Why does every map seem to think it's better to split the Richmond area into an Eastern and Western congressional district? It makes far more sense to use the geography (i.e., the James River) to split the metro area into Northern and Southern districts. Furthermore, having lived in both Richmond and Hampton Roads, these two areas have little in common aside from being large metro areas overshadowed by Northern Virginia. Wouldn't it be more representative of the distinct communities in our state to blend these two regions as little as possible? I remember reading that the commission planned to toss out the old maps and start from scratch. This plan does not do that.

District 4 should remove the north-western part of Richmond and add Brunswick to increase the black population proportion in the district

I do not believe that District 4 has a sufficient African-American population, and it is possible to draw it in a better way. It should include Brunswick County to increase its African-American population. District 3 does not need to stretch into Suffolk and Franklin, and it is possible for that district to have sufficient African-American population based just on Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. The map I submitted Map # 221 was does this.