Hanover County is the most rural one of the three primary counties that comprise the Richmond Metro. That is not to say that Hanover is all farmland and woods as it is densely populated in the central (Atlee) and eastern (Mechanicsville) sections of the county. Hanover and points west are best described densely rural (if that is such a term) in that Western Hanover is largely developed into subdivisions where the average lot size is 5+ acres. These types of large lot subdivisions do not really exist in West or Central Henrico nor do they exist in northern Chesterfield.
Hanover also changes pretty distinctly as you move from the points west to points central and east. As illustration, Patrick Henry High School covers all of Western Hanover while it takes 3 (Atlee, Lee Davis and Hanover high School) to cover roughly the same land mass to the east. Mechanicsville and Atlee feature a more traditional suburban subdivision model especially in the corridor from Route 360 to Interstate 95 and subsequently, you will find a suburban retail presence and other characteristics of this type of development.
Hanover is broken into two MLS Zones:
Western Hanover (MLS Zone 36) – which includes areas such as Beaverdam, Montpelier, Ashland, Elmont and Doswell (west of I 95) and the Atlee area east of I95. The county transitions in the Atlee area from decidedly rural to suburban along the 295 corridor.
Eastern Hanover (MLS Zone 44) – which includes the large and most populous area of the county, the Mechanicsville/360 Corridor. Old Church and Black Creek are more rural options to the far east of the county.
Overall, Hanover offers less density than Henrico and Chesterfield (100,000 people in Hanover vs 300,000+ in both Chesterfield and Henrico), a lower tax base, a slightly slower pace and the best interstate access of any county in the Metro, by far. The Board of Supervisors has been tasked with ‘managing growth’ and maintaining rural characteristics. For the most part, this has been accomplished, especially west of Interstate 95.
Hanover Market Stats
Price Point Searches for Hanover
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Notable New Home Neighborhoods in Hanover
- Ashland Park
- Bell Grove
- Bluffs at Bell Creek
- Cool Spring (All Sections)
- Christian Ridge
- Glebe Hill
- Hickory Hill
- Hill Meadows
- Honey Meadows
- Iron Hill
- Lance & Bridle
- Lindsay Meadows
- Mount Hermon Farms
- Providence
- Rutland
- Tarwood Estates
- Woodside Estates
