Tuckahoe

Although some of the farms and plantations of Manakin-Sabot are giving way to subdivisions, this community knows how to keep its rural charm, a fact exemplified by the sight of residents tending to spacious lawns, or simply saying hello to each other on the street or at the golf course. “It’s a lovely community for someone who wants a little elbow room but to still have a tight community of gracious neighbors,” says Sue Farrell, a Realtor with Joyner Fine Properties who has been selling homes for 22 years. “If you’re driving and pull over to text in Manakin-Sabot, a resident will stop and see if you’re okay.” A wave of development has swept through Manakin-Sabot, with recently built Colonial Revival and New Traditional homes starting around $650,000. Nevertheless, the community sticks close to its roots, with agricultural fields, equestrian facilities and farmers markets still gracing the neighborhood. As Farrell says, “Manakin-Sabot still has a rural essence even if it’s developing by leaps and bounds.” Homes often follow Cape Cod, Colonial Revival and New Traditional designs, spanning over 2,500 square feet and selling for between $650,000 and $1.1 million. “It’s one of the most expensive cost-per-square-foot areas in metropolitan Richmond,” Farrell says. “A lot of that has to do with the size and quality of the estates but also because they’re on large parcels of lands.” Manakin-Sabot’s median lot size is 1.5 acres, trees providing shade and privacy, with forests, farms and golf courses separating subdivisions. Many new houses have been built since the 2010s, though established homes remain. Whatever the date of construction, houses are well-kept. “All homes are meticulously maintained,” Farrell says. “Many are in HOAs, so they control their maintenance.” HOA communities include Kinloch and Readers Branch. Students can attend schools in the Goochland County School District, which Niche rates as the best school district in the Richmond area. Kids might follow a feeder pattern of Randolph Elementary to Goochland Middle to Goochland High School. Randolph Elementary and Goochland High receive A-minuses from Niche, while Goochland Middle is B-plus-rated. Students at Goochland High get to integrate virtual reality technology into their studies, using VR to explore different biomes and monitor the heart rates of athletes. A few highways pass through Manakin-Sabot, not too close and not too far from subdivisions. Interstate 64 is the biggest of the bunch, taking residents to Richmond in about 30 minutes. Drivers can stop by the Short Pump Town Center along the way, a mall with over 120 stores. “There are a couple of smaller grocery stores like a Food Lion, but there are more restaurants than stores in Manakin-Sabot proper,” Farrell says. “But because it’s such a quick and easy to commute to the shopping centers at Short Pump, you’re within 7-8 minutes of everything whether it’s Kroger, Publix or Whole Foods.” Keeping with the community’s agricultural history, farmers markets are still a thing in Manakin-Sabot, and the Manakin Market is open for business Saturday mornings during the warmer months. Local restaurants include Sunset Grill, a steakhouse, and Satterwhite’s, a casual diner. Satterwhite’s achieved fame for serving monstrously big cheeseburgers. “It was called the mammoth burger,” Farrell says. “Growing up, I had six brothers, and they would order one and divide into six slices, and it would be more than enough for all of them.” Though the mammoth burger’s been taken off the menu, Satterwhite’s is still famous for their generous portions, proudly serving “The Biggest Breakfast in Town.” Fore! Or maybe “four!” is more appropriate, as there are four golf courses right by Manakin-Sabot, plus driving ranges and mini golf. Whether a course is managed by a golf club or a country club should be taken into consideration before residents apply for membership. “Kinloch is more of a men’s golf club while the Richmond and Hermitage country clubs offer more diverse activities for families aside from golf like tennis, fitness and swimming,” Farrell says. But all of them are great spots to socialize. “Going to the golf clubs is a nice way of networking, and if you’re new to the community, it’s a nice way to meet people,” Farrell says. Manakin-Sabot also has a long history of equestrianism, going back to the community’s rural origins. “Some subdivisions have bridle paths where you can do trail-riding with your horses,” Farrell says. “And the fencing is set way off Manakin Road so you can ride your horse parallel to the road.” Field Day of the Past is a fair held in Rockville every September that celebrates Goochland County’s history. “They bring out vintage farm equipment for the kids to see. It’s kind of like going to the firehouse,” Farrell says. “There will also be food trucks and sometimes a petting zoo.”

