to the states. Subsequently, state constitutions conceptualized county governments as arms of the state. Louisiana instead adopted the local divisions called parishes that dated back to both the Spanish colonial and French colonial periods when the land was dominated by the Catholic Church. In the twentieth century, the role of local governments strengthened and counties began providing more services, acquiring home rule and county commissions to pass local ordinances pertaining to their unincorporated areas. In 1955, delegates to the Alaska Constitutional Convention wanted to avoid the traditional county system and adopted their own unique model with different types of boroughs varying in powers and duties.

In some states, these powers are partly or mostly devolved to the counties' smaller divisions usually called townships, though in New York, New England and Wisconsin they are called "towns". The county may or may not be able to override its townships on certain matters, depending on state law.

The newest county in the United States is the city and county of Broomfield, Colorado, established in 2001 as a consolidated city-county, previously part of four counties. The newest county equivalents are the Alaskan census areas of Chugach and Copper River, both established in 2019, and the Alaskan boroughs of Petersburg established in 2013, Wrangell established in 2008, and Skagway established in 2007

A consolidated city-county is simultaneously a city, which is a municipality (municipal corporation), and a county, which is an administrative division of a state, having the powers and responsibilities of both types of entities. The city limit or jurisdiction is synonymous with the county line, as the two administrative entities become a non-dichotomous single entity. For this reason, a consolidated city-county is officially remarked as name of city – name of county (i.e., Augusta–Richmond County in Georgia). The same is true of the boroughs of New York City, each of which is coextensive with a county of New York State. For those entities in which the city uses the same name as the county, city and county of name may be used (i.e., City and County of Denver in Colorado).

Similarly, some of Alaska's boroughs have merged with their principal cities, creating unified city-boroughs. Some such consolidations and mergers have created cities that rank among the geographically largest cities in the world, though often with population densities far below those of most urban areas.

There are 40 consolidated city-counties in the U.S., including Augusta–Richmond County; the City and County of Denver, Colorado; the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis–Marion County, Indiana; Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida; Louisville–Jefferson County, Kentucky; Lexington–Fayette County, Kentucky; Kansas City–Wyandotte County, Kansas; Nashville–Davidson County, Tennessee; New Orleans–Orleans Parish, Louisiana; the City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; City and County of San Francisco, California; and Lynchburg-Moore County, Tennessee

A consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. For example, the government of Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida, still provides county-level services to the four independent municipalities within its borders: Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach.

Counties are most often named for people, often political figures or early settlers, with over 2,100 of the 3,144 total so named. The most common county name, with 31, is Washington County, for America's first president, George Washington. Up until 1871, there was a Washington County within the District of Columbia, but it was dissolved by the District of Columbia Organic Act. Jefferson County, for Thomas Jefferson, is next with 26. The most recent president to have a county named for him was Warren G. Harding, reflecting the slowing rate of county creation since New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912. The most common names for counties not named after a president are Franklin (25), Clay (18), and Montgomery (18).

After people, the next most common source of county names are geographic features and locations, with some counties even being named after counties in other states, or for places in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (the latter is most common in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies in the case of the United Kingdom, or in places which had a large number of immigrants from a particular area for other countries). The most common geographic county name is Lake. Words from Native American languages, as well as the names of Native American leaders and tribes, lend their names to many counties. Quite a few counties bear names of French or Spanish origin, such as Marquette County being named after French missionary Father Jacques Marquette.

The county's equivalent in the state of Louisiana, the parish (Fr. paroisse civile and Sp. parroquia) took its name during the state's French and Spanish colonial periods. Before the Louisiana Purchase and granting of statehood, government was often administered in towns where major church parishes were located. Of the original 19 civil parishes of Louisiana that date from statehood in 1807, nine were named after the Roman Catholic parishes from which they were governed.

The structure and powers of a county government may be defined by the general law of the state or by a charter specific to that county. States may allow only general-law counties, only charter counties, or both. Generally, general-law local governments have less autonomy than chartered local governments.

Counties are usually governed by an elected body, variously called the county commission, board of supervisors, commissioners' court, county council, county court, or county legislature. In cases in which a consolidated city-county or independent city exists, a city council usually governs city/county or city affairs. In some counties, day-to-day operations are overseen by an elected county executive or by a chief administrative officer or county administrator who reports to the board, the mayor, or both.

In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all three traditional branches of government. It has the legislative power to enact laws for the county; it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of county government; and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (such as hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists).

In many states, several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors and cannot be fired by the board. These positions may include county clerk, county treasurer, county surrogate, sheriff, and others.

District attorneys or state attorneys are usually state-level as opposed to county-level officials, but in many states, counties and state judicial districts have coterminous boundaries.

