As a savvy Charlottesville realtor since 2003, I specialize in Charlottesville luxury homes. And over these 19 years, I have found the best Charlottesville neighborhoods to live in. I divide Albemarle County (the City of Charlottesville sits in Albemarle County) four quadrants (north, south, east, and west) of Charlottesville.
We begin our search in the north of Charlottesville in towns like Advance Mills, Earlysville, Free Union, and Dyke.
Two of my five favorite areas to buy Charlottesville homes are located north of the City of Charlottesville. They are Free Union and Earlysville. Free Union being my top pick since it is closer to town.
The land is bucolic and rolling, and there are spectacular Blue Ridge Mountain views.
Farmington Country Club is here and if you can afford to live here then that’s where you’ll want to be. You do not need to join the Country Club to live here.
My next choice would be the neighborhood of Inglecress just off Garth Road and three minutes from the Barracks Road Shopping Center. The homes are magnificent, and the views are even better. There are no amenities here and a small HOA fee to cover road maintenance and snow removal.
There’s Ivy Farms about a mile north of Inglecress, again off Garth Road. This is a bigger neighborhood of 68 homes most of which were built in the 1980s. The houses and lots are not nearly as nice as Inglecress but it is an attractive neighborhood surrounded by horse farms. There are no amenities here either.
Heading further north we hit Frays Grant. Very attractive homes and very pricey. Perfect for those looking to own a mini-horse farm in a community. No other amenities and no stores nearby.
Next is Forest Lakes North and South. How can it not be? Forest Lakes offers so many amenities (everything except golf) that everyone would love to live here. The developers did a marvelous job laying out the green spaces among the numerous mini subdivisions (within a subdivision). The only thing I don’t like is its proximity to RT 29, yet most homeowners probably do, since shopping and dining for just about everything is right there.
My next two choices are next to each other, English Walnut and Loftlands.
English Walnut is the fancier of the two, but one of Charlottesville Airport’s landing strips are next door. And incoming planes fly over Loftlands. You better love planes!
I like Advance Mills but there is no town or services, and is mostly mini farms and lots of numerous acreage.
Dyke is too far away from everything and offers no amenities and it’s mostly farms and retreats. If you want remote, then look around Dyke. Driving at night can be hazardous.
As you can see I like Charlottesville neighborhoods with amenities. Tennis, swimming pool, and walking trails will suffice.
