Neighborhoods of Richmond, Virginia
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The Greater Richmond, Virginia area has many neighborhoods and districts.[note 1]
Description of the Richmond Metro Region from a quadrant perspective
The
Except where the James River continues to define a boundary between the West End and Southside, drawing a theoretical line between quadrants of the metropolitan area is not well defined as one moves away from the city. This is especially true north of the James with the distinctions between East, North, and West end areas, all of which are north of the River. In the broadest context, each of these may be considered by some to include portions of Hanover County, which at its closest point, is only 5 miles from the current city limits. However, the Chickahominy River separates the Hanover from Henrico County at this closest point, which is in the Mechanicsville area. Some outlying areas meeting may be considered as independent or outside the Richmond area, such as Mechanicsville, Midlothian, or Short Pump.
Downtown
Court End
Court End is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Richmond, and is composed of the most important residential structures in the city. Court End is North of the Capitol District and west of I-95. Its name is derived from the Virginia Supreme Court's proximity to the Capitol Building. This convenient location made Court End a convenient home to many prominent citizens of Richmond, including Wickham, Valentine and Benjamin Watkings Leigh. Some say that this small area contains some of the city's most valuable and unusual architecture.[1]
Jackson Ward
During the construction of the
Monroe Ward
Monroe Ward is the neighborhood defined by the following streets. East of Belvidere, South of Broad, North of Franklin, and West of 14th Street. Monroe Ward lies just north of the Midtown Neighborhood.[citation needed]
Midtown
Midtown is south of Monroe Ward. The neighborhood defined by the following streets. Franklin Street south to W. Canal St. Belvidere east to 7th St.[citation needed]
The River District
In 1999, the City of Richmond completed its canal walk project, a refurbishment of a 1.25-mile segment of the
The actual boundaries of the River district are not defined, and include some businesses commonly thought to belong to other districts, like Shockoe Bottom and Shockoe Slip.[3]
Shockoe Slip
Shockoe Slip is a collection of tobacco warehouses in which are located shops, restaurants, and offices. The name "slip" refers to the canal boat slips nearby where goods were loaded and unloaded. Shockoe Slip became developed as a commercial and entertainment district in the 1970s. The nightlife district came just after Richmond passed liquor-by-the-drink laws, and when the so-called fern bar became popular across the United States. The rough boundaries of Shockoe Slip include 14th Street, Main Street, Canal Street and 12th Street.
East End
The East End of Richmond, Virginia is actually a collection of neighborhoods. Within the city, and in Henrico County, it roughly defined as including the area of Richmond north of the
Within the city, the East End includes neighborhoods such as
The terminology "East End" also broadly includes much of eastern Henrico County and part of Hanover County as a portion the Richmond Metropolitan area.
Church Hill
The historic district of Church Hill encompasses the original land plot of the city of Richmond. There
Fairmount
Fulton Hill
Libby Hill
Shockoe Bottom
Shockoe Bottom, just east of downtown along the James River, became a major nightlife, dining, and entertainment center in the last two decades of the 20th century. After centuries of periodic flooding by the James River, development was greatly stimulated by the completion of Richmond's James River Flood Wall in 1995. Ironically, the next flooding disaster came not from the river, but from
Tobacco Row
Just east of Shockoe Bottom, Tobacco Row is a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories adjacent to the
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Tobacco Row was the site of infamous Libby Prison and nearby Castle Thunder, detention facilities of the Confederate government.
The area was vacated by the tobacco companies by the late 1980s. Led by Richmond developer William H. Abeloff, many of the old warehouses of Tobacco Row were modernized and converted into developments of loft apartments, condominiums, offices, and retail space along part of the restored canal system. In 2006 the Richmond Housing Authority using HOPE VI grants worked with developer McCormack Baron Salazar to redevelop former warehouses in Tobacco Row into 250 mixed-income housing units.[4]
Union Hill
Union Hill is one of the oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods of Richmond and, as such, has been the recent focus of rapid gentrification and preservation. Its architectural and historical significance has earned the neighborhood designation on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. It is situated on the high western bluff above Shockoe Bottom. Houses of a remarkable mix are balanced along the irregular, picturesque and sometimes narrow streets that follow the curve of the hill. Those homes that line Jefferson Park have a clear view of downtown Richmond. Union Hill is bordered on the south by Jefferson Avenue, on the north by Venable Street, on the east by 25th Street, and by Mosby on the west. The term “Union Hill” first occurs in 1817 — probably referring to the combination of several hills that were joined by fill and grading over the years.[5]
Union Hill was featured in November 2007 on
Near West and West End
This section covers those neighborhoods that have at any point historically been considered part of the West End of Richmond.
Byrd Park
The Byrd Park neighborhood was in the Far West End of the City when it was planned in the late 1910s. This is a residential area, now in the Central neighborhoods of the City, bounded on the south by
Carver
The Carver neighborhood, also called Sheep Hill, lies north of
In modern times, Carver has seen new life, with redevelopment of older housing, some new homes, expansion to the north side of Broad Street of Virginia Commonwealth University facilities and student housing. Today, Carver is a diverse mix of students, singles, young families, and elderly residents.
Carytown/Museum District
Carytown is a residential and commercial area that generally consists of 1920s era homes and privately owned shops, clothing stores, cafes, and restaurants along Cary Street. The Byrd Theatre, located in this district, is a historic 1920s era movie palace that shows second run movies and that offers periodic performances of its Wurlitzer organ.
