Quick Facts About Richmond
On the banks of the rolling James River, just two hours from the Atlantic lies one of the nation’s oldest, most interesting and, perhaps, one of its most underestimated cities — Richmond, Virginia.
Once the target of Benedict Arnold’s ire and the one-time capital of the Confederacy, Richmond has played no small role in the nation’s history. It is sometimes hard to reconcile that the city was both the birthplace of founding father Patrick Henry — who once lobbied for armed emancipation from the British, “Give me liberty or give me death!” — and the final resting place of Jefferson Davis, who served as the Confederacy’s one and only president during the Civil War. Truly, this capital city has multitudes.
Richmond now has roughly 230,000 residents, making it the fourth-largest city in the state (Virginia Beach still tops the list). But the metro Richmond area, which encompasses cities like Colonial Heights and Ashland, as well as Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and New Kent Counties, has a population of over 1.3 million — a figure that has risen steadily over the past decade. The capital city’s proximity to the Mid-Atlantic coast and Washington, D.C., along with its diverse job market and cultural treasures, give it broad appeal to newcomers.
Five universities call the city home, giving the city a powerful workforce, plenty of options for higher education close to home and a youthful energy. The city has built on this foundation of research and imagination in the Richmond Arts District, where eclectic galleries, boutiques and coffee shops keep the city’s vibe cool and innovative. Art museums, theatres and historic sites across the Richmond area only add to the city’s charm.
Richmond’s cultural capital is complemented by a strong corporate base, where Fortune 500s like Dominion Energy and CarMax provide thousands of jobs to residents through their headquarters in the city.
But Richmond’s landscape may give the city its inimitable allure. The James River makes for an aquatic playground for paddlers and swimmers, and its stony waters are as picturesque as any you’ll find across the country. The hilly terrain surrounding the city begs to be explored, whether it’s on a tandem bicycle on the Capital Trail or in your favorite boots, hiking and bouldering in Belle Isle.
If you want to learn more about what living in Richmond, Virginia is like, read our full moving guide below. We’ll give you an inside look at the cost of living, job market, weather, historic sites and fun things to do around town.
Weather in Richmond
Like most cities in the U.S., Richmond’s weather is getting warmer, but you can still look forward to four true seasons in this Southern city.
Summers are reliably hot and humid, with highs averaging in the mid to upper 80s F in from June through August. These are also the city’s wettest months when afternoon thunderstorms often bring cooling rains across the region. Overnight, temperatures often drop down into the 60s — a relief if you want to get out on the Capital Trail for a jog before work in the morning.
Spring and fall are delightful in central Virginia. Lows will be above freezing by mid-March and won’t drop back down below the frost point until late November. The rolling hills are striking in their fall coats of blazing yellow, red and orange, but we’re also partial to the swaths of early-blooming jonquils and fragrant roses, which set their blooms in late April and early May.
While Hanover County doesn’t see winters like cities in the Northeast, you’ll certainly want a good puffer jacket and some warm socks if you’re moving here. The average minimum temperature is 29 F and the max is 48 F, which keeps the air brisk but the snowfall to a minimum — less than 10 inches accumulate here in an average year.
Richmond’s Cost of Living
With a population of just under 230,000, Richmond is the fourth-largest city in Virginia, roughly half the size of Virginia Beach but just a hair smaller than Norfolk and Chesapeake. But of these cities, Richmond’s median household income remains the smallest, averaging below $60,000 between 2018 and 2022 — $15,000 off the national average. This has contributed to Richmond’s high poverty rate, which has now reached 19.5%.
Income disparities make it difficult to own a home in the capital, where the median home value is $308,300, higher than the average U.S. city. Rent is also relatively high, topping $1,200/month on average.
According to MIT’s Living Wage calculator, a single adult with no children in Richmond would need to earn $23.60 per hour to make ends meet. This would cover the estimated costs of food ($4,401), housing ($15,995) transportation ($10,011), and Internet/mobile services ($1,525), along with medical and other expenses. Two working adults would each need to earn $31.34 per hour to cover an estimated $15,771 in food, $23,604 in housing, $16,773 in transportation, $2,104 in Internet/mobile services and $31,280 in childcare costs, on top of other common household expenses.
Jobs and Education in Richmond
Richmond’s robust economy was built on its prominence as the capital, where railroads made it easy to transport goods and enslaved labor made it cheap to produce them. Tobacco is still one of the leading industries in the city, and the Altria Group, which owns Philip Morris, is one of eight Fortune 500s in Richmond. But the city has come a long way since the 19th century, and Richmond’s business profile now includes giants in finance, healthcare, manufacturing and information technology. Dominion Energy is the single largest employer in the region, but Performance Food Group, insurance carrier Markel, ARKO convenience stores and CarMax all have headquarters in the city.
The Richmond area has a nonfarm, civilian workforce of more than 730,000, and trade, transportation and utilities lead the pack. Professional and business services and education and health services are a close second and third, respectively, with leisure and hospitality and financial activities vying for fourth and fifth. Most industries experienced modest growth over the past year, keeping the unemployment rate at 3.1% between June of 2023 and 2024.
Richmond’s academic institutions are a major stabilizing force in the state capital, with five large institutions calling the city home: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) — one of the top 100 public schools in the nation — Virginia State University, the University of Richmond, Randolph-Macon College and Virginia Union University, an HBCU founded in 1865.
History and Culture in Richmond
Between historic Williamsburg and the U.S. Capitol, Richmond has some serious competition when it comes to cultural offerings. But make no mistake, this state capital is a cultural hotbed all its own.
