Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city, not part of any county (Richmond County is unrelated, and located more than 53 miles (85 kilometers) distant in a different region of the state). Richmond is located on the fall line of the James River in the Piedmont region of Virginia and is at the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Greater Richmond Area.

Common colloquialisms for the city are: RVA, The 804 (its area code), and RIC (its airport code).

Geography and climate

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.5 mi² (162.0 km²). 60.1 mi² (155.6 km²) of it is land and 2.5 mi² (6.4 km²) of it (3.96%) is water. The city is located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, at the highest navigable point of the James River. The Piedmont region is categorized by relatively low, rolling hills, and lies between the low, sea level tidewater region and the Blue Ridge mountains. Significant bodies of water in the region include the Chickahominy River, the James River, and the Appomattox River.

The Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 46th largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg, as well as the counties of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King and Queen, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex. As of July 2004, the total population of the Richmond—Petersburg MSA was 1,154,317.

Cityscape

The city is made up of a number of neighborhoods, including the Fan district, Oregon Hill, Shockoe Bottom, the West End, Northside, and Church Hill – site of Patrick Henry's famous speech.

Most of the roads in the downtown area are arranged in a regular grid arrangement, with alternating one way streets. Several major roads lead outward from the city, and are actually former Indian trails, leading to other towns and sites in Virginia. For example, Three Chopt Road, was so named as it was an Indian trail marked by three chops on trees near the trail. The major highways leading into the city of Richmond area I-64, Interstate 95|I-95]] and US Highway 360. Interstate 295 (Virginia)|I-295]], combined with State Route 288 form an "outer loop", or bypass, around the metropolitan area. Interstate 195 (Virginia|I-195) is a "spur" that, along with the Downtown Expressway and the Powhite Parkway, create thruways in the downtown, south-side, and near west-end regions that also serve as bypasses that connect I-95 and I-64 with US Highway 360 in the far southwest areas.

Ever since the first electric trolley was installed in 1888, Richmond urban sprawl has been steadily expanding westward and southward. Development along Monument Avenue and Broad Street have led to the most affluent people moving farther and farther West, towards a part of the metro area known as the West End.

Climate

Richmond has a mild subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Spring arrives in April with mild days and cool nights, and by late May, the temperature has warmed up considerably to herald warm summer days. Summer temperatures can be unpleasantly hot, often topping 90 degrees with high humidity. Richmond is notorious for its humidity, which creates high heat index values. Days stay warm to mild until October, when hurricanes are less likely and Fall is marked by nights once again becoming cooler. Winter is usually mild in Richmond, but some winters differ from others. Snowfall can occur during the winter, and the most likely month is January. The average annual snowfall is 12 inches.[1] Heavy snowstorms of over 10 inches are not common, and the last occurrence of such a storm was in 2000.

Economy

Historic development as a commercial center

Richmond's strategic location on the James River, built on undulating hills at the rocky fall line separating the piedmont and tidewater regions of Virginia provided a natural site for the development of commerce. For centuries, the native peoples of the powerful Powhatan tribe recognized the value of this site, rich in natural beauty. They knew it as a place to hunt, fish, play, and trade, and they called it "Shocquohocan,", or Shockoe.

The first European explorers came in 1607, from the Virginia Company of London. They discovered a fragrant weed grown by the natives, and tobacco became a lucrative commodity in the area. The trading post developed into a village, and by 1733 a town was laid out by William Byrd II and William Mayo. Its early buildings were clustered around the Farmers' Market, existing today at 17th Street.

Early trade grew rapidly, primarily in the agriculture sector, but also in the slave trade. Slaves were imported to Richmond's Manchester docks from Africa, and were bought and sold at the same market.

To facilitate the transfer of cargo from the flat-bottomed bateaux above the fall line to the ocean-faring ships below, George Washington helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal in the 1700s to bypass Richmond's rapids. The canal was later superseded by rail in the 1800s, and the railroads were laid on the original canal towpaths. In the 1900s highways were constructed in the air over the same area.

Throughout these three centuries and three modes of transportation, downtown has always been a hub, with the Great Turning Basin for boats, the world's only triple crossing of rail lines, and the intersection of two major interstates.

