Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is located at the fall line of the James River, and was briefly settled by English settlers from Jamestown in 1609. The present city of Richmond was founded in 1737 and became the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the Revolutionary War period, several notable events occurred in the city, including Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” speech in 1775 at St. John’s Church, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1779, written by Thomas Jefferson. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, and many important American Civil War landmarks remain in the city today, including the Virginia State Capitol and the White House of the Confederacy, among others. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of the surrounding counties. Bordered by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64. With an estimated population of 1,212,977, Richmond is the third largest metropolitan area in Virginia.