Chancellorsville

Ten miles west of Fredericksburg lies Chancellorsville, an unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County that is best known to history buffs as the site of the Civil War battle of the same name. The Battle of Chancellorsville is remembered for ultimately claiming the life of Stonewall Jackson, who was struck by friendly fire in the fighting and died of pneumonia eight days later. Much of the battlefield from 1863 has been preserved, and it brings in tens of thousands of visitors annually, but the land around it has changed significantly in the last century and a half.

“This has become one of the area’s most popular areas for new housing development,” says Berkshire Hathaway’s Leslie Mytrysak, who has been a licensed Realtor for a decade and has sold over a dozen homes in Chancellorsville. “The location is great because you have the convenience of being right off I-95 and U.S. Route 1 in downtown Fredericksburg, yet it has a rural feel to it,” Mytrysak notes the central location of the city, which puts it in the outer reaches of both the Washington, D.C., and greater Richmond, Virginia, metro areas. “There are definitely people here anchored out of both cities.”

Despite a high cost of entry, the real estate market in Chancellorsville is competitive because a steady population of new transplants and people upgrading keeps demand healthy. In October 2023, the 12-month median for a single-family home was $615,000, with very little inventory under $400,000, and prices that can easily climb over $1 million. “Mary Washington Hospital is nearby, so we see a lot of people in the medical field, and D.C. is commutable if you’re not making the drive five days a week, so there are a lot of government contractors,” Mytrysak says. “Remote work in the region has changed this area a lot; I just had a new construction listing with two home offices.

Homes in Chancellorsville are spacious and contemporary, most having been built since 1993, though there are pockets of ramblers and split-levels built in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The streets are quiet, and most lack sidewalks because they wouldn’t be practical in neighborhoods with such generous lot sizes – anywhere from one to 20 acres. New construction is the norm, with luxury developments like Mineral Springs Plantation in demand. The community’s colonial and traditional-style architecture is intended to preserve the heritage of the historical location. Bordered by the Hunting Run Reservoir, million-dollar waterfront homes are set on between two and five acres and boast beautiful views.

Families with children are served by Spotsylvania County Public Schools, a solid district with a B grade from Niche but an A in diversity. The district has robust services for military families that frequently relocate to the area. Kids can start their education at Wilderness Elementary School, a walkable community school off Virginia State Route 3 with a B grade and a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, better than the national average of 17 to 1. Sharing the same campus is Ni River Middle School, a B-plus school that Niche ranks as the best public middle school in the county. Students may then advance to Riverbend High School in nearby Chancellor, the best public high school in the county, according to Niche, with an A-minus. State test scores show that 62% of students are at least proficient in math and 87% in reading.

Quiet by design, Chancellorsville is a growing residential destination lacking its own commercial business district, with a few exceptions. “The Battlefield Country Store is kind of like a deli shop meets Cracker Barrel, but it’s not at all commercial like that,” Mytrysak says. “But this area is less than 10 miles west of the city of Fredericksburg, which has all the conveniences like grocery stores and chain restaurants.” Mytrysak says buyers in Chancellorsville often prioritize outdoor activities over urban amenities, citing proximity to the Motts Run Reservoir and the Rappahannock River. “It’s absolutely beautiful out by the Hunting Run Reservoir, and gasoline-powered boats are restricted, so it’s peaceful out on the water and a perfect day of fishing."

Written By

Amber Steinmetz-Cole

Photography Contributed By

Joseph Furio

Video By

Houston Knight