In many ways, living in Crestview is like living on the edge of two worlds. “What makes it attractive for a lot of people is that it is right on the city line,” says James F. Ransone Jr. of Joyner Fine Properties who has over 35 years of experience as a Richmond real estate agent. “They also like the idea of a county school system.” Adjacent to Interstate 64 and West Broad Street, Crestview residents are just a 10-minute commute from downtown Richmond while enjoying the benefits of living in neighboring Henrico County, including lower taxes. Although its location is attractive to many, Crestview’s community is what makes people stay. “The vibe is very much people in all stages of life supporting one another,” says Amanda Lysak, a Realtor at Maison Real Estate Boutique who has lived in the neighborhood for almost 10 years and has sold homes there for five years. “Being that diverse in the age of homeowners really gives you that opportunity to turn to anybody to seek support or information. I just feel like when you’re in our little neighborhood, you almost feel like you’re in your own world in the best way. Everything always feels like its own little safety net, the way everybody has formed their own little communities within this community. And I don’t think you can always find that everywhere.” Cape Cods and ranch-style homes are prevalent here, but the established neighborhood also has its share of split-levels and traditional Colonial Revivals, with most houses sitting on large, treed lots. Many homes date from the 1950s, but there are newer homes that were built in the early 2000s in subdivisions like Charles Glen and Dickens Glen. “In Crestview, you can still buy a nice house for $350,000,” Ransone says, but they go fast; one of his recent listings here lasted only one day on the market. Prices here generally range from around $425,000 to the mid-$600,000s, with more expensive houses typically found farther from I-64 and closer to the adjacent neighborhood of Tuckahoe. Even at these more standard list prices, homes go quickly. Lysak says that most Crestview homes sell within three or four days. “They’ll start showings on Wednesday or Thursday, and they’ll review offers on Sunday or Monday,” she says. “They typically sell at or above list price." Henrico County Public Schools gets a B-plus rating from Niche and, according to Lysak, are another major draw to the neighborhood. Local children can attend Crestview Elementary School, which has C, and Tuckahoe Middle School, which has a B-plus, before moving to Douglas S. Freeman High School. With an A-minus from Niche, Freeman High has a student volunteer group called The Freeman Project that takes on community service projects to better the community. The adjacent Three Chopt neighborhood is home to private schools like the all-boys St. Christopher’s School and the all-girls St. Catherine’s School, both of which teach pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and have A-plus ratings. Cheswick Park is Henrico County’s oldest park. After a long renovation, it reopened in January 2024 and is now equipped with a new playground, fitness equipment, restrooms and newly paved walking trails, all emphasizing accessibility for disabled members of the community. Westwood Park is much smaller but offers a nice playground with equipment geared toward younger children. Just outside the neighborhood, Bandy Field is a popular spot for frisbee, picnics or simply going on a walk, and there are tennis courts tucked along the back of the park. Westwood Club offers members access to its tennis courts, where lessons, leagues and tournaments for tennis, squash and racquetball are often held, as well as a full-service fitness facility and outdoor pool. Nearby, The Weinstein Jewish Community Center offers educational classes, afterschool programs and the region’s only Jewish theater. West Broad Street is lined with local restaurants, including Mekong, a well-known Vietnamese spot that’s popular for its craft beer and dumplings. Heading further into Crestview doesn’t diminish dining options, either. Locals often eat at Pho Thien Phat, another popular Vietnamese place known for its pho, sit down at Full Kee for dim sum or head to the brightly painted Original Mexican Restaurant, which offers $1.50 tacos on Mondays. Shopping options include Burlington for clothes and Home Depot. Willow Lawn’s abundance of shopping is also just outside Crestview, offering shopping at big box stores like Ross, Old Navy and Ulta Beauty alongside a Kroger for groceries. Walmart offers groceries right in the neighborhood, as does Tan A Supermarket, a popular Asian grocery store. Just outside it, Publix and Target provide even more options. In addition to Crestview’s accessibility to I-64 and West Broad Street, Monument Avenue, which is another of Richmond’s most iconic streets, runs right through the neighborhood. Lined with trees and older homes, it brings residents toward the city about 8 miles away. These roads make it easy to get just about anywhere in the Richmond area by car. Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital are also both located in the neighborhood. Every year, St. James Armenian Church hosts the Armenian Food Festival. “It’s huge,” Lysak says. “It kind of spans Richmond and Henrico.” With free admission, the festival has been running for over 60 years and features Armenian music, dancing and food.

