Richmond is best known for its unique history and role in the World War II home front effort. Between 1940 and 1945, tens-of-thousands of workers from all over the country streamed into the City to support wartime industries. The City was home to four Kaiser
shipyards which housed the most productive wartime shipbuilding operations of World War II, launching 747 ships during the war. The City was also home to approximately 55 war-related industries - more than any other city of its size in the United States. Today, the City is an important oil refining, industrial, commercial, transportation, shipping and government center.
The single most common housing type in Richmond is the single-family home, accounting for almost 60% of the city's housing units. Large apartment complexes or homes converted to duplexes account for another 20% with a few row houses in the more historic areas of Richmond.