What is the capital of Virginia?

What is the capital of Virginia? The answer is Richmond.

Richmond became Virginia’s capital in 1780, when it replaced Williamsburg. Its position on the James River, near the river’s fall line, supported transportation, commerce, and industrial development. The city had been founded in the 1730s and was named for Richmond in London, a place familiar to Virginia’s colonial leaders.

Richmond is closely tied to major chapters of American history. Patrick Henry delivered his famous liberty speech at St. John’s Church in 1775, and Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was associated with the revolutionary-era government there. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America until it fell in April 1865.

Arlington, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk are all important Virginia localities, but none is the state capital. Arlington is part of the Washington metropolitan area, Virginia Beach is the state’s most populous city, and Norfolk is a major naval and port center. Richmond remains Virginia’s governmental center.