Carrie Akins
Richmond Team Lead
Richmond37.3500° N 77.0600° W
Charles City.
6,773 residents across 204 square miles, seated at Charles City.
One of 12 areas our Richmond team works.
At a glanceCharles City
The publicrecord.
What the county and the census hold on Charles City — quoted, not estimated.
Rural, with no incorporated town of its own — bounded by the James River to the south and the Chickahominy to the east, and the smallest population in this market at under 7,000 people.
It is heavily a commuter county: only 372 residents both live and work here, against roughly 2,950 who commute out, mostly toward Henrico, Richmond city and Chesterfield.
What sets it apart is what is still standing: three working James River plantations — Shirley, Berkeley and Westover — are National Historic Landmarks, along with Sherwood Forest, President John Tyler's home. Little else in this market carries this much colonial history still lived in rather than preserved behind glass.
- Type
- County
- County seat
- Charles City
- Population (2020)
- 6,773
- Land area
- 204 sq mi
- Communities we cover
- 1
- Established
- 1634
- Real estate tax rate
- $0.69 per $100
Figures from Wikidata, population as of 2020. The tax rate is published by the county and set annually; check the current year before budgeting.
Where it is37.3500° N 77.0600° W
Where isCharles City?
The nearest of our other Richmond areas is City of Hopewell, 14 miles off.
21 mi
Central Richmond
south-east of center
15 mi
Williamsburg
east
47 mi
Northern Neck
north-east
92 mi
Fredericksburg
north
Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Getting around.
One state highway does most of the work, running the length of the county between two larger markets.
SR-5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway)
The historic route between Richmond and Williamsburg, running past the county's plantation row.
SR-155
Serves the courthouse area and meets I-64 at Exit 214.
SR-106
The industrial corridor's road, reaching I-64 at Exit 211 and I-295.
Richmond International Airport
About 25 miles. Williamsburg is roughly the same distance the other direction.
Inside the county1 community
Every communitywe cover.
Every one of these is inside the county line. The MLS files their listings under the county rather than the community, so search the county above.
- 0Charles City C.H.none on the market today
The county seat. Its courthouse, built in the 1750s, is one of only six arcaded colonial courthouses left in Virginia — and still in its original use nearly three centuries later.
Living here6 reasons
The case forCharles City.
The figures above read plainly, and what they look like day to day. Where something is a trade-off, it says so.
Space
33 people to the square mile.
Nothing else we work in Richmond is more open: of the 12 areas we hold both figures for, Charles City is the least crowded. If room is what you are buying, this end of the market is where it is.
Scale
6,773 people, as of 2020.
The 1st smallest of the 12 Richmond areas we hold a count for. Fewer houses change hands here in a year, and that cuts both ways — less to choose from, less to compete with.
The line that matters
Charles City, seated at Charles City.
In Virginia the county sets the rate, runs the school division and maintains the roads — and the lines do not follow the place names, so two houses a mile apart can sit under different rates and different schools.
The commute
Only 372 people both live and work here.
Nearly 2,950 residents commute out, mostly toward Henrico, Richmond city and Chesterfield. Buying here means committing to that drive rather than finding work locally.
The river estates
Three working plantations, all National Historic Landmarks.
Shirley has been farmed since 1738 by the same family, now in its eleventh and twelfth generations. Berkeley, from 1726, is the birthplace of a president. Westover was built by the founder of Richmond. None of the three is a museum frozen in time — Shirley in particular is still a working farm.
Scale
One elementary school. One high school.
523 students in the entire division — a fraction of any neighboring county. This is as small and as quiet as this market gets.
SchoolsCharles City County Public Schools
Schools andcolleges.
The smallest division in this market — 523 students across two schools — with no college inside the county.
Charles City County Public Schools
One elementary school and one high school serve the entire county.
Outdoors3 of them
Where theweekends go.
Two rivers and a stretch of the state's showcase bike trail run through here.
Lawrence Lewis Jr. Park
24 acres on the James off Route 5, with a boat ramp, a fishing and birding pier, and primitive camping for cyclists and paddlers passing through.
Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area
5,217 acres in the county, mostly woodland, with one boat ramp reaching the Chickahominy and James rivers.
Virginia Capital Trail
52 paved miles between Richmond and Williamsburg, completed in 2015, passing through the county.
On the market6 in Charles City · live
Homes on themarket now.
On the market in Charles City right now.
Live from search.hogangrp.com, refreshed hourly.
All Charles City listingsSearchsearch.hogangrp.com · Live MLS
Homes inCharles City.
The search opens already filtered to Charles City — set a price and a bedroom count here and they travel with you.
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Your team36 in Richmond
People who livewhere they sell.
Richmond is led by 5 team leads, Carrie Akins and Christopher Alexander among others.
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Questions5 answered
What peopleask us.
Asked often enough by people moving to Charles City to be worth answering in writing.
About as rural and quiet as this market gets — no incorporated town, one elementary and one high school, and the smallest population of any county here. Most residents commute out for work.
Three working plantations on the National Historic Landmark register — Shirley, Berkeley and Westover — plus Sherwood Forest, President John Tyler's home from 1842 until his death in 1862.
$0.69 per $100 of assessed value for the current fiscal year, set annually by the Board of Supervisors.
Charles City County Public Schools — one elementary school, one high school, 523 students in total. There is no college inside the county.
SR-5 runs the length of the county toward Richmond or Williamsburg; SR-155 and SR-106 reach I-64. Richmond International Airport is about 25 miles.
Sources · checked September 14, 2026
Tax rate · School division · Shirley · Berkeley · Westover · Capital Trail · Location
Thinking of selling
What is your Charles City homeactually worth?
Mike Hogan founded the brokerage on knowing the county rather than the listing. Ask what that means for this street — or take a cash offer from a local investor and skip the showings entirely. Neither route commits you to the other.