City of Colonial Heights.

Space

2,271 people to the square mile.

That makes City of Colonial Heights the densest of the 12 Richmond areas we hold both figures for. Things are close together here, which is the trade: less land, less driving.

Scale

18,170 people, as of 2020.

The 3rd 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

City of Colonial Heights answers to no county.

In Virginia an independent city sits outside the county system entirely: it sets its own rate, runs its own schools, maintains its own roads. Comparing a bill here against one across the line is not comparing like with like.

Everyday life

The errand-running center of the Tri-Cities.

Southpark and the strip along Temple Avenue are where three localities do their shopping, which means excellent convenience and the traffic that comes with it. Exits 53 and 54 off I-95 feed it directly.

Who it suits

The settled end of this market.

Median household income is about $76,500 and median home value about $246,600 — both the highest of the three cities here — and at 40.3 the median age is the oldest. It reads as an established suburb rather than a place in transition.

The river edge

Two miles of paved trail above the Appomattox.

The city's riverside path runs from Roslyn Landing Park to the western boundary, fully paved and accessible, with a fishing pier and a small boat ramp. It feeds the wider 25-mile trail being built across six localities.