Industries that defined Richmond

Richmond emerged from the smoldering rubble of the Civil War as an economic powerhouse, with iron front buildings and massive brick factories. Innovations of this era included the world's first cigarette-rolling machine, invented by James Albert Bonsack of Roanoke in 1880/81, and the world's first successful electric street car system.

Freed slaves and their descendants created a thriving African-American business community, led by such influential people as Maggie L. Walker and John Mitchell, Jr. The city's historic Jackson Ward became known as the "Wall Street of Black America."

Law and finance have long been driving forces in the economy. Because the city is home to both a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Federal Reserve Bank, as well as offices for international firms such as Hunton & Williams LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, CapitalOne, and numerous other banks and brokerages, Richmond was cited as having minimal evidence of being a Global city.

Since the 1960s Richmond has been a prominent hub for advertising agencies and advertising related businesses, including The Martin Agency. As a result of local advertising agency support, VCU's graduate advertising school (VCU AdCenter) is consistently ranked the #1 advertising graduate program in the country.

Business rankings

In 2005, Forbes ranked the Richmond area as the #14 Best Place for Business and Careers, primarily due to its highly educated labor force and relatively low business costs. Other areas of the economy that have developed recently in the city include pharmaceuticals, insurance, advertising, biotechnology, education, tourism health services, or semi-conductors. In 2006, Forbes also named Richmond as the sixth best city in which to find employment among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the nation.

The Richmond Metro area is also the home of eight Fortune 500 companies (soon to be nine with the announced relocation of Connecticut based MeadWestvaco to Richmond), including electric utility Dominion Resources; consumer electronics retailer Circuit City, which also spun off the used car retailer CarMax, now a separate Fortune 500 company; Performance Food Group; LandAmerica Financial Group; Owens & Minor; and the Brink's Company, a security services outfit. Genworth Financial, the former insurance arm of GE, also has its headquarters here, and is also a member of the Fortune 500. Only five metro areas in the US have more Fortune 500 headquarters than the Richmond area.

Fortune 500 Companies and other large corporations

Other Fortune 500 companies, while not headquartered in the area, do have a major presence here. These include Wachovia Securities headquarters (a subsidiary of Charlotte, North Carolina based Wachovia Corporation), SunTrust Banks Incorporated (based in Atlanta, Georgia), credit card agency Capital One Financial Corporation (officially based in McLean, Virginia, but founded in Richmond with its largest campus and most employees in the Richmond area), and the medical and pharmaceutical McKesson Corporation (based in San Francisco, California). Philip Morris USA (a division of Altria Group), one of the world's largest food, beverage, and tobacco companies, maintains their corporate headquarters in Henrico County just outside the city, and has several other facilities in the area. Universal Corporation, also in the tobacco industry, has its corporate headquarters here as well. Capital One and Phillip Morris USA are two of the largest private Richmond-area employers.

DuPont also maintains a production facility known as the Spruance Plant, and Qimonda, formerly Infineon Technologies has a facility located at Elko Tract (a former WWII airfield and ghost town) near Richmond International Airport, and produces DRAM computer memory in the area.

Richmond is also home to the rapidly developing Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, which opened in 1995 as an incubator facility for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Located adjacent to the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, the park currently has more than 575,000 square feet (53,000 m²) of research, laboratory and office space for a diverse tenant mix of companies, research institutes, government laboratories and non-profit organizations. The United Network for Organ Sharing, which maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list, occupies one building in the park. Philip Morris USA also recently announced their plans to build a $350 million research and development facility in the park as well. Once fully developed in the next five to 10 years, park officials expect the site to employ roughly 3,000 scientists, technicians and engineers. Philip Morris will add roughly 600 employees once it opens in 2007.

Richmond is also the home of the Ukrop's Super Market, a regional, family-owned chain of supermarkets, known for its remarkable customer service and friendly employees, as well as its sponsorship of community events, such as the Monument Avenue 10K, Easter on Parade, and the Ukrop's Christmas Parade. The Ukrop family has also been criticized by some for various conservative political actions, such as causing the ban on both GWAR playing concerts in Richmond and Howard Stern's show being syndicated on local radio.

