GOOCHLAND COUNTY
County Offices
2938 River Road West
Goochland 804-556-5300
www.co.goochland.va.us
Chamber of Commerce
2941 River Road West
Goochland 804-556-3811
www.goochlandchamber.org
Located west of Henrico County, the prestigious address of Goochland County lies midway between the City of Richmond and Charlottesville. In this sparsely populated region, newcomers will discover gently rolling hills, heavily forested acreage, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the Metropolitan Richmond area. Newcomers can look forward to a scenic countryside that is well known for its fox hunting, horse farms, and majestic estates along the James River.
The growth patterns of the Richmond metropolitan area have placed Goochland County in an enviable position at the very periphery of a rapidly expanding region of quality development. Highly developed Interstates and major highways ensure that local businesses and residents have easy access to first-rate urban amenities and major employment centers. At the same time, untapped natural resources and vast acres of undeveloped land offer the luxury of open, rural space.
Services
Unlike many areas of the United States where early economic activity has long been displaced by new enterprises, Goochland County relies on revenue from industries that began in the 1700s. Agriculture, forestry, and mining are as vital to the area’s economy as they were during the settlement of a new nation. Granted, the contemporary establishments that constitute today’s farms are fewer in number and primarily geared toward crops, cattle, and horses. Several companies are mining granite from the valuable stone deposits in the western part of the county. Moving into the modern business parks in the eastern quadrant are leading businesses and companies that include highly visible corporate giants.
Today, Interstate 64 serves as the primary link between Goochland and major markets throughout the eastern quadrant of the United States. The intersection of Interstates 64 and 295 occurs just three miles east of Goochland County, providing an efficient route to the Interstate 95 corridor and the leading Mid-Atlantic and East Coast cities of Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Interstate 85 offers a quick trip south to Charlotte and on to Atlanta, Georgia. Just 25 miles to the east lies Richmond International Airport, while the Port of Richmond is close to Interstate 95. Serene without a sense of isolation, this panoramic countryside offers its residents an exceptional quality of life. The close proximity of Henrico County and the City of Richmond ensure easy access to some of the nation’s leading employment centers, medical and research institutions, colleges and universities, recreational amenities, and world-class cultural attractions.
Within Goochland County, a progressive public school system boasts more than 850 computers in a small number of schools. By the time students reach middle school, they have already developed an individual future-learning plan that encompasses career aspirations and strategies designed to help them meet their goals. Each year thereafter, the plan is re-negotiated. The Goochland library is one of ten branch institutions associated with the Pamunkey Regional Library system, offering such specialized services as daily delivery of materials on order, bookmobile locations, audio books, magazines, videos, CD-ROMS, and special children’s programs.
Lifestyle
Consistent dedication to planned growth and development has guided Goochland County through three centuries of transformation. Few locales have been more successful at balancing country charm and the county of nature with the proliferation of residential communities, prime commercial space, and industrial and business parks. Blueprints for the future of blossoming villages call for a high concentration of retail establishments and services that are encircled by tree-lined neighborhoods. In this way, planners can preserve the friendly, small-town feeling that makes this area so appealing.
New residents will be able to choose from a wide selection of residential environments and architectural styles. Older homes are available throughout the county in a variety of designs, sizes, and price ranges that appeal to a wide cross-section of buyers. Rambling farm houses, stately colonials, and sprawling ranch-style homes contrast with lakeside custom homes surrounded by expansive acreage. Goochland County also offers luxurious estates that are set against the scenic backdrop of golf-course fairways in exclusive residential villages that offer premier recreational amenities. Whether your dream is a modest home on a heavily wooded lot or a million-dollar property in a country club setting, the answer is waiting in Goochland County. Here in this land-rich region, you will discover contemporaries, colonials, and transitionals on lots that range from one to ten acres and even more. Plant a variety of crops, grow an award-winning garden, or raise horses — the possibilities are limited only by your own imagination.
The beauty of gently rolling hills, refreshing creeks, large wooded areas, and winding country roads create the ideal setting for a variety of recreation activities. Whether you take a wild-to-mild canoe ride down the James River, hike through the deep woods, or ride with the historic Deep Run Hunt Club — the county’s spectacular landscape ensures a memorable experience. A wealth of nearby parks and conservation areas provide opportunities for biking, hiking, horseback riding, camping, boating, water sports, tennis, and swimming.
Several of the golf courses in the Richmond metro region are nestled in the verdant hills of Goochland County, although recreation programs meet a variety of interests on a year-round basis. Private associations and the Goochland County Parks & Recreation Department combine to offer everything from baseball to karate. The region’s choice location places residents within reach of countless cultural and historic attractions, including Broadway shows, theatres, ballet, opera, symphony, Civil War battlegrounds, and fine museums. The theme parks and historic legacy of Williamsburg, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Virginia Beach are just a two-hour drive from home.
Boasting its own rich historic contributions to the evolution of Richmond and Virginia, Goochland County is home to the Kanawha Canal — inspired by George Washington himself. Before it gave way to the railroad as the preferred mode of transportation, the canal provided a navigable waterway for travel westward into the county and further into the vast frontier. Meandering country roads that once served the travelers from Charlottesville to Richmond became the thoroughfares of Routes 6 and 250. With the construction of Interstate 64, Route 250 transformed into a thriving commercial and industrial corridor.
At the time of its founding in 1727, the Goochland region was fertile frontier that provided a lush and natural setting for those who wanted to cultivate large plantations and country estates. Tuckahoe Plantation, famous as the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson, is the oldest “River Plantation” in the nation on record. Narrow lanes lined with grand old cedar trees still capture the imagination of visitors, just as they must have enchanted the Southern gentlemen and ladies that traveled it centuries ago. Even the county’s grand courthouse built in 1826 is still in use today.
Blending the finest of yesterday with the convenience of contemporary living is a Goochland tradition. Without a doubt, the pattern of careful planning and controlled growth that has directed the county will be challenged as the new millennium unfolds. Acceleration of residential, commercial, and industrial growth are inevitable in this lovely region of forest, field, and verdant terrain. As adjacent counties become more highly developed, those who desire the tranquility of country living will find affordable land and tranquil communities in Goochland.
