North Downtown, Charlottesville: homes, schools, parks, commute

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Boundaries come from the City of Charlottesville’s Planning Neighborhoods map layer and historic districts from its architectural design control district layer; school zones from the city’s elementary school zone layer and Charlottesville City Schools’ attendance zones page; home values from the Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Research); parks from Charlottesville Parks and Recreation’s neighborhood parks page; bus routes from CAT’s route book; stores from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

North Downtown is the city’s center, a 427-acre planning neighborhood that takes in the Downtown Mall, Court Square and the blocks of houses and apartments north of them. Most of it is in ZIP code 22902. Much of it sits in two city historic districts, and most of it is zoned for Sunrise Elementary.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Road (every city address)
• Typical home value, ZIP 22902: $477,096 in September 2026, according to Zillow
• Nearest I-64 exit: Exit 121 (Route 20), about 2.1 miles by road
• Historic review and zoning: Neighborhood Development Services, 434-970-3995

Where it is

On the city’s planning neighborhood map, North Downtown is bordered by Belmont-Carlton to the south, Martha Jefferson to the southeast, Locust Grove to the northeast, Greenbrier to the north, Barracks/Rugby and Rose Hill to the northwest, and Starr Hill, Fifeville and Ridge Street to the west and southwest. Ridge McIntire Road, Harris Street and Preston Avenue form parts of its western edge, and Monticello Avenue part of its southern edge. McIntire Road, Park Street, Market Street, High Street and Water Street run through it.

Two city historic districts lie in it: the North Downtown architectural design control district, entirely inside the neighborhood and covering about a fifth of it, and most of the Downtown district around the Downtown Mall. Exterior changes in either go through the city’s historic review. Our Downtown Mall guide covers the shops and restaurants.

Schools

The city’s school zone map splits North Downtown three ways: about 75% of its area is zoned for Sunrise Elementary, about 16% for Greenbrier Elementary and about 8% for Summit Elementary.

All are Fully Accredited for 2025-26. In the state’s latest School Performance and Support Framework ratings, Sunrise scored 97.63 (Distinguished), Summit 83.35 (Meets Expectations) and Greenbrier 87.76 (Approaching Expectations); the middle school (84.28) and high school (83.43) are rated Approaching Expectations.

Rezoning: the division’s plan moves Kindlewood, which is in North Downtown, from Summit to Sunrise in August 2029 at the earliest. Current Summit students living west of Kindlewood shift to Sunrise in August 2027. Details are on the attendance zones page; check one address on the interactive zone map. See also our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow’s Home Value Index for ZIP 22902 was $477,096 in September 2026, up 0.4% from $475,212 a year earlier; the city figure was $511,398, up 1.1%. The western edge of the neighborhood is in ZIP 22903, where the index was $529,260, up 1%. The index is a modeled typical value for mid-priced homes, not a sale price, and a ZIP code is much larger than this neighborhood. See our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

• Court Square Park, 0.4 acre bounded by Jefferson Street, Fourth Street NE, High Street and the Albemarle County Court Building
• Market Street Park, the block bounded by Jefferson Street, First Street NE, Market Street and Second Street NE
• McGuffey Park, 1.1 acres on the hill next to the McGuffey Art Center
• Schenk’s Greenway, a quarter-mile paved path along McIntire Road
• Bailey Park, a small landscaped spot at the U.S. 250 Bypass and Hillcrest Road

Court Square and Market Street parks are open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

Distances are measured on the road network from the middle of the neighborhood (OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data); they are distances, not drive times.

Charlottesville Area Transit’s fare-free routes start and end at the Downtown Transit Station on Water Street, inside the neighborhood. The free trolley (Route 20) runs daily from the station along Main Street to the University of Virginia, with the first outbound trip at 6:30 a.m. and the last at 9:55 p.m., according to the route book. Parking garages and rates are in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

• CVS Pharmacy, 208 E. Main St., on the Downtown Mall
• Timberlake’s Drug Store, 322 E. Main St., on the Downtown Mall
• Tienda El Tio, 259 Ridge McIntire Road, at the neighborhood’s western edge
• Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Central Branch, 201 E. Market St.

OpenStreetMap lists no full-size supermarket inside the neighborhood.

How to check an address

Search the parcel in the city’s GIS Viewer for its zoning, historic district and assessed value, then check the elementary school on the zone map. Our property tax guide has the city rate; all 19 city neighborhoods are on our neighborhoods guide.

Frequently asked questions

What elementary school serves North Downtown Charlottesville?

Most of it, about three-quarters by area, is zoned for Sunrise Elementary. Smaller parts are zoned for Greenbrier and Summit. Check one address on Charlottesville City Schools’ zone map.

What ZIP code is downtown Charlottesville?

Most of the North Downtown planning neighborhood, including the Downtown Mall, is in ZIP code 22902. Its western edge is in 22903.

Is North Downtown a historic district?

Much of it is. The city’s North Downtown and Downtown architectural design control districts cover about a third of the neighborhood, so exterior changes there go through the city’s historic review.

Is North Downtown a good place to live?

That depends on the household. The facts: North Downtown is a 427-acre city neighborhood that includes the Downtown Mall, Court Square, the central library and the Downtown Transit Station. Most of it is zoned for Sunrise Elementary, rated Distinguished in the state’s latest ratings.