History · Richmond

Richmond has 234 places on the National Register, 15 of them National Historic Landmarks

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

Dated to 1607 (Wikidata), with 28% of its homes built before 1940 and 68 historic districts holding 20,089 contributing buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, the census since 1790, and every listing on the Register.

1607founded

234on the National Register

28%homes built before 1940

3old photos & papers

24famous people

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Quick answers

How Richmond began

When was Richmond founded?

1607

Richmond dates its founding to 1607 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 3,761 in 17902020 census: 226,610419 years

How historic is Richmond?

A⁺

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Richmond’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richmond is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 253 in Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A⁺

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richmond’s overall grade.

Founding era1607, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA⁺Homes built before 194028.4% of homes (±0.9) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%A⁻National Register234 listings, 20,089 historic buildings, 876 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%

NewerOlder

Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)#1 of 253

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Richmond ranks #14 on History.

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Richmond’s 876 sits above most of its state (96% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 20,089 historic buildings are more than any other U.S. town’s.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1607.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Richmond’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A National Historic Landmark234 places on the National Register, 15 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe Fan Area Historic District takes in 3,056 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1607, 169 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Richmond, and 63 old place names are still on the map.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

234 listings protect 20,089 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 15 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

234

National Historic Landmarks

John Marshall House

historic buildings protected

20,089

each building in a district counts

first listed

1966

John Marshall House

BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructuresObjects★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival43

Italianate37

Greek Revival36

Queen Anne30

Federal23

Classical Revival23

★ Landmark

John Marshall HouseBuilt 1790

★ Landmark

St. John's Episcopal ChurchBuilding

★ Landmark

Virginia State CapitolBuilt 1785

★ Landmark

White House of the ConfederacyBuilt 1818

★ Landmark

Egyptian BuildingEgyptian Revival · Built 1845

★ Landmark

Monumental ChurchGreek Revival

★ Landmark

Governor's MansionFederal · Built 1813

★ Landmark

Valentine MuseumFederal · Built 1812

All 236 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Richmond, 1607 to 1961

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

17th century
1607
FoundingRichmond is established
18th century
1780In the archiveOld American Company ticket
1785BuiltVirginia State Capitol is built
1790BuiltJohn Marshall House is built
1794Post officeThe Richmond Courthouse post office opens
1797In the archiveTheater and hotel building ("Theatre, Assembly Rooms and an hotel"), Richmond, Virginia. …
19th century
1818BuiltWhite House of the Confederacy is built
1832Post officeThe Richmond Courthouse post office closes
1845BuiltEgyptian Building is built
1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
20th century
1930Born hereTom Wolfe is born here
1934Born hereShirley MacLaine is born here
1937Born hereWarren Beatty is born here
1943Born hereArthur Ashe is born here
1960LandmarkJohn Marshall House named a National Historic Landmark
1960LandmarkVirginia State Capitol named a National Historic Landmark
1960LandmarkWhite House of the Confederacy named a National Historic Landmark
1961LandmarkSt. John's Episcopal Church named a National Historic Landmark

The story

How Richmond came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Richmond.

Read it all →

After the first permanent English-speaking settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia, in April 1607, Captain Christopher Newport led explorers northwest up the James River to an inhabited area in the Powhatan Nation, which takes its name from the location Pawat-hanne, or "falls in a stream," referring to the falls in the James River at present day Richmond, specifically Powhatan Hill.

ChaptersColonial era American Revolution Early United States American Civil War Postbellum 20th century 21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Richmond in 1883

Passages that mention Richmond, cut from the printed page as they were published.

sunny South will never cease to remember the fair form of the "city belle" as she soothed his aching brow or bound up his wounded limb. Too often do we hear our Southern allies cursing the people of Richmond as a set of speculators thriving on our misfortunes, but now many of them have been convinc… — **Contributions to a history of the Richmond Howitzer Battalion. Pamphlet no. 1-[4]**1883 · page 117Read the page →
Read the text
sunny South will never cease to remember the fair form of the "city belle" as she soothed his aching brow or bound up his wounded limb. Too often do we hear our Southern allies cursing the people of Richmond as a set of speculators thriving on our misfortunes, but now many of them have been convinced that "in the hour of pain and anguish," Richmond can and will do all within her power to aid those who are seeking to uphold our cause. 'Tis undoubtedly true that Richmond has changed greatly
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

