Subdivisions 10 miles from the city of Richmond
Manchester is a residential-commercial community in the northern tip of Chesterfield County about 10 miles southwest of downtown Richmond. “Chesterfield County is very family-oriented with a good record for safety,” says David Jefferson, Owner of Jefferson Fine Homes, LLC, who sells properties in the area. “There’s a good amount of industry and business located nearby, and the Chesterfield County public school system has always been an attraction,” Jefferson adds. For those who want to live near Richmond, homes can be less expensive on the south side of the James River, where Manchester is located, while still affording residents there convenient highway access for trips to Richmond. Three major highways connect Manchester to the city, providing multiple commuting options, and major employers like Capitol One and Dominion Energy are located there. The region south of the James River is home to industrial parks and the Port of Richmond Marine Terminal.
Ways to commute into Richmond
Powhite Parkway, Midlothian Turnpike and Route 360 all lead into downtown Richmond from Manchester; commuters can pick up those highways from the northern edge, the midpoint and the southern border of Manchester, respectively. “Traffic’s not bad; there’s rush hour going north in the morning and the opposite way in the evening, but it’s generally always moving,” Jefferson says. “The county has grown so much over the past decades, with many people having previously lived in large cities where traffic is very slow, so they’d laugh if I said traffic here was bad.” Since Powhite Parkway is a toll road, local drivers often opt to shave some minutes off their commutes by purchasing an E-ZPass that enables them to skip the tollbooths in favor of paying electronically. Alternatively, GRTC (Greater Richmond Transit Company) buses stop along Midlothian Turnpike, transporting Manchester passengers between Midlothian to the west and Richmond to the east. Chippenham Hospital sits on the other side of Chippenham Parkway, which makes up the eastern border of Manchester. Richmond International Airport is about 18 miles away.
Single-family homes and townhouses sit among the trees
Manchester streets are shaded by tall, leafy trees and tend not to have sidewalks. Ranch-style and Colonial Revival homes sit back on spacious, tree-filled lots that get blanketed with crunchy leaves every autumn. Prices generally fall between $220,000 and $500,000, with the majority of homes in the area trending towards the higher end of the price range. Townhouses cost between $215,000 and $410,000, with those in a 55-plus community fetching top prices. Manchester also includes apartments for rent, though homeowners outnumber renters by nearly three-to-one.
Students can attend Chesterfield County schools
Public-school students are zoned for Chesterfield County Public Schools, rated B-plus overall by Niche. Students may attend A.M. Davis Elementary, rated C-plus, Providence Middle School, rated C-plus, and James River High, rated A-minus. High schoolers may apply to the prestigious James River High School Center for Leadership and International Relations, which emphasizes communication, ethics and service in a global context.
Buzzing with activity between two commercial corridors
Shopping centers and individual businesses line Route 360 and Midlothian Turnpike, providing residents with access to a variety of chain restaurants, auto parts stores, offices and local retailers. Café & Sabor Bakery & Restaurant serves Colombian food in a welcoming atmosphere from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a menu that ranges from fresh coffee and pastries to full breakfast platters to steak entrees. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Kroger and New Grand Mart, which specializes in Korean ingredients. For home necessities and other shopping, Walmart Supercenter and Lowe’s Home Improvement are approximately 5 miles away. More intensive retail therapy is available to residents at Stony Point Fashion Park, a mall less than 10 miles north of the neighborhood.
Public parks and recreation amenities in and around Manchester
Manchester caters to a variety of fitness pastimes. Providence Golf Club is a public club with a driving range, short game practice area and 18 holes interspersed among wetlands, trees and ponds. After 12 p.m., junior golfers can play for free when accompanied by an adult. Manchester Family YMCA is a social and athletic hub for all ages, offering fitness classes, individual gym training sessions and sports leagues. The YMCA’s indoor and outdoor pools host swimming lessons and swim team practices. On the other side of Chippenham Parkway, Powhite Park has dirt paths through the woods for hiking, biking and dog walking.