Sleepy Hollow, about 12 miles from Downtown Richmond, Virginia, offers suburban privacy a short drive from the city. No two homes look the same here, and mature trees drop leaves onto mowed green lawns. This is the kind of place where kids toss a ball around in the front yard, and families go on walks together after school. The neighborhood is great for those who want to be near the city’s attractions without sacrificing a desirable school district or lot size. “It’s centrally located,” says Brinkley Taliaferro, Realtor with Shaheen Ruth Martin & Fonville and Richmond native. “It’s not far from the city, restaurants and things to do, but it still has that suburban feel.” Sleepy Hollow’s residential streets look like something from a movie – with Colonial Revival, split-level and ranch-style homes on neat lots. The grass is green here, and bushes and flower beds are well-maintained. Mature trees dot two-lane roads without sidewalks. There’s not much new construction – homes are older and updated with modern interiors. Homebuyers can find a ranch-style, Colonial Revival or split-level home in the $500,000 to $900,000 range, depending on the size, condition and age. In the low millions, potential buyers can expect sprawling five- or six-bedroom New Traditional or Colonial Revival properties that might back up to a small body of water. There are also condo options, and these units usually run around $300,000. “Homebuyers like that the neighborhood affords them privacy and space to spread out,” Taliaferro says. Students are zoned for Henrico County Public Schools. They can attend Maybeury Elementary, which gets a B-minus from Niche, before Tuckahoe Middle School, receiving a B-plus. They can finish their public education at Douglas S. Freeman High School, which earns an A-minus from Niche and has the Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics. Also in the neighborhood is Collegiate School, a highly-rated private school serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. The University of Richmond is just a short drive down River Road. Built in the Collegiate Gothic style, Richmond was voted the country's Most Beautiful Campus in the Princeton Review’s 2024 edition. Locals love walking their dogs through winding wooded trails, running across the bridge over Westhampton Lake or exploring the university’s brick buildings and manicured courtyards. River Road also leads to the exclusive Country Club of Virginia, where many locals spend their summers soaking in the sun at the pool, playing tennis matches or hitting the links at the three 18-hole golf courses. This is a residential neighborhood. However, locals are close to various commercial clusters. “It’s easy to get to Short Pump and Regency,” Taliaferro says. “And you’re not far from the Libbie and Grove shopping area, which people like.” Short Pump Towne Center, the largest outdoor mall in the Richmond area, is about a 20-minute drive from Sleepy Hollow. Closer to home, Regency Shopping Mall and the adjacent Parham Plaza Shopping Center ensure locals can quickly grab everyday essentials. Here, there’s a Walmart Supercenter, Kroger and the Fresh Market, giving locals options when grocery shopping. The quaint restaurants on Libbie and Grove avenues are about 5 miles from the neighborhood, while locals can reach the rows of window shops in Carytown in about 7 miles. It’s about a 5-mile drive to reach U.S. interstates 64 and 288. Still, Sleepy Hollow residents are surrounded by thoroughfares that lead throughout Henrico County and the city of Richmond – River Road, Patterson Avenue, Parham Road and Gaskins Road. They’re either lined with shops and restaurants or lead towards shopping centers with commercial amenities. In case of emergency, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital is about 6 miles northeast. And when it’s time to fly, the Richmond International Airport is about 24 miles east.