On the 2 1st May the commandant of the First company received orders to report to Brigadier-General Bonham, of the Confederate States Army, then at Richmond and moving his column to Manassas Junction, the intersection of the Orange and Alexandria railroad with the Manassas Gap railroad, in the coun… — **Contributions to a history of the Richmond Howitzer Battalion. Pamphlet no. 1-[4]**1883 · page 36Read the page →
Read the text
On the 2 1st May the commandant of the First company received orders to report to Brigadier-General Bonham, of the Confederate States Army, then at Richmond and moving his column to Manassas Junction, the intersection of the Orange and Alexandria railroad with the Manassas Gap railroad, in the county of Prince William, that point being considered the key to the lower valley of Virginia by means of the Manassas road.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Richmond, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1780s to the 1790s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1780s–1790s3 items

1780Old American Company ticketDocument

Theater and hotel building ("Theatre, Assembly Rooms and an hotel"), Richmond, Virginia. 5-section of theatre with figu…

1797Theater and hotel building ("Theatre, Assembly Rooms …Document

Theater and hotel building ("Theatre, Assembly Rooms and an hotel"), Richmond, Virginia. 7-map of

1797Theater and hotel building ("Theatre, Assembly Rooms …Map

On the map

Richmond on the map, 1894 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Richmond. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1894Richmond sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Richmond.

Every building

Richmond, building by building, 1886–1919

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Richmond fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 3

1886Sheet 3 of 35

Edition

Sheets

+34 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Richmond, census by census

Between 3,761 and 249,621 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Richmond’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

24 famous people were born in Richmond

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Shirley MacLaineAmerican actress · b. 1934

Warren BeattyAmerican actor and filmmaker · b. 1937

Arthur AsheAmerican tennis player · b. 1943

Tom WolfeAmerican author and journalist · b. 1930

Vince GilliganAmerican writer, producer, and director · b. 1967

Mickie JamesAmerican country singer and professional wrestl… · b. 1979

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Richmond Courthouse, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map

AccaAmpthill HeightsBeaufont HillsBroad RockBroad Rock ManorBrookburyCedar FarmsCherokee HillsCherry GardensChesterfield CourtChestnut HillChippenham VillageChurch HillCloptonDorchesterFairway AcresFawnbrookFernleighForest Hill FarmsGinter ParkGraniteGravel HillHighland ParkHobby Hill Farms

Gone or out of use

A V Norrell Elementary School AnnexschoolBelle Island Prisoner of War CamplocaleBethany HomebuildingBroad Street Methodist ChurchchurchCamp LeelocaleCastle LightningbuildingCastle ThunderbuildingChimborazo Military HospitalhospitalConfederate ArmorymilitaryConfederate Government StablesbuildingConfederate Navy YardmilitaryConfederate Reading RoombuildingFirst Baptist ChurchchurchFirst MarketlocaleFort WestmilitaryGeneral Hospital Number 1hospitalGeneral Hospital Number 12hospitalGeneral Hospital Number 4hospital

15cemeteries and burying grounds inside Richmond

Barton HeightsEvergreenGravel HillHebrewHollywoodHoly CrossMauryMount CalvaryMount OlivetOakwoodOakwood HebrewRiverviewSaint JohnsShockoe HillWorkman's Circle Cemetery of Richmond

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Richmond’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Richmond’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Tuckahoe4 historic placesB⁻MeadowbrookIts storyD Montrose1 historic placeC ManchesterIts storyD East Highland Park1 historic placeC Bensley2 historic placesB⁻Bon Air1 historic placeC⁺Lakeside1 historic placeB⁻

Questions about Richmond’s history

What year was Richmond founded?

In 1607, according to Wikidata. Richmond’s post office opened in 1794, and the first U.S. census counted 3,761 people here in 1790.

How does Richmond rank for history?

Richmond is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Richmond?

234 listings, 15 of them National Historic Landmarks: 159 buildings, among them the John Marshall House (a National Historic Landmark since 1960), 69 historic districts with 19,762 contributing buildings, 2 sites, 1 structure, and 5 objects. 20,089 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Richmond?

28% of Richmond’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1959.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (236), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Richmond has 234 places on the National Register, 15 of them National Historic Landmarks

How Richmond began

When was Richmond founded?

How historic is Richmond?

What drives Richmond’s History grade

What stands out about Richmond’s past

234 listings protect 20,089 historic buildings

Architectural styles listings

Richmond, 1607 to 1961

How Richmond came to be

What they wrote about Richmond in 1883

Richmond, decade by decade

Richmond on the map, 1894 to 1994

Richmond, building by building, 1886–1919

Richmond, census by census

24 famous people were born in Richmond

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Start Richmond’s collection

History across the town line

Questions about Richmond’s history

Memory lane

Where this page comes from