The Low-Down on Richmond

Next week, just like every August, Richmond will get an influx of new residents.

That’s right, Richmonders, the fall semester is about to start and between Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond and Virginia Union University we’re about to get thousands of new neighbors.

So let’s give them a proper welcome and give them the Low-Down on Richmond. You know, the stuff you don’t find in guide books, but every local just grows up knowing.

The Nicknames

The map might say Richmond, but we’ve got a few nicknames for our beloved town: The River City, RVA (pronounced R.V.A.) and RIC (pronounced R.I.C.). And we use them all interchangeably.

We’ll Call It Whatever We Want to Call It

MCV: When we say MCV we mean the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Doesn’t make sense? That’s because it used to be the Medical College of Virginia. We rejected the change.

The Mosque: We mean The Landmark Theater. Again, we rejected the name change. Th

Nickel Bridge: This is the Boulevard Bridge. We call it the Nickel Bridge because, once upon a time, it cost a nickel to cross. Now it costs $375 (that’s joke people, don’t freak out. It costs 35 cents.), but we want to remind the city that we remember when it was cheaper.

Powhite Parkway: It’s pronounced Pow-hite Parkway. We know it is, but we just don’t care. We say it Po-white. It’s our town and we can do whatever we want.

Richmond Shorthand: ‘Cause Richmond loves an acronym

ODC: Old Dominion Club. It’s an after-hours members-only club. Don’t worry, everyone in Richmond knows someone who knows someone who is a member.

CCV: That’s the Country Club of Virginia. Don’t worry, you probably won’t ever go. Not unless they’re hiring.

VCC: Virginia Center Commons. It’s a mall.

VMFA: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

VHS: Virginia Historical Society

RTD: Our hometown paper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch

RVA: Richmond, VA

RIC: Richmond

The Lay of the Land

For Richmonders the city name is more than just the boundaries of the city, it includes the counties of: Chesterfield (to the south), Henrico (to the north, east and west) and Hanover (north of Henrico). It also sometimes includes Goochland, Powhatan and, very rarely, New Kent.

The ‘Hoods

Since Richmond includes every county near the city and even the ones that former residents of the counties decided to move to, we city-dwellers tend to break it down a little further in the city proper. Technically, our city is divided into the Northside, Southside, East End, Central and West End.

But it’s not that simple.

In everyday conversation when we say Southside, East End or West End, we’re not referring to the city. We’re referring to the counties (Southside = Chesterfield; East End = the eastern part of Henrico; West End = the western part of Henrico). Northside just refers to the neighborhoods in the northern part of the city. We don’t know why that one is OK. Central, we’ll we get to that.

So, in the technical speak, here’s the break down. Southside = South Richmond, Manchester, Westover Hills, Forest Hill area. East End = Church Hill. The West End basically just means the Near West End, which is the area of the city right before the West End.

Then there’s Central, where the real action is. Those neighbors include (going west to east): The Museum District (also called West of the Boulevard), the Fan District, downtown, Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom. But then there’s Carytown, Oregon Hill, Jackson Ward, Carver … wait, it’s too complicated. Here’s a map, figure it out.

Final Words of Wisdom

When the city ties those paper street cleaning signs to trees, they’re not kidding. No Parking After 8 a.m. means No Parking until the sign is gone.

If you wake up one morning and your car is gone, it went to Seibert’s. Get a ride, take out the $375 you’ll need to get across the Nickel Bridge and pick up your car. Once you’ve done this, you’re well on your way to being a true Richmonder.

What do you think, Richmond? Did we leave anything out of the Low-Down on Richmond?