Mooreland Farms is a midcentury success story. It was founded after World War II by Eugene West, on Richmond’s west end, about 10 miles from downtown but only one mile to Collegiate School. Indeed, it remains popular among families who want to be near this lauded private institution. “People like that it’s walkable to Collegiate, and there’s a crossing guard on duty at River Road when school lets out,” says Realtor Jenny Maraghy, a founding member of Compass Richmond with over 30 years of real estate experience. She adds a fun fact that paints a picture of Mooreland Farms as a family friendly neighborhood: “One of the people who developed the show ‘Family Guy’ resides there.” At an aesthetic level, Mooreland Farms clearly aims to elevate. It’s a slice of old school Richmond, with a dash of sophistication and southern charm. “Mooreland Farms definitely has a stately style to it,” says Eliza Conrad, Realtor with Shaheen Ruth Martin & Fonville. “The homes are gorgeous and high-quality. It’s rare to find a home there costing less than $1 million.” Commonly seen genres are crisp white clapboard colonials, red brick Georgians and Tudors. Large windows and screened porches bring abundant natural light into these properties. Maraghy says that “about 20 years ago, Mooreland Farms was super popular. Then some of the homes were ready for a facelift inside. And then five to seven years ago it made another big turn with major renovations happening to homes. So the prices in there surged.” Recent sales show a price spread from $800,000 to $2.2 million. Maybeury Elementary maintains a 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio, and earns a B-minus rating from Niche. Tuckahoe Middle has an 18-to-1 student-teacher ratio, and bumps higher in ranking, with a B-plus overall. Douglas Freeman High stands tall with an A-minus rating. In spring 2024, the school’s principal was awarded a grant for creating a new soccer program. Of course, Collegiate is a popular option for Mooreland Farms residents. This private, coed, college preparatory school provides instruction for kindergarten through 12th grade. It an impeccable A+ rating. There are no public parks within the bounds of Mooreland Farms, but it is a shaded walkable community. “It also has a neighborhood pool that remains a hit,” says Maraghy. There are also green spaces within a short drive. Bandy Field Nature Park is located on Three Chopt Road, about 5 miles away. It’s an ideal place to stroll, and protected by a conservation easement that ensures it remains undeveloped. The Country Club of Virginia is equally close, and features three 18-hole courses. Founded in 1908, this private club is also known for a large brick clubhouse that’s reminiscent of home styles in Mooreland Farms. Likewise, residents are brief driving distance from multiple shopping and dining options. The River Road Shopping Center is close, at a little over 3 miles east. It features a mix of fine dining and clothing stores, plus a Starbucks for quicker convenience. But the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center is also just 3 miles away, if one drives north. It features a Kroger for weekly grocery needs, while the Melting Pot offers fun with fondue. Pet supplies, clothing and ice cream are some of the other goods on tap here. By going a mile east to the Quioccasin Station Shopping Center, one can find more grocery stores – The Fresh Market, Walmart and another Kroger. Fast food chains are available, but so is The Tin Pan, a cozy music venue with cocktails and comfort food. Mooreland Farms is a bit of an anomaly, in that it requires most resident to have a car. Food, for example, is a few miles away – and bus lines aren’t immediately close to the neighborhood. Yet, a primary reason people move to Mooreland Farms is because they have children who choose to walk or bike to Collegiate, so it does offer an alternative transportation angle. Plus, being located along River Road means that residents have a straight shot to Carytown, a walkable stretch of boutique stores just 7 miles east.

