You know it’s not polite to make fun of Richmond unless you live here.
Around these parts, 30 years hardly qualifies as old. But after its debut in 1985, the reader contest known as “You Are Very Richmond If …” became a comfortable classic.
It turned Richmond into an adjective and offered readers an outlet to offer polite, pointed, sarcastic, self-conscious, adoring and sometimes cutting commentary about the city they called home.
Despite the contest’s retirement long ago — and a special comeback to mark its 25th anniversary in 2010 — we’re still asked about the issue, and you continue to hear people describe things as being “very Richmond.”
There’s something bless-your-heart special about something “very Richmond,” but we wondered how things might be spinning in 2015. So we asked. Hundreds of reader entries poured in. And here are the very Richmond results.

FIRST PRIZE: You’re very opinionated about where the new baseball stadium should or shouldn’t be, but still haven’t made it to a game. — Bill Smith
Adjusted Attitudes
You never forget where you buried the hatchet.— James Seay
You wish Civil War Richmonders hadn’t burned their own city down, but you see where they were coming from. — Matt Newman
If you think Eric Cantor lost his congressional seat because he was too liberal.— Chris Bopst
You believe everything you read in top 10 lists, as long as they mention Richmond. — Brent Baldwin
You reassure people that you weren’t a member of the Country Club of Virginia when it refused to let Arthur Ashe play there.— Brandon Fox
You think displaying the stars and bars is crazy, but you have no problem with an entire avenue dedicated to Confederate soldiers. — Abe Calhoun
You always try to be kind when you pre-judge someone. — James Seay
You know that you haven’t arrived in Richmond until you’ve arrived in Hollywood. — Jack Blanton
You like to play corn hole, but you’re embarrassed to say corn hole.— Janet Chenoweth
You love progress so long as nothing ever changes. — Evan Maxwell
HONORABLE MENTION: You love tubing down the James so much you’ve even done it once. — Dustin Correale
Around These Parts
You know that the “Lee Art” was to art what the “Lee Bridge” was to bridges. — James Seay
When someone mentions all the new murals, you immediately cross yourself and think of Princess Di. She left us too soon. — Jack Lauterback
You enter “RVA” as the airport code when booking a flight and wonder why the site is broken. — Aaron Roth
You call a small patch of pebbles a “beach.” — Joseph Weindl
You’re still not sure it’s a good idea for your child to move North/South of the river. — Christopher Link
You discuss “where is the new Diamond” going to be located. — Phyllis Andrews
You proudly tell everyone you meet that “Richmond is the third most tattooed city in the U.S.” — Maggi Beckstoffer
You think it’s only a matter of time before VCU completely owns the Fan and declares it to be a sovereign state.— Victor Gottlieb
HONORABLE MENTION: You have a mural tattooed on your bicycle. — Mike Dillon
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Back in the Day
You’re still talking about how you used to see Dave Matthews every Wednesday night at the Flood Zone.— Dan Allen
You still refer to your folding lawn chairs as Fridays-at-Sunset chairs. — Casandra Broaddus
You know the difference between the Bliley Brothers and the Briley Brothers. — Tom Gayner
The Miller & Rhoads Santa Claus sang at your parents’ wedding. Really, 1957. — Cathy Churcher
You knew this contest would come back someday. — Janet Chenoweth
Full Hearts, Full Stomachs
You use Duke’s mayonnaise to brush your teeth, and the teeth of your dog, who is named Duke. — Brent Baldwin
You don’t hesitate to drop $9 for a local craft beer but balk at paying $7 for a show with three bands playing. — Karen Newton
The craft beer craze isn’t new to you — you’ve been drinking it in a hip outdoor space at Legend for 20 years. — Cameron Cutro
You believe that all of the best tasting bagels are doughnuts. — James Seay
You’ve recently written a business plan for a brewery — on a bar napkin.— Joel Smith
You ride your bike to go get doughnuts. — Robert Naglic
Getting Around
The second a drop of rain hits your windshield you let go and let Jesus take the wheel. — Nick Leveski
You are leaving town the week of the UCI Road World Championship. — Hannah Abbey
You’ve never been to the Metro Richmond Zoo. — Shamoniki Ellison
You think a roundabout is the time to arrive at a dinner party and not a traffic circle. — Bill Barrett
When the World comes to your town, you want to be anywhere in the world but your town. — Susan Cheyne
HONORABLE MENTION: You bought HDL stock because you thought it was the “good” cholesterol. — Victor Gottlieb
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Origin Stories
Everybody that lives along Route 288 barely register as people to you. — Steve Howze
You tell someone you live in the North Side and ask if they know what that is. — Shamoniki Ellison
You came for art school, stayed for the PBR. — Sleeves Barnesafunks
You’re considering opening a craft brewery, brewpub, wine bar, yoga studio, massage clinic or strip club with your severance package from Capital One. — Nick Levay
Displays of Affection
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You tape Gene Cox’s Style Weekly columns to your TV screen and pretend that he’s reading them to you on the air. — Victor Gottlieb
Your collection of Fan Parking Permits is so vast and impressive that it constitutes a safety hazard. — James Seay
You have relatives who were buried with their Ukrop’s Valued Customer Card in their breast pockets. — Wendy Martin
You know that the unofficial start to summer is not Memorial Day weekend, but the weekend of Richmond Greek Festival. — Mary Eovino
You wish that Fox Elementary School would go through grade 12. — Janet Chenoweth
Who You Know
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You recognize the members of Gwar out of costume. — Greg Ceneviva
You are Tim Barry. — Brandon Favaro
You tell people you’re distantly related to someone in Lamb of God. — Summer McCarley
You are separated by only one degree from everyone you meet here. — Dee Demitriadis
You feel the need to protest what someone else is protesting. — Alan Vollmer
You were the only one who showed up to watch the Redskins train and when you caught a wide pass, they put you on the team. — Victor Gottlieb





