Richmond Virginia's Inner City Core!

[VAHash]

I know Richmond Va is looked at as a southern city to most, but i think its city infrastructure and architecture is more similar to D.C. and Baltimore rather Charlotte and Raleigh and cities further south. What do you guys think?? (Feel free to post pics)

[bhammer]

Care to post a few pictures?

[TarHeelJ]

It's a southern city, whether it closely matches some other southern cities or not. There are plenty of cities in the South with densely-built cores.

[VAHash]

I never said Richmond was not a southern city, I only mentioned that alot of its infrastructure and architecture is very similar to D.C. and Baltimore. Also im aware of there being plenty of dense southern cities with urban cores lol, to me they just look diffrent and im not sure how to post pics properly im new to this forum.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by VAHash

I never said Richmond was not a southern city, I only mentioned that alot of its infrastructure and architecture is very similar to D.C. and Baltimore. Also im aware of there being plenty of dense southern cities with urban cores lol, to me they just look diffrent and im not sure how to post pics properly im new to this forum.

Okay...you asked for opinions, so I gave you mine. Just because some cities don't match what is thought of as the stereotypical southern city doesn't mean that they are somehow "un-southern". Southern cities, much like cities of every other region, are a diverse set.

[VAHash]

Yes i did ask for opinions but where are you getting that im insistting that Richmond is not southern, only that my opinion is that it resembles D.C. and Baltimore in some ways (which are technically southern also) i also think it resemblees Winston Salem N.C. aslo. In the original post i mentioned that Richmond is looked at as southern city to most only becuse there are some people that would disagree to that.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by VAHash

Yes i did ask for opinions but where are you getting that im insistting that Richmond is not southern, only that my opinion is that it resembles D.C. and Baltimore in some ways (which are technically southern also) i also think it resemblees Winston Salem N.C. aslo. In the original post i mentioned that Richmond is looked at as southern city to most only becuse there are some people that would disagree to that.

I didn't say that you're insisting on anything...but your original post did question whether or not Richmond is more like DC/Baltimore or Raleigh/Charlotte. Obviously the latter are mostly newer cities that are not much like Richmond, but many southern cities do resemble Richmond quite a bit. The cities that grew up prior to the 1950s (Atlanta, Winston-Salem, Charleston, New Orleans, Nashville, Louisville, Memphis, etc) do seem to have a lot in common with Richmond.

So what are you asking? The original post wasn't clear...I'm not trying to argue with you, I simply thought I was answering your question by giving my opinion?

[Buffalonian]

Richmond is somewhat more northern in its urban development because of its heavy industry and its high density development patterns which enable it to have much more in common with cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. It is southern in terms of cultural and social norms. Richmond city proper and its suburban counties are quite conservative like most of the South. Therefore Richmond could be considered a city where both the North and South meet and blend in.

[Guiltyspark]

One page in and this tread is already a cluster-f**k.

[sonysnob]

I think this may officially be the best thread on the internet.

[VTinPhilly]

Originally Posted by VAHash

I know Richmond Va is looked at as a southern city to most, but i think its city infrastructure and architecture is more similar to D.C. and Baltimore rather Charlotte and Raleigh and cities further south. What do you guys think?? (Feel free to post pics)

Historically and culturally Richmond is definitely "Southern" but in terms of its urban landscape it is much more like larger cities to the north. This I believe is a result of the city having a sizeable population going back before the Civil War; its size due in large part to its role as the South's major industrial center (iron and flour milling).

Richmond more than doubled in population between 1860 and 1900 (from 38,000 to 85,000) and in fact had the greatest population density of any Southern city in 1900. Much of this increase was accommodated in dense new "row house' neighborhoods (The Fan, Jackson Ward, Oregon Hill, Gambles Hill) adjacent to the city's center. Most of the homes in The Fan (a very large area) and some homes in Jackson Ward have been preserved and are reminiscent of neighborhoods in Washington (Capitol Hill); Baltimore (Mt. Vernon); and Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Square).

No other city in the South has anything comparable. Atlanta may have had such neighborhoods at one time as that city was as big as Richmond in 1900. However I believe nearly all of Atlanta's old neighborhoods were destroyed as the city rebuilt itself. Both Charlotte and Raleigh were very small in 1900 (fewer than 20,000 people each) and I doubt either had much in the way of "row house" neighborhoods to begin with.

[VAHash]

Thanks VTinPhilly very well put, Richmond's built urban environment is not like most cities in the south which creates a different feel