With a name derived from an Algonquian word for a root plant that local Powhatan tribes relied on when corn was scarce, Tuckahoe Village is in Henrico County on the edge of Richmond’s West End, often called the Far West End. The neighborhood’s quiet, tree-lined streets feel tucked away, but it’s only 5 miles from Short Pump and 17 miles from Downtown Richmond. “If you don’t find yourself on Lauderdale or Careybrook Drive or over near Ruby Carver Elementary, you wouldn’t even know it’s there, which I think is another nice feature of the community,” says Jennifer Pardon, a Realtor at Nexthome Advantage and a Richmond native who has 23 years of experience selling in the area. “I love that, because people who aren’t familiar with Richmond inevitably go to Hull Street or Short Pump, and then they drive around and they feel like they’re in the middle of D.C., but you don’t have to go very far off of those main roads to find really quaint, quiet neighborhoods where residents are really invested in the community.” And Tuckahoe Village, Pardon says, is a neighborhood where people are invested, from longtime residents who have been there for decades to younger families buying their first homes. Tuckahoe Village has kept much of its wooded landscape, with white oak and flowering dogwood trees lining many streets. Although the area lacks sidewalks, its wide, quiet streets are ideal for walking. “You drive through Tuckahoe Village and you see lots of people walking with their strollers and their kids on their bikes and people with their dogs,” Pardon says. Many of the Cape Cods, colonials and brick ranch-style homes here were built between the 1950s and 1990s. Pardon says these older homes come with benefits such as larger lot sizes than newer homes. The neighborhood also has townhouses and apartment complexes. Two-bedroom townhouses start at around $250,000 and detached three-bedroom fixer-uppers start at around $315,000. Home prices can climb to around $750,000 for a large four-bedroom on a third of an acre, and like the rest of Richmond, competition for homes here is steep. Niche gives Henrico County Public Schools a B-plus rating. Students can attend Ruby F. Carver Elementary School, which has a B-minus rating, and Quioccasin Middle School, which has a C-plus, before moving on to Mills E. Godwin High School. Godwin High, which gets an A rating from Niche and is listed as the second-best public high school in Henrico County, requires all students to either get credit for one Advanced Placement course or complete career and technical education readiness courses or certifications. Alternatively, parents can send their children to local private schools. The Academy of Academic Excellence teaches prekindergarten through fifth grade and The Steward School teaches pre-K through 12th grade, and both receive A-plus ratings from Niche. Tuckahoe Creek Park is also a popular spot to go fishing or simply to enjoy nature. “It’s a natural protected wildlife area, and the county has recently built a nature walk – a wooden walk that skirts the shoreline where people can walk because it’s kind of marshy,” Pardon says. “There are a ton of birdwatchers and eagle watchers. There are some eagles that nest toward the back of the creek, so it’s a nice little place to get away.” The boardwalk is ADA-accessible, and residents enjoy walking their dogs here or having picnics at its sheltered tables. Locals beat the heat at Tuckahoe Village West Recreation’s outdoor pool, swim meets are often held at the local Nova of Virginia Aquatics and the Tuckahoe Little League has a large park just outside the neighborhood where games and practices are held. Nearby, Deep Run Park offers over 150 acres of walking trails, soccer fields, playgrounds and a community center. Tuckahoe Village Shopping Center is the neighborhood’s main shopping and dining hub. “It’s chock full of locally owned businesses,” Pardon says. “Hope Thrift is there, that’s an extension of one of the big churches in the neighborhood, and there’s a few eateries that are owned by residents in the neighborhood, so it has a lot of ties to the community.” In addition to Hope Thrift, the center has Thrift For Life and Patterson Antiques, so locals can explore these shops or pick up home essentials at the hardware store or Food Lion before eating at a local restaurant. Jadean’s Smokin’ Six O BBQ is a popular dinner spot, and on the northern side of the neighborhood, Deep Run Roadhouse is a must-try for its “Train Wreck,” where a choice of meat is poured over jalapenos. mac and cheese, pinto beans and cornbread. Nearby, Shawarma Bistro is also popular for its marinated chicken shawarma. For a fun night out, residents can head to HATTheatre to see a musical or improv show or make the short drive to Short Pump for its abundance of shopping and dining options. Tuckahoe Village is heavily car-dependent since the Greater Richmond Transit System, or GRTC, doesn’t reach the neighborhood. Patterson Avenue runs along its southern border, but most of its streets are on the smaller side. It takes just a few minutes to get on State Route 288 or Interstate 64, the latter of which brings commuters to Downtown Richmond in about 25 minutes. Local vendors set up their stalls at the year-round West End Farmers Market every Saturday at Discovery United Methodist Church on Gayton Road to display fresh produce and locally made goods. From April through October, locals can catch outdoor movies at local green spaces like Deep Run Park.

