About Richmond

Richmond, Virginia’s Capital, is a vibrant modern city with more than 400 years of American history. Richmond is centrally located on the East Coast within half a day’s drive of 50% of U.S. population.Its central location is only 90 miles from the major metropolitan areas of Washington, DC to the north and Norfolk/Hampton Roads to the east. The population of the Richmond MSA exceeds 1,000,000 and a growing international community adds to the area’s cultural diversity and cosmopolitan character.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is nicknamed the “Old Dominion” and sometimes the “Mother of Presidents” because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. Virginia’s population totals more than 8,000,000 people and is home to 18 Fortune 500 companies.

Richmond Accolades

• Ranked number four among 10 best cities for commuters, by Kipplinger.com, March 11, 2011.
• The 7th best metro center for business, rated by the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.com, December 20, 2010.
• The top digital city in 2010 for its population size according to the Center for Digital Government. Virginia was one of four states to receive an A grade in a similar survey.
• America’s healthiest city and one of the best cities for families, in Parenting.com, June 18, 2010. One of the nation’s 50 best places for business and careers by Forbes.com, April 14, 2010.
• Ranked ninth lowest among 50 cities for the cost of operating a corporate headquarters, according to the Boyd Company, Inc., November 30, 2009.
• The second-most charitable city in America, according to Men’s Health magazine, December 2009.
• One of the nation’s seven top cities for trail runners in the October 2009 issue of Trail Runner magazine.
• One of the 20 best cities of its size for young professionals to live and work, by Next Generation Consulting, June 10, 2009.
• North America’s 9th best small city and 4th best in foreign direct investment strategy in Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) Magazine’s North American Cities of the Future 2009/10, April/May 2009.
• A top 10 city for finding a job in 2009 in a study by Ajilon Professional Staffing reported in Forbes.com, January 5, 2009.

In December of 2010 USA Cycling announced that Richmond, Virginia would represent the United States as America’s bid for the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships. Richmond is an ideal location to host the Worlds for a variety of reasons, including:

• Richmond is centrally located in the mid-Atlantic and is within half a day’s drive of 50% of U.S. population.
• It has a rich international cycling history having hosted the Tour of America, the Tour de Trump, the Tour DuPont and the CapTech Classic. Some of cycling’s biggest stars have competed in Richmond, including Greg LeMond (USA), Lance Armstrong (USA), Laurent Fignon (FRA) and Gianni Bugno (ITA).
• The city has world-class event facilities, hotels and entertainment.
•  Virginia has a vibrant business community that CNBC recently ranked as the top state for business.
• Also known as the “City of Seven Hills”, it has challenging terrain surrounded by endless historical landmarks.