Richmond, state capital of Virginia. Richmond is located in the eastern sector of the state, on the banks of the James River. Located between the coastal plain that extends from the Chesapeake Bay, and the Piedmont plateau, the city enjoys a mild climate, with hot and humid summers, and mild winters. The average temperature is 25 ° C in July and 3 ° C in January. The rains are frequent throughout the year, but are less abundant during the autumn. The city is located in the area of influence of hurricanes which periodically cause damage to the city.
History– In May 1607, the English captain John Smith and his crew disembarked at Jamestown. A few days later, his compatriot, Captain Newport, “discovered” the site of Richmond today while exploring the James River. But several decades passed before another Englishman, Thomas Stegg, decided to settle permanently in this place. In those early years, the British colonizers devoted much of their energy to defending themselves from attacks by the natives, who had been driven out of the region by the arrival of the Europeans. A grandson of Stegg, William Byrd I, managed to build a permanent settlement and turned it into a center for the trade of skins, tobacco and other products. In 1737 the primitive city of Richmond was designed.
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forty years later, it was declared the capital of the state of Virginia. When the Civil War broke out (1861-65), Richmond was already an important commercial and industrial center, and a prosperous and active port. Coal mining, brick making and tobacco processing flourished. After Virginia’s separation from the Union, Richmond was declared the capital of the Confederacy in recognition of its economic and political importance. But the war left the city in ruins, retreating, the Confederate soldiers burned all the deposits of cotton and tobacco.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Richmond regained its vitality and its traditional industries, namely tobacco and iron foundries, were reborn. The banking sector arose as a major new business, and the city became a major financial center in the southern United States. In the first half of the century, the two world wars stimulated the industrial expansion of Richmond, and a process of economic diversification was triggered that generated lasting prosperity. Richmond did not remain immune during the wave of racial turmoil that hit many of the country’s urban centers in the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the efforts of local leaders, both black and white, nevertheless paid off. Today Richmond is not only an important industrial center,
What see– Richmond offers the visitor a hundred attractions of historical interest, among them mansions and other buildings representing all the eras of the history of the city, cemeteries and battlefields. Bronze statues of Civil War generals and other heroes line Monument Avenue. Civil War items, including General Robert E. Lee’s coat and sword, are on display at the Museum of the Confederacy. Next door, the White House of the Confederacy is a Victorian-era treasure. The State Capitol houses a life-size statue of Washington by Jean Antoine Houdon. To the west is the Hollywood Cemetery, where presidents John Tyler and James Monroe and 18,000 Confederate soldiers rest. Towards the uptown there are two museums, the Science Museum of Virginia and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, with collections of works ranging from the art of ancient Egypt, India and the Himalayas to French Impressionism and modern American masterpieces. The Pratt Collection museum of imperial Russian art, among other things, exhibits five wonderful Easter eggs, covered with jewels, created for the Tsar by the goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé. Of particular interest are the seventeenth-century plantations and their residences, including some that belonged to various presidents of the United States and other important personalities. The Council for the Arts is the engine of Richmond’s cultural activity. This institution sponsors many concerts in parks and squares throughout the city, such as art competitions and art education programs in schools and hospitals.
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The Carpenter Center for the Arts is the focal point of the city’s culture. It has its headquarters in an ancient cinema which dates back to 1928 which was completely restored. Today it is home to the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and offers ballet performances and plays.
Economy– The Richmond area owes its traditional prosperity to various factors. One of the most important is the diversity of its activities the concentration of federal and state government agencies, the headquarters of major industrial and financial companies, and the presence of notable higher education institutions. In addition, Richmond is a center of the steel, chemical industry, banking, insurance, and of course, tobacco, its emblematic industry. The latter activity is represented in Richmond by the industry giant, Philip Morris, a company that has been hit in recent years by campaigns against tobacco use, in particular by the numerous lawsuits filed against tobacco companies. Ten minutes from the city center is Richmond International Airport. A second airport, dedicated to domestic flights and private touring aircraft is located in Chesterfield County. Richmond is united with the main cities of the coast through the train service managed by the Amtrak company, as well as four other private lines, which are dedicated mainly to freight transport. The port of Richmond, important during the colonial era, is still in operation, but has lost much of its competitiveness in favor of other forms of transport.
