Greater Richmond

Richmond is Virginia’s state capital, and this dynamic and culturally rich region offers residents and businesses the advantages of a growing, vibrant metropolitan area with developable acreage in suburban and rural areas.

Greater Richmond Partnership

 

 

 

 

Richmond Skyline

Key Companies in Richmond

The Richmond Region is home to many major businesses, including seven Fortune 500 and three Fortune 1000 company headquarters.

Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University

Regional Highlights

Greater Richmond has a population of 1.1 million, and comprises seven counties (Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan) and the City of Richmond, offering a unique combination of affordability and quality of life in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The Richmond MSA population is nearly 1.3 million.

Home to an array of industries and seven Fortune 500 headquarters, including DuPont’s largest manufacturing plant in the world, the area is a magnet for talent. CityLab ranked Richmond #6 for large metro areas with the fastest growth in the creative class, drawing a workforce that flocks to the region for diverse job opportunities and its renowned culture and recreation.

We’ve found that being headquartered in Richmond has helped us attract top talent with diverse ideas to fuel our growth.

Jennifer Bartusiak Public Relations Manager, CarMax

Location

As Virginia’s capital region, Richmond’s strong transportation infrastructure connects Richmond to the Mid-Atlantic region, the U.S., and the world.

Analytics Corp., Hanover County
Analytics Corp., Hanover County

  • CSX and Norfolk Southern provide freight rail service, with rail lines radiating in all directions from Richmond. Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak, providing multiple daily trains to and from Washington, D.C., New York, and beyond from two area stations.
  • James River Barge Service serves the Richmond Marine Terminal, which connects to The Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads.
  • Richmond International Airport (RIC) provides passenger and cargo services to major domestic destinations and connecting service to points around the globe. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), one of the nation’s largest international airports, is within 100 miles.
  • More than 100 motor freight companies and brokers serve the area, including specialists in heavy hauling, overdimensional loads, and liquid or dry bulk.
  • Fast shipping access is readily available with a UPS Freight home office, as well as FedEx and UPS regional hubs in the City of Richmond. More than 40 courier service companies can handle scheduled and rush, local, intrastate, and interstate deliveries.
Richmond Skyline

The Richmond Region

Talent Development in Richmond

Nearly 30 regional institutions of higher education, including Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University, Virginia State University, the University of Richmond, and Randolph-Macon College, train and supply the next generation of skilled professionals, enabling Richmond to attract and retain businesses of all sizes.

Higher Education

Richmond is home to 16 degree-granting institutions of higher education.

  • University of Richmond: As a top 25 liberal arts university, UR celebrates the ideas of a changing and evolving world, preparing its students to lead it. Beginning Fall 2020, computer science majors may choose to add a concentration in Data Science and Statistics, building the strong analytic skills needed to work in today’s world. UR also offers a coding boot camp that prepares students with in-demand skills needed to advance or start a career in coding, data analytics, or cybersecurity.
  • VCU: Ranked a top 100 research university, VCU is a place where discovery and creativity go hand in hand. VCU’s Department of Computer Science has 14 research labs, covering topics ranging from cybersecurity, to algorithms, data mining, and software engineering. In addition, VCU is one of just 20 universities nationwide, and the only school in Virginia, in the prestigious Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Consortium giving undergraduate engineering students opportunities to work with graduate students and faculty on innovative, large-scale research projects.
  • Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA): A joint partnership between John Tyler Community College and Reynolds Community College, CCWA is dedicated to providing world-class, non-credit, and custom-designed instruction, consulting, skills assessments, and educational programs and services to both the public and private sectors.

K-12

CodeRVA: An innovative, regional, public high school in central Virginia focused on preparing students for college and careers in computer science and coding. The computer science-focused school serves up to 400 students from 12 school districts in the region.

Maggie Walker Governor’s School: The #8 Public High School in the United States according to Niche is a public regional magnet high school located in Richmond.

CoStar, Richmond
RTS Labs, Richmond
AvePoint, Richmond
Facebook, Henrico
Sabra Dipping Company, Chesterfield County

Living in Richmond

Once a region defined principally by its southern charm and history, Richmond has grown into a thriving, cosmopolitan destination, revered for its natural beauty and amenities.

Richmond offers the entertainment and recreational opportunities of a much larger metro area, with the accessibility, atmosphere, and traffic of a smaller city, providing an ideal and affordable location to raise a family and grow a business and career.

The region offers an extensive variety of arts and cultural activities that serve to enrich its well-known history, including state museums like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum of Virginia, and a full array of theatre, opera, symphony, comedy, concerts, and other productions.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Ardent Craft Ales
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens