Often called the River City, Richmond owes its very existence to the James River, which served as a waterway bringing English settlers, commercial vessels, and later millions of enslaved Africans to these shores. By sharing stories about the river from a cultural perspective, we seek to explain how the river affects both the city of Richmond and its people. We have given a voice to people who not only enjoy the resource, but also those who draw inspiration from it, those who cherish it, and those who make it a priority to protect it.