RVA Observer
My blogs
Blogs I follow
| Industry | Non-Profit |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Observer! |
| Location | RVA, United States |
| Introduction | In 1673, William Byrd I was granted lands on the James River that included the area around Falls that would become Richmond and already included small settlements. Byrd was a well-connected Indian trader in the area and established a fort on the site. William Byrd II inherited his father's land in 1704, and in 1737 founded the town of Richmond at the Falls of the James and commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid. Byrd named the city Richmond after the English town of Richmond near (and now part of) London, because the view of the James River was strikingly similar to the view of the River Thames from Richmond Hill in England, where he had spent time during his youth. The settlement was laid out in April 1737, and was incorporated as a town in 1742. |
| Interests | Vintage shopping in Carytown. $1.99 movie tickets at Byrd Theater. The Jefferson Hotel, which has hosted 11 presidents. Swimming in the James River. Tobacco warehouses converted into galleries and lofts. Jackson Ward — favorite neighborhood of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. Hometown of Warren Beatty and Tom Wolfe. Stomping grounds of forefathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. |
| Favorite movies | Many films and television shows have been filmed, in whole or in part, in Richmond, including The Box, Finnegan Begin Again, Hannibal, The Jackal, Hearts in Atlantis, The Contender, Shadow Conspiracy, Evan Almighty, and Iron Jawed Angels. Locations featured in the 1990s television cartoon, "Doug," are named after or inspired by areas in Richmond and nearby counties as creator Jim Jenkins was born and raised in Richmond. |
| Favorite music | GWAR, Lamb of God, Avail, and Carbon Leaf. |