I’ve lived in RVA since I was in kindergarten and yet since I came to the University of Richmond, I realized how little I knew about my own hometown. I’d gone to some of the museums a few times on field trips and with family, I went to baseball games at the stadium when the team was the Redskins instead of the Flying Squirrels, and I had only been to the river a handful of times. Now that I am living in the heart of Richmond, I realize how much this city has to offer and I’m proud to be a Richmonder. Although I grew up on the West Side in Short Pump, I’m now getting to know the great city and river that are just beyond my comfort zone and I love it.
For one thing, there is so much culturally that goes on in the city. Carytown abounds with artsy and eclectic shops and the VMFA is stunning. Also the sense of community is amazing, with annual events like the Ukrop’s Monument 10k and the Watermelon Festival that bring the people of Richmond together. The history of Richmond also fascinates me and now that I’m in the city, I see the places of historical importance and monuments of historical figures that I learned about back in elementary school.
One of my favorite parts of Richmond, however, is the nature that runs through it and the river that is such a large part of it. I have been to Maymont Park is a part of Richmond that I always love to visit. The hills, trees, animals, flowers, and waterfalls in the middle of an urban setting is such a welcome sight. Also, a few minutes away from that piece of the natural world is the James. I’d been to the river a few times before coming to college, but now I’m learning so much more about it and how it is such a large part of the Richmond community. People come to the river to relax, to go on adventures, to fish, to have fun, and to be inspired. Now it is easier for me to see how people’s identities can become tied up in their environments. I feel connected to the river in a sense, because I realize how much my fellow Richmonders and I depend on it and I see the crucial roles it plays in the city of Richmond, as a natural resource, as a source of insight, and as something to be explored.