Redlined Map of Richmond

This 1937 Richmond “Residential Security Map" created by the Home Owners Loan Corporation, rated residential areas from “A First Grade” to “D Fourth Grade” in terms of their risk for real estate investors. First Grade areas, colored green, were deemed safe areas for investment, so residents of those areas were easily able to apply for and receive loans and mortgages. Fourth Grade areas, colored red, were considered risky investments. It became nearly impossible for residents of those districts (usually poor and predominantly Black) to get a loan. This perpetuated poverty and increased the risk for property owners to be evicted in the name of redevelopment.