Recent economic developments

In recent years, Richmond has been reviving its downtown environment. Recent downtown initiatives include the canal walk, the new Greater Richmond Convention Center, the proposed Virginia Performing Arts Center, expansion on both VCU campuses, and a proposed new baseball stadium for the AAA Class Richmond Braves.

In February, 2006, MeadWestvaco announced that they would move from Stamford, Connecticut to Richmond in 2008.

Culture

Annual cultural events and fairs

The city is home to several annual cultural events. As the capital of the commonwealth of Virginia, the state fair is held at the end of September at the state fairgrounds, located just outside of the city near the Richmond International Raceway. In November, the Suntrust Richmond Marathon and 8K Race is held downtown, and the James River Writers Festival also takes place. During the month of December, the Grand Illumination takes place, in which the buildings of the downtown area light up for the Christmas holiday season. This usually occurs on the same weekend as the Richmond Christmas Parade, which travels along Broad Street.

In April, the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K race is held, as well as the "Easter on Parade" street festival. The James River Film Festival also takes place during this month, and the VCU French Film Festival is also becoming very popular, and features foreign films.

Other notable events during the year include the 2nd Street Festival and the Carytown Watermelon Festival. The monthly Artwalk takes place on the first Friday of every month between September and June, in the downtown gallery district.

Richmond hosts the National Folk Festival in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Museums, galleries, and historical attractions

Richmond has a significant art community, and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation. In addition to many art venues associated with the university, there are also several attractions nearby, including the Valentine Richmond History Center, Virginia Historical Society, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Richmond Symphony, and the Richmond Ballet. The Byrd Theatre in Carytown is a classical movie theater from the 1920s era that still features second-run movies on a regular basis, and has become popular among the college student population, particularly due to its low ticket price of $2.00.

The Science Museum of Virginia, is also located on Broad Street near the fan district. It is housed in the neoclassical Union Station, designed by Beaux-Arts-trained John Russell Pope in 1919. Adjacent to the Science Museum is the Richmond Children's Museum, a fun-filled museum for children with many hands-on activities.

As the former Capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond is home to many museums and battlefields of the American Civil War. The Museum of the Confederacy, located near the Virginia State Capitol and the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, once served as the White House of the Confederacy, and today features a wide variety of objects and material from the era. Near the riverfront is the Tredegar Iron Works and Civil War Battlefields National Park Visitors Center. There is also a Slave Trail along the river as well.

Other historical points of interest include St. John's Church, the site of Patrick Henry's famous, "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, which features many of his writings and other things from his life, particularly when he lived in the city. The John Marshall House, the home of the former Chief Justice of the United States, is also located downtown and features many of his writings and objects from his life. Hollywood Cemetery is also the burial grounds of two U.S. Presidents as well as many other civil war officers and soldiers.

The city is also home to many monuments, most notably several along Monument Avenue in the fan district. Other monuments of interest in the city include the A.P. Hill monument, the Bill "Bojangles" Robinson monument, the Christopher Columbus monument, and the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The Virginia War Memorial is also located on Belvedere near the riverfront, and is a monument to Virginians who died in battle in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. Located near Byrd Park is the famous World War I Memorial Carillon, a 56 bell carillion tower.

Richmond has sometimes been called a City of Churches. Early dominant influences were the Episcopalians and Methodists, but congregations of many faiths and denominations are prevalent today. Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was penned in Richmond by Thomas Jefferson.

Media

The local daily newspaper in Richmond is the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It is sometimes referred to as the "Times Disgrace" by those who accuse it of having little journalistic credibility or of being too conservatively biased. City Edition is a weekly news magazine distributed throughout Richmond that focuses on city government and civic life in the city. It is an issue-oriented and solution-centered publication with a focus on encouraging active participation in the community. The Richmond Free Press covers the news from a predominantly African American perspective. The free, full-color, glossy, independent magazine, RVA Magazine, focuses on newly developed and cutting edge art, music, and emerging cultural trends of the city. The only Hispanic magazine in the state La Voz Hispana de Virginia provides significant cultural and news content in both English and Spanish.

