The West End is an urban area and suburban region of Richmond, Virginia. The West End covers parts of the City of Richmond and Henrico County. Since there is no one municipal organization that represents this specific region, the boundaries are loosely defined as being north of the James River, west of I-195, and south of Broad Street. A primary conduit through the West End is Interstate 64.

Geographic Description

This section is arranged by exits off Interstate 64. In previous decades, the term "The West End" generally referred to the western area of the city itself. However, in recent years, the urbanized area has expanded residentially and commercially into Henrico County as far west as Short Pump, and new developments in the western portion of the city and county in combination are now also considered to be part of "The West End."

A common tool of differentiation used locally is to refer to the westernmost part (generally beginning at the Richmond-Henrico Line going west to Short Pump) as "The Far West End," and to refer to the section closer to and within the city limits as "The Near West End" or "Westhampton."

In addition to Richmond, Virginia addresses, the West End includes the Glen Allen, and all of Short Pump, Tuckahoe, and Wyndham.

Staples Mill Road, Willow Lawn, and Westhampton

  • Exit 185 - US-33/Staples Mill Rd
  • Anthem/Wellpoint

Broad and Glenside

  • 183C - U.S. 250 West - Broad St./Glenside Dr. North.
  • 183B - U.S. 250 East - Broad St.
  • 183A - Glenside Dr. South.

Parham Road

  • 181B - Parham Rd. North.
  • 181A - Parham Rd. South.

Gaskins Road and Innsbrook

  • Exit 180B - Gaskins Rd. North.
  • Exit 180A - Gaskins Rd. South.
  • Circuit City corporate headquarters

Short Pump

  • Exit 178B - U.S. 250 East - Richmond.
  • Exit 178A - U.S. 250 West - Short Pump.
  • MeadWestvaco

I-295 and Nuckols Road

Wyndham is a major residential development. Also, the Henrico County landfill is off this exit.

Parks and recreation

Education In the Area

Elementary Schools

Middle Schools

High Schools

Colleges and Universities

Culture

Museums

Theater and entertainment

  • The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen
  • Innsbrook After Hours -- an annual summer series featuring bands that were once very popular (and, increasingly, some acts that still are). [1]

High School Rivalries

  • Collegiate vs. St. Christopher's
  • Collegiate vs. St. Catherine's (Girls school)
  • Godwin vs. Freeman
  • Tucker vs. Hermitage (The Cat Bowl)
  • Tucker vs. Deep Run
  • Thomas Jefferson vs. John Marshall
  • Godwin vs. Deep Run (Outback Bowl)

Commercial and Cultural Hubs

The principal non-interstate east-west commercial corridors are located along Broad Street (U.S. Highway 250) and Patterson Avenue (State Route 6) each of which extends from the Richmond City Limits westerly through Henrico County into Goochland County.

  • The Country Club of Virginia. Churches, schools, and houses surround this development at the corner of Three Chopt and River Road. Long ago, this area was the now lost town of Rio Vista, Virginia.

There are many restaurants, businesses and shopping centers, mostly located along or near the three major thoroughfares (Broad Street road and Patterson Avenue runs east-west, Parham runs north-south ). Several major clusters include:

  • Willow Lawn Shopping Center just west of city limits at Broad Street and Staples Mill Road. One of the first large shopping centers when first opened in the late 1950s, Willow Lawn has been substantially reconfigured and rebuilt to a semi-shopping mall configuration, and includes major stores, small shops, and a food court.
  • Westhampton historic commercial district extending from the Patterson and Libbie intersection to the Libbie and Grove shopping district, where one can find cafés and upscale clothing boutiques and the Westhampton Theater.
  • Short Pump Town Center A shopping mall (classified as a "lifestyle center") opened in 2003 on Broad Street, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of I-64 Exit 178A/B. Anchor stores are Nordstrom, Dillard's, Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Business and industrial hubs

External links

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