Richmond VA Neighborhoods 101 -North of the James River!
I moved to the Richmond area in 1995 and have absolutely loved living here. I grew up about an hour west of Philadelphia, went to college closer to Pittsburgh, have lived in Miami, Houston, Atlanta and northern NJ (which is really a suburb of NYC) and finally have settled in the Richmond area! One of the things that I love about this city is that it is a city full of wonderful neighborhoods! And as a Realtor, one of the things I have loved is that there is something for everyone - whether you want to live in a walkable historic neighborhood, or you want to be in one of the counties that surrounds the city, or if you want to be in a more rural area with some acreage - there is definitely something for everyone!
But in our MLS, the real estate areas are numbered! So here is a bit of a primer for anyone looking at the real estate listings online and wondering just what the area numbers mean!
AREA 10 - Here you will find lots of walkable historic neighborhoods, such as The Fan, Church Hill, Scotts Addition and others! There are Class IV rapids that run right through this area, so if you are into kayaking or paddle boarding, or you just love being at the river, this is a great area for you! Belle Isle is here, which is a great location for biking and running. You have gardens at Maymont as well as Byrd Park. Virginia Commonwealth University is here! You will find lots of museums - the Museum of Fine Arts, the History Museum, the Museum of History and Culture, the Science Museum! Houses tend to older (and many have been completely renovated), historic, as well as industrial lofts and almost everything in between!
AREA 20 - This area is "The Near West End" ! It is in the city of Richmond and here you will find definite architectural styles - Capes, Colonials, Tudor, Craftsman Cottages! The area was developed for the most part, between the 2 world wars, so it is not quite as old as you find in Area 10! University of Richmond can be found in this area and some private schools such as St. Catherine's and St. Christopher's. The Libbie/Grove area has a great mixture of shops and restaurants!
AREA 22 - This area is "The Far West End" of Richmond but is actually in Henrico County! This area really stretches from the city/county line near the University of Richmond, all the way west to the Goochland County line. In this area, you will find some older neighborhoods, such as Westham but also newer exurbs such as Short Pump! In this area you are seeing a number of mixed use communities spring up, such as Greengate and West Broad Village, where you will find townhomes with shops, grocery stores and restaurants within walking distance of your home! You will also find some great parks throughout the area, such as Deep Run Park, which has an extensive network of mountain bike trails.
AREA 24 - This is Goochland County, which is west of Henrico County's Far West End, and stretches along I64 towards Charlottesville. This is a predominantly rural county, but there are some neighborhoods that don't feel quite so rural, such as Kinloch. Goochland County has the only drive in movie theater in the area in Hadensville. There are several wineries throughout Goochland County, such as the Grayhaven and Hardywood West Creek. Tuckahoe Plantation was the boyhood home to Thomas Jefferson and is the oldest river plantation in the country. This area is now seeing a fair amount of new construction, as well as a new 55 plus community.
AREA 30 - This is the northside of the City of Richmond. Here you will find neighborhoods such as Bellevue, Ginter Park, Barton Heights, Highland Park and others. The Brookland Park Boulevard area has been seeing a fair amount of new businesses coming into the area (which are not chain businesses), including Ruby Scoops who won Food Network's Ben & Jerry's Clash of the Cones! In the northside, you will also find the RVA Big Market in Bryan Park year round on Saturdays for locally grown produce and items from independent vendors! Housing here tends to be ranchers, capes and Colonials, but you will find many Queen Anne Colonials (the largest collection of this style can be found in Highland Park), Dutch Colonials and other variations on the Colonial style architecture. Lots tend to be larger than in some other parts of the city!
AREA 32 - This is the northside of Henrico County and begins to the west of the Bellevue neighborhood after you cross over I95. Here you will find the largest neighborhood in this area, Lakeside, which has a number of different neighborhoods within the Lakeside area, such as Bryan Park neighborhood. Here you will also find much to do - walking through Bryan Park (which is in both the city and county), Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with it's 50 acres of beautiful gardens, Belmont Golf Course for golfers and Three Lakes Park & Nature Center, with 2 lakes, a 50,000 gallon aquarium. Houses tend to be built around the 1940's to 1960's and tend to be ranches and capes, with some Colonials.
AREA 34 - This is the Glen Allen area as well as the Nuckols Rd. corridor, and is between I64 and I295. This is one of the suburban areas in Henrico County. There are planned communities, such as Twin Hickory and Wyndham as well as neighborhoods with smaller, older homes. The area is home to both the Hindu Center of Virginia and the Islamic Center. The Cultural Arts Center in Glen Allen offers classes as well as performances. Dunncroft/Castle Point Park offers 3 cricket fields, while Pouncey Tract Park has 12 lighted pickleball courts. The Meadow Farm Museum offers living history, farm animals and special events.
AREA 36 - This is western Hanover County and includes the town of Ashland, which is the "Center of the Universe" and is 15 miles north of Richmond along I-95! Ashland is a railroad town and every year it celebrates trains with Ashland Train Day! It is also home to Randolph Macon College in Ashland. In Ashland you will find many Victorian homes along Center Street (which has train tracks running down the center) that have been lovingly restored over the years! Ashland also has the Ashland Theater. Outside of Ashland, you will also find the Virginia Rep Theater at Hanover Tavern. Just over the line you will find Meadow Event Park, which hosts the State Fair each year. Poor Farm Park is in the area, with beach volleyball courts, mountain biking trails and more. Kings Dominion is also in this area, just off I95.
AREA 40 - This is eastern Henrico County, the Varina area. It is bounded by the Chickahominy River, the James River and the city of Richmond. This is where John Smith first met the Powhatan Indians. Here you will find the Richmond National Battlefield Park as well as Dorey Park (fishing, horse trails and an equestrian center as well as other things). Rocketts Landing straddles the city and the county (most of this neighborhood is in Henrico County) - Virginia Boat Club has one of it's locations in Rocketts Landing. In this area you will also find the Virginia Capital Trail which runs from the eastern edge of the City of Richmond all the way down to Charles City County and you will find many bikers here. In addition to Rocketts Landing, there are other neighborhoods built in this area that have a variety of styles and lots can be several acres large.
AREA 42 - This is eastern Henrico County, the Highland Springs/Sandston area. After the Civil War this area became one of the Richmond area's streetcar suburbs. The Richmond International Airport is also located in this area. Highland Springs is a small community - if you are driving along Nine Mile Road, you will know you are in Highland Springs by the street names - they are all named after trees and run in alphabetical order! Homes tend to be a little bit smaller and the homes are closer together, but the lots are deeper. Here you will find the Chickahominy Bluff Battlefield Park as well as The Springs Rec Center with a croquet club. There is also the Historic Mankin Mansion, which is a wedding resort close to the airport!
AREA 44 - This is eastern Hanover County. Here you will find neighborhoods that were built from the mid 1980's on with larger lots as well as highly desired schools. Rt. 301 will divide eastern Hanover County (Area 44) from western Hanover County (Area 36). Along Rt 301 you can find numerous antique shops as well as boat ramps that provide public access to fishing and paddling on the Pamukey River. This area also has the Courthouse Park with soccer fields, trails, fishing pond and a roller hockey rink. Pole Green Park is also here with a skateboard park, equestrian center and more!
Richmond is a great area and, as I said before, there is really something for everyone! And if you are thinking of moving to the Richmond area, and want to know more about the real estate in any of these areas, let me know and I would be happy to help!
Look for my next blog post, where I will talk about the areas of the city and the counties south of the James River!