The metropolitan area is also served by a variety of television and radio stations, serving a wide variety of musical and other interests.

Radio ownership in Richmond is concentrated in four national companies: Clear Channel (WRVQ-FM, WTVR-FM, WRXL-FM, WBTJ-FM, WRNL-AM, WRVA-AM) Cox Radio (WKHK-FM, WKLR-FM, WDYL-FM, WMXB-FM), Radio One (WCDX-FM, WKJS-FM, WPZZ-FM), and Davidson Media (WLEE-AM, WVNZ-AM, WTOX-AM, WREJ-AM). A regional company, Main Line Broadcasting, owns WBBT-FM, WLFV-FM, and WWLB-FM, having purchased them in September 2005.

Richmond is also home to one of the largest LPFM stations in the country - WRIR Richmond Indie Radio. On the air since January 2005 and staffed completely with volunteers, it presents a mix of locally produced talk, NPR and Pacifica syndicated programs, and a wide variety of music.

The University of Richmond's student-run WDCE 90.1 FM also receives a strong following in the community.

Comcast was formerly the only cable television provider for the Richmond area, until May 2006, when Cavalier Telephone and TV began providing cable television services.[5] In the city and its northern suburban counties, Comcast is the successor to the franchise originally held by Continental Cablevision, then MediaOne, then AT&T Broadband, before Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband.

Parks and outdoor recreation

Lewis Ginter Botanical GardenThe city operates one of the oldest municipal park systems in the country. The park system began when the city council voted in 1851 to acquire 7.5 acres, now known as Monroe Park. Today, Monroe Park sits adjacent to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus and is one of more than 40 parks comprising a total of more than 1,500 acres (6.1 km²).

Several parks are located along the James River, and the James River Parks System offers bike trails, hiking and nature trails, and many scenic overlooks along the river's route through the city. The mountain bike trail system in James River and Forest Hill parks is considered by professional riders to be one of the best urban trail systems in the country. The trails are used as part of the Xterra East Championship course for both the running and mountain biking portions of the off-road triathlon.

There are also parks on two major islands in the river: Belle Isle and Brown's Island. Belle Isle, at various former times a Powhatan fishing village, colonial-era horse race track, and Civil War prison camp, is the larger of the two, and contains many bike trails as well as a small cliff that is used for rock climbing instruction. One can walk the island and still see many of the remains of the Civil War prison camp, such as an arms storage room and a gun emplacement that was used to quell prisoner riots. Brown's Island is a smaller island and a popular venue of a large number of free outdoor concerts and festivals in the spring and summer, such as the weekly Friday Cheers concert series or the James River Beer and Seafood Festival.

Two other major parks in the city are Byrd Park and Maymont, located near the fan district of Richmond. Byrd Park features a one mile running track, with exercise stops, a public dog park, and a number of small lakes for small boats, as well as two monuments and an amphitheatre. Prominently featured in the park is the World War I Memorial Carillon, built in 1926 as a memorial to those that died in the war. Maymont, located adjacent to Byrd Park, is a 100 acre (400,000 m²) Victorian estate with a museum, formal gardens, native wildlife exhibits, nature center, carriage collection, and children's farm. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is also located in the city.

Other parks in the city include Bryan Park (with its many azalea gardens), Forest Hill Park (former site of the Forest Hill Amusement Park), Chimborazo Park (site of the National Battlefield Headquarters), among others.

Several theme parks are also located near the city, including Paramount's King's Dominion to the north, and Busch Gardens to the east, near Williamsburg. UK-based Diggerland will soon begin construction on a construction-themed park planned to open in 2007.

Sports

Richmond does not have any major, professional sports teams. However, there are several minor league teams. The city is the home of the Richmond Braves, a AAA minor league baseball team (the farm team of the Atlanta Braves). The Braves play at The Diamond. The Richmond Lions, a USA Rugby Division 2 rugby union team, play at Dorey Park. The Richmond Kickers, a United Soccer Leagues Second Division soccer team play at the University of Richmond Stadium. The Richmond Bandits are an AIFl team. On April 25, 2006, after losing the Richmond RiverDogs, the former UHL franchise to relocation. The Richmond Renegades return to the city of Richmond in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Renegades are owned by original Renegades owner from the ECHL franchise, Allan Harvie. The Renegades will begin play at the Richmond Coliseum in the fall of 2006.

