Richmond was incorporated in 1742 and grew rapidly as a port because of its location on the Fall Line of the James River. This was as far upriver as ships could go, so all goods had to be offloaded and transported by land. Other industries soon followed.
Patrick Henry gave his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech in St. John's Church on March 23, 1775. In 1779 the city became the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Today the Richmond Metropolitan Area is home to around 800,000 people and several Fortune 500 corporations. It is also the home of the Fifth Federal Reserve Bank.
One interesting benefit of the city's location on the Fall Line is the rapids. In the Sep-Oct 1992 issue of American Whitewater the James was cited as "The Nation's Best Urban Whitewater". One of the Class IV rapids on the river is named Hollywood after the cemetery on the north bank where former Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried.
Richmond International Airport is served by several major airlines, and the city is a stop on Amtrak's routes from the South to the North East Corridor.
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Last updated June 7, 2008.
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