The Museum District (also sometimes known as West of the Boulevard, and often the Upper Fan) is located just west of the Fan district (and the Boulevard) and north of Carytown. Historically, this area was a site where many Confederate Soldiers were hospitalized/lived after the
The architecture is predominantly from the 1920s, though other styles from Victorian through Art Deco, up to the modern period, are also represented. Most houses are attached, or semi-detached, with occasional apartment buildings, and large Mansions along Monument Avenue. Occasional houses are distinguished, but as in the neighboring Fan the most interesting aspect is the general preservation of the neighborhood—it has mostly been preserved as built.
The Fan District
A residential neighborhood which is home to Virginia Commonwealth University, named for the fan-shaped grid of its streets. The Fan District is dominated by late-19th and early-20th century architecture. It lies immediately to the west of Downtown and east of Carytown/Museum district, between Broad Street and VA-195 (Downtown Expressway)
Uptown
Also known as the Lower Fan area. Neighborhood area popular with VCU students and containing much of the campus. (Campus is also contained in Midtown some, but the rest is mostly in Monroe Ward—where the name Monroe Campus comes from.) The area is defined by streets as follows: Meadow Street east to Belvidere. W. Canal St. north to Broad St.
Newtowne West
Located west of Carver, Newtowne West is a residential neighborhood located north of Broad St. between Hermitage Rd. and Lombardy St., and south of Interstates 95 and 64. Newtowne West began as a working-class African-American neighborhood in the 1890s but gradually became a more self-sufficient community in the 1920s before falling into disrepair during the second half of the twentieth century. Selected in 1999 as a part of Richmond City's Neighborhoods in Bloom program, Newtowne West is currently a center of revitalization including the renovation of the historic Maggie L. Walker High School in 2001.
Oregon Hill
Randolph
This is a residential area bounded on the south by Colorado Avenue, on the north by the
Scott's Addition
A neighborhood and National Historic District located across Broad Street from the Museum District, it is a former industrial neighborhood which has been redeveloped into a commercial hub, with numerous modern restaurants and bars. Scott's Addition is bounded on the south by Broad Street, on the east by Boulevard, on the north by I-95/I-64 and on the west by I-195.
Three Corners District
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Windsor Farms
Northside
Richmond's North Side is home to many diverse neighborhoods, including
The terminology "North Side" also broadly includes much of central Henrico County to include Lakeside, Virginia.
Southside
Manchester
Manchester is an industrial and residential area directly south of downtown Richmond across the James River from the Canal Walk. Not to be confused with the Manchester area of Chesterfield County, Manchester (also known as Old Manchester and South Richmond) has a distinguished history of its own.
Originally known as Rocky Ridge, for over 200 years,
The former
Hoods
• Hillside Court • Lafayette Gardens • Afton •
Woodland Heights
Forest Hill
The neighborhood of Forest Hill, one of Richmond's designated Historic Districts, is located along the southern banks of the James River, extending south to Reedy Creek and Bassett Avenue, east to Forest Hill Park, and west to Cedar Lane and Westover Hills Boulevard. One of the area's first trolley car suburbs, the neighborhood was built near the terminus of the
The neighborhood was home to Frederick William Sievers, sculptor of the Matthew Fontaine Maury and Stonewall Jackson monuments on Monument Avenue as well as the Virginia Monument at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There is a historical marker at the location of his workshop in the yard of a West 43rd Street home.
Westover Hills
Westover Hills, one of Richmond's more established neighborhoods, is located directly south of the James River where
Many housing sites feature large lots and a generally suburban feel. Some homes are located overlooking the banks of the James River, Westover Hills Boulevard, Forest Hill Ave. and Forest Hill Park. The neighborhood features well-established restaurants and businesses, along with churches and some arts establishments.
Stratford Hills and Southampton
Stratford Hills began life as a part of Chesterfield County, but was annexed by the City in the 1970s.
Bon Air
Bon Air is located in
While remnants of the 1916 village-era post office, 1902 Hazen Library, and Hotel Grounds (currently the Bon Air Community Association) still remain at the intersection of Rockaway and McRae Roads, current day "Old Town" Bon Air is generally not a tourism attraction. Bon Air is largely a
Other Southside neighborhoods
Places such as
Notes
- ^ This article is an attempt to be inclusive of the broader definitions of the areas which are often considered part of the Greater Richmond Region, based on their urban or suburban character and nature (as identified by architectural historians, urban planners, or the like), rather than by strictly political boundaries.
References
- ^ "Historic Areas". Advocacy. Historic Richmond Foundation. 2009. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "Richmond River District - Home". Archived from the original on 27 January 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2005.
- ^ "Richmond.com / River District". www.richmond.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2004.
- ^ Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority Bi-Annual Report, Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 2008.
- ^ "A.C.O.R.N. » Union Hill".
- ^ "1970 – Annexation Chiseling The Horner-Bagley Line" (PDF). 9 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
External links
- Richmond Planning Department Master Plan - Section on Neighborhoods
- Richmond (VA) Neighborhoods
- Randolph Richmond
- Richmond Commission of Architectural Review Slide Collection from the collection of the VCU Libraries
- Richmond Comprehensive Planning Slide Collection from the collection of the VCU Libraries