Ричмонд, Техас: История и современность города

Richmond is a suburb of Houston and the county seat of Fort Bend County, Texas, United States.

In 1822, a group of Austin's colonists went up the Brazos River, stopping near present day Richmond where they built a fort called "Fort Bend". Named after Richmond, England, the town was among the 19 cities first incorporated by the short lived Republic of Texas, in 1837. Early residents of the city include many prominent figures in Texas lore such as Jane Long, Deaf Smith, and Mirabeau Lamar, who are all buried in Richmond, as is Walter Moses Burton, the nation's first Black elected sheriff. On August 16, 1889, the town was the site of the "Battle of Richmond", an armed fight culminating the Jaybird–Woodpecker War, a violent feud over post Reconstruction political control of Fort Bend County. The mayor from 1949 until his death in 2012 was Hilmar Moore. Historically Richmond had government agencies and nonprofit organizations, while most of the area private businesses were located in Rosenberg.

Richmond is located near the center of Fort Bend County. Most of the city is situated on the southwest side of the Brazos River, with a small portion (Richmond Landing) on the northeast side, connected by US Highway 90A. Richmond is bordered to the southwest by the city of Rosenberg. US 90A leads east 8 mile (13 km) to Sugar Land and west through Rosenberg 19 mile (31 km) to East Bernard. Downtown Houston is 30 mile (48 km) to the northeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Richmond has a total area of , of which are land and , or 8.22%, is covered by water. In 2003, Jeannie Kever of the Houston Chronicle said, "Some of the old buildings have been reincarnated as shops or law offices. But in other ways, life in Richmond isn't so different from that in the big city, with its Wal Mart and fast food joints, check cashing businesses and strip center sprawl."

The wealthiest neighborhood, as of 2003, in Richmond is Hillcrest. Winston Terrace, another neighborhood, had its first houses built in 1940. Construction increased around the end of World War II. Most of the houses were built between 1940 and 1965. Jeannie Kever of the Houston Chronicle said that Winston Terrace is "a swath of mid 20th century America, with sweeping oak trees and colorful brick or wood bungalows, named for the descendants of one of the region's most illustrious pioneers." As of 1993 many police raids for drugs occurred in "Mud Alley". "Mud Alley" was known by several other nicknames, including "Little Boomtown". Historically, the area had a lot of recreational drugs.

Fort Bend County Libraries operates the George Memorial Library, the central library and the site of the administrative offices of the library system, located along Farm to Market Road 762. Richmond also has the Fort Bend County Law Library. The Main Library moved from Rosenberg to its current location in Richmond in 1986. The George Foundation funded the library facility, designed by Ronald Wedemeyer Associates and built on of land. When the library opened, it had unfinished areas to facilitate future expansion. The city is governed by a mayor and four commissioners elected at large for two year terms. The commission sets policy and the day to day management is done by a city manager hired by the commission. Hilmar G. Moore served as mayor from 1949 until his death on December 4, 2012 and was believed to be the longest serving mayor in the United States. Rebecca "Becky" Haas is currently the mayor. Pink, and Smith. Wessendorff Middle School, Lamar Junior High School, and Lamar Consolidated High School serve students living within the Richmond city limits. The three schools are in Rosenberg. Various schools operated by LCISD and neighboring Fort Bend Independent School District bear Richmond addresses, but do not serve the city of Richmond. George Ranch High School, Foster High School, Reading Junior High School, and Briscoe Junior High in LCISD and Travis High School and Bush High School in the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) bear "Richmond, Texas" addresses. The designated community college for LCISD is Wharton County Junior College.

Fort Bend County Public Transportation provides local bus service in Richmond.