Love where you live. Live Richmond.
RVA Richmond Relocation Guide
Welcome
to Richmond From our amazing history to our diverse culture and bustling economy, one thing is for sure - you’ll love where you live.
In this Guide THE DETAILS LIVE LEARN
PLAY WORK
RE/MAX Commonwealth Relocation Guide 2
WELCOME www.homesinrichmond.com 3
RVA
V
irginia’s capital Richmond is a vibrant, beautiful city. Museums, theatres, the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, and the winding James River make up a small sum of the things to do, see, and experience in Richmond. RVA’s past, present and future is the story of creativity in action. Today, it's home to some of the nation‘s most innovative individuals, businesses, organizations and neighborhoods. We have the nation's leading graduate programs in advertising and fine arts. WORK Every organ transplant in the country is processed through UNOS, headquartered in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, which runs the nation's transplant system, matching organs from deceased donors to those on the national waiting list. Architects, engineers and developers have transformed thousands of old buildings into chic spaces to live, work and play – making Richmond one of the largest beneficiaries of historic tax credits in the THE DETAILS country.
RICHMOND CITY INFO: Capital of Virginia Land Area: 60.1 sq. miles Nearby parks: James River Park and Pocahontas State Park Number of radio stations: 8 AM; 9 FM Number of television stations: 8 4
Distances to other Metropolitan Areas from Richmond: Atlanta, GA Charleston, SC Charlotte, NC Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Memphis, TN Miami, FL New Orleans, LA New York, NY Newark, NJ Raleigh, NC Washington, DC
533 miles 426 miles 295 miles 796 miles 1275 miles 824 miles 953 miles 1022 miles 340 miles 334 miles 157 miles 105 miles
JAMES RIVER As the only urban setting with Class III and IV rapids, the Region offers James River rafting ranging from wild to mild. Come float along the river, while keeping an eye peeled for native deer, blue herons, ospreys and bald eagles, or pack your rod and reel for the best smallmouth bass fishing on the East Coast. PLAY
In 5
LIVE
State Taxes Corporate income tax - 6%; has not changed since 1972. Individual income tax - 2% on the first $3,000; 3% on the next $2,000; 5% on the next $12,000; 5.75% over $17,000. Sales and use tax - 5.3% (4.3% state and 1.0% local); the eighth lowest rate in the nation. Broad sales tax exemptions for business include all purchases used directly in production; gas, electricity, or water delivered through mains, lines, or pipes; and custom computer software.
Local Taxes
WORK
Tangible personal property tax rates vary by locality and type of property. Tangible personal property includes motor vehicles; machinery and equipment; and office equipment, furniture, and fixtures. Exempt items include computer application software; furniture and fixtures THEcertain DETAILS and corporate aircraft of manufacturing, mining, and other businesses; manufacturers’ inventory; and merchandise in a foreign trade zone. Localities may exempt certain kinds of property or tax it at a lower rate. Localities also may impose the Consumer Utility Tax on utility bills and either a Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) Tax
6
A wide variety of housing types and styles are available in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Choices include downtown apartments in renovated warehouses, historic townhouses, golf course and waterfront communities, and farms.
Some of the area’s unique neighborhoods include:
Church Hill, one of the best preserved 19th Century neighborhoods in the country. Jackson Ward, one of the nation’s oldest intact African-American neighborhoods. Grayson Hill, a luxury townhome community, won four national honors in the Best of 50+ Housing Awards. Monument Avenue, the only street in the U.S. that is a National Historic Landmark. Brandermill, named the Best Planned Community in America by Better Homes and Gardens and the National Association of Home Builders.
Accolades: Richmond named one of the Top 10 Cities to Watch in 2020, by Worth.com, October 2019. Richmond makes Forbes.com's '10 Coolest U.S. Cities to Visit in 2018' Richmond makes Forbes.com's '10 Coolest U.S. Cities to Visit in 2018', Forbes.com, February, 2018. Richmond makes Forbes.com's '10 Coolest U.S.
MAJOR AREA EMPLOYERS:
Cities to Visit in 2018', US News, April 2019. Richmond has ranked 46 in Livability’s 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live list., Livability, March 2019. Richmond named a top 10 city for lawyers, a study from AdvisorSmith, June 2019. Richmond is No. 1 on VinePair's top 10 beercation destinations for 2018, VinePair, January 2018. Richmond featured on list of best cities for college grads, SmartAsset’s “Best Cities for New College Grads in 2018.”, May 2018. Richmond named a Best Bike City in America in 2018, bicycling.com, October 2018. Richmond named a Top 25 Convention Cities For 2020 by MeetingSource, MeetingSource.com, 2019.
Philip Morris USA Genworth Financial United Network for Organ Sharing Capital One Brinks Company Infineon Technologies SunTrust Banks, Inc. DuPont Wachovia Securities Owens & Minor CarMax LandAmerica Financial Group 7
Learn LEARN
Higher Education
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral Research University Extensive. One of the largest universities in Virginia, it features over $260 million in externally funded research each year, ranking among the top 200 universities in the country in sponsored research. Nearly 32,000 students in more than 220 degree and certificate programs, with 65 of the programs unique in Virginia. A unique Master’s degree program in advertising taught in an ad agency environment. Innovative collaboration between the Schools of Business and Engineering. VCU Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Nationally-recognized School of the Arts, with strong programs in Sculpture, Graphic Arts, and Multimedia/ Visual Communications. Top-100 Global University, with international partnerships for collaborative research and exchanges. University of Richmond ranked one of the best liberal arts universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, is the area’s largest private university and includes: Jepson School of Leadership Studies, the nation’s first undergraduate school of leadership studies. Robins School of Business, and a unique combination of undergraduate and graduate programs through its schools of arts and sciences, business, leadership studies, law, and continuing studies. Greater Richmond’s four-year institutions also include: Randolph-Macon College, an undergraduate, coeducational college of the liberal arts located in the town of Ashland in Hanover County. Virginia State University, one of Virginia’s two land-grant institutions, with a 236-acre main campus and 416-acre agricultural research facility at Randolph Farm Virginia Union University, a private coeducational, liberal arts institution founded in 1865 to provide a quality education to young African Americans.
