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Housing and Neighborhood Preservation
Richmond, VA 23219
(804)646-6344
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Richmond’s Southwest area has a dual personality. It
offers elements of country living such as wildflower-filled meadows and secluded
riverfront properties. It also contains the city’s newest office, retail and
residential development, Stony Point, and a fast growing retail area at Forest
Hill and Chippenham Parkway.
Many of the neighborhoods pay homage to their origins with names such as Hobby Hill Farms and Huguenot Farms,
but they are only minutes from the offices, museums and nightlife of
downtown.
The Southwest area runs along the south bank of the
James River from the Powhite Parkway, west to Old Gun Road at the city limits.
It contains several different subdivisions and neighborhoods, from Stratford
Hills and Oxford closer to the city center to Hobby Hill and Huguenot Farms
bordering the city limits.
Winding streets meander through wooded areas and
alongside creeks, and many of the houses are set far back from the road. These
neighborhoods offer seclusion and the beauty of an unspoiled natural
setting.
Stratford Hills/Oxford
Both of these neighborhoods are set among rolling hills and quiet, tree lined streets just south of the
James River, along the banks of Rattlesnake Creek, but are only minutes away
from all that the city has to offer.
Stratford Hills is the older of the two communities,
with houses closer to the river dating from the 1930s. Much of the area was
originally woodlands and pastures, and the original developer lived on a farm
where residents were able to board their horses.
Now the neighborhood features houses built in
contemporary ranch, Cape Cod, Colonial, Dutch Colonial and tri-level styles,
most of which were constructed in the 1950s and 60s. Many properties feature
brick or brick and siding construction, attached garages, and large wooded
lots.
Oxford, just north of Stratford Hills, is one of Richmond’s newest communities. The neighborhood contains many ranches and tri-levels,
as well as Tudors and Dutch Colonials. Many of these three- and four
bedroom homes feature attached garages and large lots, which generally span from
1,500 to more than 3,000 square feet.
Both neighborhoods are in close proximity to the Pony
Pasture and Huguenot Woods sections of the James River Parks system and are just
across the river from the shops, restaurants and museums in the central city.
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Huguenot Farms/Hobby Hills
The Huguenot Farms and Hobby Hill
neighborhoods are found just south of the James River and west of Chippenham
Parkway. This area became part of the city only in 1970, and it retains much of
its rural character; in fact, both neighborhoods are parts of large farms that
were gradually developed, keeping the names of the farms from which they
originated.
The Huguenot Farms community occupies a lush wooded
setting immediately south of the James River, and a number of its properties
offer spectacular river views. Most of the homes in the neighborhood date from
the 1950s and 1960s with a smaller number of larger, newer homes built from the
late 1980s on. Styles include Colonial, Transitional, Cape Cods, Contemporary,
Dutch Colonial and Colonial Transitional. These homes offer three, four and five
bedrooms, many with attached garages. Homes are 2,500 to 3,000 square feet or
larger on lots that span a half-acre to an acre and a half.
The Hobby Hill neighborhood lies just south of Huguenot
Farms, in the wooded hills above the James, and as a result most of its homes
are on a slightly smaller scale and less expensive. The predominating styles are
tri-level, Colonial, ranch, and Dutch Colonials built of brick or brick and
siding. Most homes have three or four bedrooms and were built in the 1950s and
1960s. They generally range in size from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet on half-acre
lots. Many homes have attached garages.
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