Providence Forge

Providence Forge was one of New Kent County’s first settlements, established in 1654. Today, it lies in the central part of the county, between Interstate 64 and U.S. Highway 60. And while the area’s namesake, a colonial-era iron forge, is no longer here, Providence Forge has a lot to offer. “For the past few years, New Kent has been the fastest-growing county in the state of Virginia,” says Jeff Henderson, a top realtor with Hometown Realty. He’s had several recent listings in northeast Providence Forge, in a golf community neighborhood called Brickshire. “The county is doing everything they can to encourage business, which is growing the economy and what’s offered to residents here,” he says, adding that New Kent is soon to be the home of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s, a popular regional chain country store and gas station. “You’ve also got a lot of wineries, breweries and a lot of golf courses. There’s just so much offered in that part of the state, which is why it’s been booming lately,” Henderson says.

Business isn’t the only thing booming in and around Providence Forge. There’s a lot of new residential development happening right now, too. Much of the new builds are springing up in planned subdivisions in the northeastern quadrant of Providence Forge, off of I-64. Henderson says that prices for these homes varies, largely depending on their location. One of his recent listings in Brickshire, a to-be-built four-bedroom Modern Farmhouse-style home on a spacious corner lot overlooking the 18th hole of the community’s golf course, is listed for close to $970,000. “That particular listing is high because of the lot, which is arguably the nicest in Brickshire,” he says. The median home price for a home in one of Providence Forge’s new developments is $547,000. List prices for more established homes outside these communities typically fall between $200,000 and $300,000. But there are dwindling numbers of these original homes. “There are a lot of high-end, high-quality builders building in this area. It’s a great area and there’s a lot of untapped space out here, so we’ll continue to see it grow,” says Henderson.

Providence Forge students attend schools in the New Kent County Public Schools system. Most go to Watkins Elementary, New Kent Middle and New Kent High School between preschool and 12th grade. Both New Kent Middle and High School earned B-minuses from Niche in 2023. That same year, Watkins earned a B. Teens at New Kent High can apply to participate in the Bridging Communities Regional Career & Technical Center and Governor’s STEM Academy. Established in 2012, the collaboration between school systems, school board members and local businesses was the first new regional career and technical education center in the state in 25 years. Today, participating students learn career and technical skills designed to set them up for success after graduation, whether they decide to pursue a career or a college degree.

In rural Virginia, between historic Williamsburg and Richmond, locals don’t need to venture far from their front porches to enjoy the great outdoors. At Crawfords State Forest, off U.S. Highway 60 on the southwest end of Providence Forge, visitors can enjoy acres of natural woodland. The state forest has more than a mile of packed-earth hiking and biking trails through the pine and hardwood trees. Since the forest is on the banks of the Chickahominy River and Schiminoe Creek, there are also cypress swamps.

For golfing enthusiasts, the Royal New Kent Golf Club is at the heart of Providence Forge, off Courthouse Road. The 18-hole, Irish links-style course ranked in Golf Digest’s list of the top 20 best courses in the state in 2023. On rainy days, or for residents who prefer to exercise indoors, there’s Homegrown Yoga, closer to where Courthouse Road meets Highway 60. And for their everyday groceries, residents can head right from the yoga studio to their local Food Lion, just half a mile east across Courthouse. To unwind, residents can head to New Kent Winery & Talleysville Brewing Company, one of several wineries nearby, just 2 miles off I-64 from the north end of Providence Forge. The New Kent Chamber of Commerce awarded the popular local destination an Excellence in Business Award in 2015.

Written By

Megan Quintin

Photography Contributed By

Michael Bell

Video By

Becky Gaskill