The site of a county's administration, and often the county courthouse, is generally called the county seat ("parish seat" in Louisiana, "borough seat" in Alaska, or "shire town" in several New England counties). The county seat usually resides in a municipality. However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat. In some counties with no incorporated municipalities, a large settlement may serve as the county seat.

In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an administrative subdivision of a state or territory, typically with defined geographic boundaries and some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs, respectively. Counties and other local governments exist as a matter of U.S. state law, so the specific governmental powers of counties may vary widely between the states, with many providing some level of services to civil townships, municipalities, and unincorporated areas. Certain municipalities are in multiple counties. Some municipalities have been consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities. Conversely, counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island, eight of Massachusetts's 14 counties, and Alaska's Unorganized Borough have no government power, existing only as geographic distinctions.

The United States Census Bureau uses the term "county equivalent" to describe places that are comparable to counties, but called by different names. Louisiana parishes, the organized boroughs of Alaska, independent cities, and the District of Columbia are equivalent to counties for administrative purposes. Alaska's Unorganized Borough is further divided into 11 census areas that are statistically equivalent to counties. In 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau began to also count Connecticut's Councils of Governments, which took over some of the regional powers from the state's former county governments, as county equivalents.

Territories of the United States do not have counties; instead, the United States Census Bureau also divides them into county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts American Samoa's districts and atolls as county equivalents. American Samoa locally has places called "counties", but these entities are considered to be "minor civil divisions" (not true counties) by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The number of counties per state ranges from the three counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas. County populations also vary widely: in 2017, according to the Census Bureau, more than half the U.S. population was concentrated in just 143 of the more than 3,000 counties, or just 4.6% of all counties; the five most populous counties, ordered from most to least, are Los Angeles County, California; Cook County, Illinois; Harris County, Texas; Maricopa County, Arizona; and San Diego County, California.

Accomack County, Albemarle County, Alleghany County, Amelia County, Amherst County, Appomattox County, Arlington County, Augusta County, Bath County, Bedford County, Bland County, Botetourt County, Brunswick County, Buchanan County, Buckingham County, Campbell County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Charles City County, Charlotte County, Chesterfield County, Clarke County, Craig County, Culpeper County, Cumberland County, Dickenson County, Dinwiddie County, Essex County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Floyd County, Fluvanna County, Franklin County, Frederick County, Giles County, Gloucester County, Goochland County, Grayson County, Greene County, Greensville County, Halifax County, Hanover County, Henrico County, Henry County, Highland County, Isle of Wight County, James City County, King and Queen County, King George County, King William County, Lancaster County, and Lee County are the counties in the State of Virginia.

Neighborhoods

The West End is a part of Richmond, Virginia. Definitions of the bounds of the West End vary, it may include only the western part of the city of Richmond or extend as far as western Henrico County. As there is no one municipal organization that represents this specific region, the boundaries are loosely defined as being north of the James River, west of I-195, and south of Broad Street. Historically, the Richmond neighborhoods of the Fan and the Museum District were a part of the West End. A primary conduit through the West End is Interstate 64.

There are several neighborhoods (early subdivisions) built across the railroad tracks after WWII. Windsor Farms, Malvern Gardens, Sauer Gardens, Colonial Place, Mary Munford, Stonewall Court, Westhampton, Monument Avenue Park and Willow Lawn are all West End neighborhoods.

Colonial Place is a neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia with a population of 2,309. Colonial Place is in Richmond City County and is one of the best places to live in Virginia. In Colonial Place, most residents own their homes. In Colonial Place there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Colonial Place and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Colonial Place are above average.

The phrase "state of" is used to describe the condition or circumstances of something. It's often followed by a noun or noun phrase that specifies what is being described, such as "state of the economy" or "state of emergency". In the context of Virginia, it can refer to the Commonwealth of Virginia, or to the current condition of things within the state. 

I declare I’m in the same State that I was born and raised. Arrived at the city of Norfolk at the beach, moved to the mountains near Charlottesville called Keswick and grew up in the 50s and 60s in the Richmond neighborhood of Malvern Gardens. Walked to elementary Mary Munford school and Albert Hill middle school and Thomas Jefferson high school. Spent the summers in Wilmington North Carolina (family hometown) until Summer Bible School, Camp Arrowhead Day camp, Boy Scouts Jamborees and Camp Morehead month away from home. Finally, summer school took over the hot months with repeating classes I couldn’t pass.

Moved into the Fan during college and got my first apartment with a new wife. Bought a house in the Museum District, then moved to Colonial Place.

Four blocks from where I grew up, within walking distance to Cary Town, Libbie & Grove, Willow Lawn with a bus stop a block away. There is even a Quaker church on the corner for good luck.

So, my letterhead identifies as living @:

Kensington Manor House (circa 1948)

In the estate of Puppywoods

Of the neighborhood Colonial Place

In the commonwealth of the Old Dominion

Third planet from the sun