This Day in Henrico History: Oct. 1 – Henrico mailing address change strengthens county identity

Beginning Oct. 1, 2008, “Henrico, VA” became the preferred mailing locality for a number of ZIP codes that previously had used “Richmond, VA,” giving many county residents a postal identity that matched the locality in which they actually lived.

The U.S. Postal Service formally announced the change in an August 2008 Postal Bulletin, with an effective date of Oct. 1. The bulletin changed the preferred last line for affected ZIP codes from "Richmond" to "Henrico."

The change addressed a longstanding source of confusion in a county that surrounds the independent city of Richmond. For decades, many Henrico residents and businesses had Richmond mailing addresses even though they were outside the city limits and received local government services from Henrico County. A mailing address does not determine municipal boundaries, but the mismatch often blurred the distinction for people unfamiliar with Virginia’s independent city system.

The new Henrico postal designation gave residents and businesses another way to identify their actual locality on correspondence and forms. "Richmond" remained usable as an alternate city name for affected addresses, but Oct. 1, 2008 marked the date on which “Henrico” formally became the preferred USPS place name for the designated ZIP codes.

Sources: U.S. Postal Service Postal Bulletin: https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2008/pb22239.pdf