Elementary & Secondary Education Each locality in the Richmond Region has its own public school system and provides a full range of career prep, WORK college prep, and honors/advanced placement classes. Six vocational/technical centers offer trade and industry classes and apprenticeship training. More than 152,600 students are enrolled in the four systems. In addition to magnet and specialty programs in each locality, Greater Richmond’s gifted students are eligible for accelerated programs at the regional Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for Arts and Technology, and L.C.Bird High School Governor’s Career and Technical Academy for Engineering Studies. The regional Math Science Innovation Center provides special facilities and classes in science, math, and technology that would not be feasible for individual school systems. Virginia has adopted education reform called Standards of Learning (SOLs). The program sets high, clear, measurable academic standards on a statewide basis and then measures student progress in meeting those standards. Students are tested in English, math, science, and history in the third, fifth, and eighth grades and in high school.
Private Schools More than 60 private and parochial elementary and secondary schools have enrollment of more than 18,000 students. Many private high schools are college preparatory schools with virtually all graduates going on to four-year colleges. In addition, numerous schools offer the International Baccalaureate program, study abroad, community service, and military training. Special weekend and evening schools offering classes in language and culture have been created by the local German, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean communities. 8
The Richmond Region offers the cultural and recreational opportunities of a large city with minimal traffic congestion and an average 25-minute commute. Atlantic beaches, the Blue Ridge mountain ski slopes, and Washington D.C.’s cultural amenities are all within a two-hour drive.
PLAY
Sports & Recreation
Richmond Flying Squirrels, AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants Richmond Kickers (USL) Washington Redskins training camp NASCAR auto racing Class I through IV urban white water rafting and kayaking Richmond Marathon and Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K 28 public golf courses Pocahontas State Park and local parks Kings Dominion and nearby Busch Gardens theme parks NCAA spectator sports including VCU and UR basketball and football
Museums & Galleries
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Science Museum of Virginia Virginia Historical Society Virginia Holocaust Museum Virginia Aviation Museum Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site Black History Museum & Cultural Center Edgar Allan Poe Museum White House and Museum of the Confederacy Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Children’s Museum of Richmond Visual Arts Center of Richmond Valentine Richmond History Center First Fridays Art Walk
Love where you live. Live Richmond. Performing Arts Organizations Richmond Symphony Richmond Ballet THE DETAILS Virginia Opera Lyric Opera Virginia Barksdale Theater Broadway touring productions University productions Richmond CenterStage
9
RVA
Interesting facts about Richmond: Richmond was named the Confederate Capital on May 21, 1861.
Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech was made in Richmond's St. John's Church. The White House of the Confederacy is located in Richmond and was home to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. WORK In 1992 the University of Richmond hosted the first ever "town hall" style presidential debate between H. Ross Perot, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Edgar Allen Poe became engaged to his childhood sweetheart Elmira Shelton (also a Richmond native and resident) just two weeks before his death in Baltimore. THE DETAILS Two U.S. Presidents (Monroe and Tyler), Confederate President Davis and more than 18,000 Civil War soldiers and officers are buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.
Love where you live. Live Richmond. 10
Notable Moments in Richmond History: 1607 — Jamestown settlement established 1611 — Sir Thomas Dale established a settlement below the Falls at the time named Henricus. 1622 — Powhatan uprising wiped out every English settlement except Jamestown 1741 — St. John's Church built in Church Hill, the oldest Richmond neighborhood 1742 — Richmond was chartered as a town 1775 — Patrick Henry delivered famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in St. John's Church 1780 — Virginia's state capital moved from Williamsburg to Richmond 1782 — Richmond was incorporated as a city 1862 — Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America, placed Richmond under martial law 1865 — Richmond's reconstruction began after the Civil War 1870 — Called the year of disasters — flood collapsed the third floor of the Virginia Capitol killing 60 and injuring 250, Robert E. Lee passed away and the Spotswood Hotel fire killed eight people 1903 — African-American business woman Maggie L. Walker chartered St. Luke Penny Savings Bank 1914 — Richmond became the headquarters of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve Bank 1950 — Natural gas introduced in Richmond 1963 — The "downtown boom" began leading to the construction of more than 700 buildings 1972 — Hurricane Agnes caused the James River 1995 — Multi-million dollar flood wall completed
Richmond Top Tourism Draws Byrd Theater Museum and White House of the Confederacy Virginia State Capitol Monument Avenue Maymont Busch Gardens Yorktown Victory Center Canal Walk Colonial Williamsburg Monticello Poe Museum Richmond National Battlefield Park
PLAY
Richmond Weather and Climate: Average daily temperature - Jan: 36F July: 77F Average annual rainfall - 42 inches In Average annual snowfall - 15 inches
Watermelon Festival Richmond VA Montpelier Egyptian Building Virginia State Fair Dogwood Dell Festival of Arts 11
HomesInRichmond.com
12