The Richmond Coliseum is the home of a large number of concerts, festivals, and trade shows. The Colonial Athletic Association of college basketball has also hosted its annual tournament at the coliseum since 1990, and the 1994 NCAA women's basketball Final Four was held here.

Auto racing is also very popular in the area, and the Richmond International Raceway also hosts two annual NASCAR Nextel Cup races, the Suntrust Indy Challenge, as well as the Virginia State Fair and other community and sporting events. Southside Speedway also sits just southwest of Richmond in Chesterfield County, and is a .33 mile oval short-track that features weekly stock car racing on Friday nights. Southside Speedway has acted as the breeding grounds for many past NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, and claims to be the home track of current NASCAR superstar, Denny Hamlin. Richmond was considered as one of the possible resting places for the future NASCAR Hall of Fame, but was ultimately awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Religion

Richmond has several historic churches. Because of its early English colonial history from the early 1600s to 1776, Richmond has a number of prominent Anglican/Episcopal churches including Monumental Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church and St. John's Episcopal Church. Methodists and Baptists made up another section of early churches, and First Baptist Church of Richmond was the first of these, established in 1780. In the Reformed church tradition, the first Presbyterian Church in the City of Richmond was First Presbyterian church, organized on June 18, 1812. On February 5, 1845, Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond was founded, which was an historic church where Stonewall Jackson attended and was the first Gothic building and the first gas-lit church to be built in Richmond.[6] Due to the influx of German immigrants in the 1840s, Saint Johns German Evangelical church was formed in 1843.

The first Jewish congregation in Richmond was Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome. Beth Shalome was the sixth in the United States and was the westernmost Jewish congregation in the United States at the time of its foundation. By 1822 K.K. Beth Shalome members worshipped in the first synagogue building in Virginia. They eventually merged with Congregation Beth Ababah, an offshoot of Beth Shalome. Today there is a diverse Jewish community.[citation needed]

There are several seminaries in Richmond. Three of these have banded together to become the Richmond Theological Consortium. This consortium consists of a theology school at Virginia Union University, a Presbyterian seminary called Union PSCE , and a Baptist seminary known as Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.

Two bishops sit in Richmond, those of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (the denomination's largest) and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. The Presbytery of the James -- Presbyterian Church (USA) -- also is based in the Richmond area.

Infrastructure

Government

Richmond city government consists of a city council with representatives from nine districts serving in a legislative and oversight capacity, as well as a popularly elected, at-large mayor serving as head of the executive branch. Citizens in each of the nine districts elect one council representative each to serve a two-year term. The city council elects from among itself one member to serve as Vice-Mayor (Council President) and one to serve as Assistant Vice-Mayor (Council Vice President).

Richmond's government previously changed from a council-manager form of government to an at-large, popularly elected Mayor. During the election, mayor Rudy McCollum was defeated by L. Douglas Wilder, who previously served Virginia as the first and only black governor. In 2004, Virginia Commonwealth University named its School of Government and Public Affairs in honor of L. Douglas Wilder.

As of the November, 2004 election, the Richmond City Council consists of: Manoli Loupassi (President of Council, 1st District), Jacqueline M. "Jackie" Jackson (City Council Vice President, 8th District), William J. Pantele (2nd District), Chris A. Hilbert (3rd District), Kathy A. Graziano (4th District), E. Martin "Marty" Jewell (5th District), Ellen F. Robertson (6th District), Delores McQuinn (7th District), and Eugene A. Mason, Jr. (9th District).

The Mayor is not apart of the Richmond City Council.

Education

The city of Richmond operates 31 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and eight high schools, with a cosmopolitan student population of 25,000 students. Here is a listing of Richmond City Public Schools. The adjacent counties of Henrico and Chesterfield also have a large number of public schools. Henrico county is currently one of very few counties to supply each of their students with a laptop computer. The county first used the iBook from Apple Computer. They currently use a Dell computer with the Windows XP software.

