Interesting Facts

During the Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy. From 1861 to 1865, Richmond was under frequent attack. Today, the Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates eleven sites in the area that were involved in three battles.
Is this a bank or not? The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is a bank but does not perform the usual functions of your typical bank. This bank is one of only twelve in the U.S. that regulates the money supply and maintains the stability of the banking industry. On average, approximately 40,000 transactions with a value of approximately $130 billion are made here daily.
Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery, named for the large holly trees that adorn the grounds, is the final resting-place of 18,000 confederate soldiers. A 90-foot pyramid honors the slain soldiers. US Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler, along with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, are also buried here.
It's Girl Scout Cookie Time! FFV Interbake Bakery fills the air of Richmond with the sweet smell of cookies. The bakery produces one million pounds of cookies a week, some of those being the wonderful Girl Scout cookies that we anticipate each year!
Home to 6 Fortune 500 headquarters and 10 Fortune 1000 headquarters, Richmond is a city with a strong business base. The metropolis is heralded as one of the leading manufacturing cities on the East Coast. Some well-known, tasty products produced by these leading manufacturers include Breyer's Ice Cream, Oreo Double Stuff Cookies and Wonder Bread.
Richmond was the first city in America to have an electric streetcar system. Today, the Greater Richmond Transit Company has revived the downtown trolley service. Even though these new cars aren't the same ones used years ago, they do provide a charming way to travel downtown.
Edgar Allan Poe was one of Richmond's most famous residents. While in Richmond, Poe became involved with two women. One of them, Elmira Royster, to whom Poe would eventually become engaged, would marry someone else. While Poe was attending UVa at Charlottesville, her father intercepted the letters that Poe wrote, leading her to believe that she was well forgotten. After 1847, Poe assumed his relationship with a widowed Elmira and they became engaged. Sadly, Poe died before they could marry.
Each Memorial Day weekend, the world's largest softball tournament is held in Richmond. The Round Robin softball tournament is held in parks throughout the Richmond area.
The first African America to win Wimbledon, Arthur Ashe Jr., was a Richmond native. Monument Avenue, known for its Confederate Civil War Monuments, is now home to a figure that honors the tennis champion.
In 1607, William Byrd II, an English explorer, founded Richmond only ten days after he landed in Jamestown. The city was named for Richmond-on-the-Thames in England. The views along the James River were similar to those found in the English city.