One of the premier destinations in the city is the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The VMFA opened in inauspicious times — during the Great Depression — but its impressive collection and exhibitions are a testament to the aspirations of its founders. Some of the highlights of the 2024-25 season include Theaster Gates: Wonder Working Power and A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845.
Richmond hosts several fun cultural events every year, from the Richmond Folk Festival to Arts in the Park, which brings more than 350 artists to Carillon in Byrd Park each May. But one of the more unusual spring events is the Dominion Energy Riverrock. This sports and music festival marries competitive trail running, mountain biking, and bouldering with rock performances by some of the nation’s leading acts. There are plenty of opportunities for newbies to try out new sports, like slacklining, a tightrope act with plenty of padding underneath for beginners.
Richmond has been named one of the best U.S. historical destinations. Intimate sites, like the Wilton House Museum, as well as massive ones, like the Malvern Hill Battlefield, where the Seven Days Campaign took place, help paint the picture of Richmond’s past.
At the historic St. John’s Church, you can still hear Patrick Henry’s revolutionary call to arms echoing across the pews, “Give me liberty or give me death!” A tour of the surrounding Church Hill neighborhood will give you a deeper look at Richmond’s first district, along with great views of the city below.
Fast-forward a hundred years and you’ll find yourself in an even more epic contest — the Civil War. Richmond National Battlefield Park preserves several important sites of this fight for the nation’s soul, but the Chimborazo Hospital brings the cost of war into vivid color. Because of the significant railroad presence in the capital, Richmond received many of the war’s wounded, treating roughly 75,000 patients during its operation.
A visit to the American Civil War Museum, which maintains the White House of the Confederacy, sheds light on the events that led up to the war and the consequences of it, to the city of Richmond and beyond. One of the most significant sites of the antebellum and Civil War era — the Shockoe Bottom — has largely been destroyed and rebuilt with ordinary urban infrastructure. But make no mistake — this area was the center of the slave trade in Richmond, where slave jails and auction houses once stood, practicing human trafficking alongside sales of coffee and cotton.
Outdoor Recreation
Like many cities in Virginia, Richmond benefits from the state’s beautiful terrain, and residents can easily capitalize on the rolling hillsides and soothing waterways on hikes, campouts, bike rides and boating adventures.
Named the Best River Town by Outside magazine, the James River is one of the most important natural resources in the region, and the James River Park System gives you 600 dedicated acres to enjoy it in. The Reedy Creek Nature Center within the park is a great place to learn about local wildlife with your kids, who will adore the giant ant and butterfly sculptures on the building’s exterior almost as much as the live native critters on the inside.
Paddlers know the spoils of this river well. Thanks to the James River, Richmond is the only city with class IV rapids in its downtown area. But you don’t have to be an expert rafter to get out on these waters. There are tranquil sections for those who want to try kayaking for the first time, like the Huguenot Flatwater area, which is also a prime spot for fishing on the banks. Mountain biking trails line the parkway, and swimming and rock-hopping are popular in the calmer waters, like Pony Pasture.
Rock climbers can enjoy an urban climb in the middle of nature on the Manchester Climbing Wall. This onetime railroad trestle now offers 20’-60’ climbing routes for all levels of climber, novice to advanced. Boulderers can also test their skills on the old quarry walls in Belle Isle and on the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, or “T. Pott.”
When you want to explore the area, the Capital Trail can take you between the modern and original state seats – Richmond and Jamestown. This 52-mile trail begins in the Richmond burbs and meanders across the Virginia countryside to Chickahominy State Park. Along the way, you can take a historic audio tour of the area and stop off at breweries, museums and campsites. Bike rentals are available for those who want to do a shorter jaunt.
For those who love being outside but aren’t looking for a workout, the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has more than 50 acres of cultivated wonders, including an outstanding rose garden, a conservatory with a tropical orchid wing and a fun children’s garden.
Locals’ Favorite Eat and Drinks
Richmond may be a historic city, but the city’s food scene is cool and contemporary.
If you’re seeing a performance at the Virginia Rep or cruising the galleries on RVA First Fridays, why not go out for tapas at one of the best spots in Richmond’s Arts District, Bar Solita? The Gambas al Ajillo are sweet and smoky while the whipped feta is the perfect complement to their Solita Mule, a snappy cocktail with passionfruit, pineapple and ginger beer.
Stella’s has been Richmond’s favorite Greek joint since 1983, but there aren’t any plates here that are stuck in the past. If they’re serving astakomakaronada — a lobster pasta with tomatoes and brandy — order it, but don’t forget a plate of the kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters) and marides (fried smelts) for the table. Jamaica House is another of Richmond’s long-running favorites, where jerk chicken, oxtails and curry goat are made with love and authentic, homemade goodness.
The only day Sub Rosa Bakery disappoints us is on Monday when they’re closed. The rest of the week, they’re our go-to for flaky croissants, whole grain ciabatta and rosemary pie, all made from flour milled in-house.
You might not expect the Southern city of Richmond to be an outpost for Scandinavian fare, but the capital city’s Stock brings flavors of the north below the Mason-Dixon line. The Toast Skagen marries the two cultures effortlessly, with Carolina shrimp and smoked trout roe, but the wild mushroom smørrebrød with braised leeks and goat lady cheese will satisfy your craving for Danish rye. Vegetarians will also love the charred cabbage with smoked farro and pickled fennel, but meat lovers mustn’t pass up the schnitzel with herbed knöpfle, tradition updated to its best.
Prepare for Your Move to Richmond
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Wondering what life in the Old Dominion is like? Read our Moving Guide to Virginia for an insider’s look at this historic, Southern state. If you’re still considering other regions in the country as your new home, check out our moving guides to popular cities and states around the U.S.
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