There are also several schools of higher education, including the University of Richmond (private), Virginia Commonwealth University (public), Virginia Union University (private) and the Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education (private). Several community colleges are found in the metro area, including J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College.

Virginia State University is located about 20 miles south of Richmond, in the suburb of Ettrick, just outside Petersburg. Randolph-Macon College is located about 15 miles north of Richmond, in the incorporated town of Ashland.

Transportation

Richmond is served by the Richmond International Airport (IATA: RIC, ICAO: KRIC), located in nearby Sandston, seven miles southeast of Richmond and within an hour drive of historic Williamsburg, Virginia, RIC airport is served by seven airlines with non-stop flights to 21 destinations and connecting flights to destinations worldwide. In 2004, the airport served approximately 2.5 million passengers.

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines. Local transit and paratransit bus service in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield counties is provided by the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC). The GRTC, however, serves only small parts of the suburban counties. The far West End (Innsbrook and Short Pump) and almost all of Chesterfield County have no public transportation despite dense housing, retail, and office development. Recent statistics in the Richmond Times-Dispatch have shown that the vast majority of GRTC riders ride the bus because they do not own a car and have no other choice; automobile owners in Richmond find that due to the layout of the city and its roads, driving is always a far faster method of reaching one's destination than is walking or the sparse bus service.

Richmond also has two railroad stations served by Amtrak. Each station receives regular service from north of Richmond from Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York. The suburban Staples Mill Road Station is located on a major north-south freight line and receives all service to and from all points south including, Raleigh, Durham, Savannah, Newport News, Williamsburg and Florida. The historic and recently renovated Main Street Station near downtown Richmond only receives trains bound for Newport News and Williamsburg at this time, due to its track layout. As a result, the Staples Mill Road station receives more service overall.

Richmond also benefits from an excellent position in reference to the state's transportation network, lying at the junction of east-west Interstate 64 and north-south Interstate 95, two of the most heavily traveled highways in the state, as well as along several major rail lines.

Utilities

Electricity in the Richmond Metro area is provided by Dominion Virginia Power. The company, based in Richmond, one of the nation's largest producers of energy, serving retail energy customers in nine states. Electricity is provided in the Richmond area primarily by the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station and Surry Nuclear Generating Station, as well as a coal-fired station in Chester, Virginia. These three plants provide a total of 4,453 megawatts of power. Several other natural gas plants provide extra power during times of peak demand. These include a facility in Chester, in Surry, and two plants in Richmond (Gravel Neck and Darbytown).

Water is provided by the city's Department of Public Utilities, and is one of the largest water producers in Virginia, with a modern plant that can treat up to 132 million gallons of water a day from the James River.

Wastewater: The treatment plant and distribution system of water mains, pumping stations and storage facilities provide water to approximately 62,000 customers in the city. The facility also provides water to the surrounding area through wholesale contracts with Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover counties. Overall, this results in a facility that provides water for approximately 500,000 people. There is also a wastewater treatment plant located on the south bank of the James River. This plant can treat up to 70 million gallons of water per day of sanitary sewage and stormwater before returning it to the river. The wastewater utility also operates and maintains 1,500 miles of sanitary sewer, pumping stations, 38 miles of intercepting sewer lines, and the Shockoe Retention Basin, a 44-million-gallon stormwater reservoir used during heavy rains.

Telephone service for the Richmond area is provided by two local exchange carriers: Verizon is the incumbent telephone company, and Cavalier Telephone & TV is a competitive local exchange carrier.

Sister cities

Richmond has six sister cities, as designated by the Sister Cities International, Inc.:

Richmond-upon-Thames (England)
Saitama, Saitama (Japan)
Uijongbu (South Korea)
Urawa, Aichi (Japan)
Windhoek (Namibia)
Zhengzhou (China)

In Fiction

Richmond is featured in various forms of film, television and writing. Numerous episodes of The X-Files took place, in part, in and at largely-fictionalized locations in Richmond. The television show Doug took place in a town called Bluffington, in which many places were based upon creator Jim Jinkins's childhood growing up in Richmond. The ABC drama Line of Fire was set specifically in Richmond, with several shooting locations taking place in the city.

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