Nearly 20 miles west of downtown Richmond, Foxhall is prized for its location. Short Pump is just minutes north, so locals enjoy tons of shopping and dining options on their doorstep. And with three major thoroughfares all within a few miles of the neighborhood, it’s easy to get around the greater Richmond metro, too. Spacious lot sizes and highly rated Henrico County schools add to the location’s appeal. But John Daylor, a Realtor with Joyner Fine Properties who’s been working with clients in the area for more than 30 years, says that the icing on the cake here goes beyond Foxhall’s place on the map. “Foxhall is a highly desirable planned community. It has a ton of amenities that people love, like pools, sports fields and sidewalks throughout,” he says. Foxhall’s streets are wide, edged with broad, manicured front lawns, their gentle curves shaded by tall pines and oak trees. Many end in cul-de-sacs. Because there’s not a lot of traffic, it’s common to see neighbors out walking their dogs or groups of kids riding bikes. There are few homes here older than the mid-1990s. Four-bedroom Colonial Revival-style homes built in the ‘90s tend to sell for close to $450,000. For newer five-bedroom Modern Transitional-style homes, sale prices are closer to $870,000. “Houses here sell in single-digit days,” Daylor says. “There’s practically no inventory, and these homes are in high demand.” Students in Foxhall attend schools in the Henrico County Public Schools system. Parents are advised to double-check the school boundary maps ahead of registration, as the exact path each youngster will follow changes depending on their address. Many students go to Nuckols Farm Elementary School, Pocahontas Middle School and Godwin High School. In 2023, Nuckols Farm earned an A-minus from Niche. That same year, Pocahontas Middle got a B-plus and Godwin High got an A. Godwin High School offers students the opportunity to participate in more than 50 clubs, in subjects ranging from robotics and film to global affairs. The Colonies Swim and Tennis Club is tucked into a leafy area off Causeway Drive, within a mile of most homes. Featuring a large, sparkling swimming pool, playground, tennis and pickleball courts, a basketball court and a soccer field, members have myriad opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. Wilde Lake sprawls over more than 20 acres of Foxhall’s south end, bisected by Causeway Drive. Homes along Shore View Drive, Spinnaker Court and Bywater Drive overlook the sparkling, fishable waters from their backyards, many of which feature floating docks. With Short Pump just 3 miles north, locals enjoy plethora shopping and dining at their doorstep. The Short Pump location of Buttermilk and Honey, a locally owned eatery known for its Southern-style comfort food, is just a 5-minute drive north, on West Broad Street. Right across the street, there’s also The Daily Kitchen & Bar, which serves up classic American fare in a modern, casual setting. When eating in is on the menu for the evening instead of eating out, grab groceries at Wegmans or Aldi on the way home. Both grocery chains are off West Broad Street, too, near the eateries. For fresh, seasonal and locally sourced fruits and veg, the West End Farmers Market is open on Saturday mornings between nine and noon. The year-round market is on Gayton Road less than 2 miles southeast of Foxhall. For everyday essentials from clothing and skincare to home goods, Short Pump Town Center is just minutes away. The bustling, multistory open-air mall has more than 140 stores and is anchored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Macy’s and Dillard’s. Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 250 run parallel to each other less than 3 miles north of Foxhall. State Route 288 runs perpendicular to those two main thoroughfares, also less than 3 miles from Foxhall, this time to the west. The three main roads make it easy for locals to get around the greater Richmond metro and beyond. The Richmond International Airport is just over 25 miles east down I-64, a drive that takes about 40 minutes, depending on traffic.