Richmond is a house rule-class city in and the county chair of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is house to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2019, the population was 36,157. Richmond is the fourth-largest city in the Bluegrass region (after Louisville, Lexington and Covington) and the state’s sixth-largest city. It is the ninth largest population middle in the state with a Micropolitan population of 106,864. The city serves as the middle for work and shopping for south-central Kentucky. In addition, Richmond is the principal city of the Richmond-Berea, Kentucky Micropolitan Area, which includes whatever of Madison and Rockcastle counties.

Richmond was founded in 1798 by Colonel John Miller from Richmond, Virginia. A British American, Miller served with the rebels in the Revolutionary War. According to lore, he was attracted to the Place by its great spring water and friendly Native Americans.

With the indigenous county chair of Madison County being Milford, Kentucky, Miller successfully lobbied the Kentucky legislature to pretend to have it from Milford to present-day Richmond. Although the residents of Milford strongly opposed the move, the county recognized the transfer in March 1798. On July 4, 1798, the extra town was named Richmond in rave review of Miller’s Virginia birthplace. Richmond was incorporated in 1809.

Kentucky was a link up state during the Civil War and remained in the Union. On August 30, 1862, during the Civil War, the Battle of Richmond took place. Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith routed the Union General William Nelson, capturing or killing 5,300 of his 6,500 men. One historian called this battle “the nearest thing to a Cannae ever scored by any general, North or South, in the course of the collect war.”