Published October 16, 2026
No public dataset ranks Richmond-area neighborhoods by closeness to a hospital, so this guide does not pretend to be one. It starts from a fixed point you can verify, the VA’s Richmond medical center on Broad Rock Boulevard, and measures five places against it with proxies you can check yourself: the roads the VA tells visitors to use, a bus timepoint, and straight-line distances between mapped landmarks. The five areas are listed from nearest to farthest. For a broader look at the same idea, see our guide to Richmond neighborhoods near a hospital.
This guide describes places, roads and distances only. It makes no statement about who should or should not live anywhere, and Mission Realty serves every buyer on the same terms. Distances below are straight-line measurements, not drive times.
The campus and the roads that lead to it
The Richmond VA Medical Center sits at 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23249, in the part of the City of Richmond that locals call the Southside. The VA’s campus map and directions page gives two ways to orient yourself. For GPS it lists the intersection of Hull Street Road and East Belt Boulevard. For drivers on I-95, in either direction, it says to take exit 69 for Bells Road, turn left at the signal onto Bells Road and cross Jeff Davis Highway, turn right at the second signal onto Belt Boulevard, turn right at the next signal onto Broad Rock Boulevard, and turn right at the following signal to reach the main entrance.
That description matters for house hunting because it shows what the approach actually is: a short run of signalized city streets, not a highway interchange at the front door. The VA page gives directions from I-95 only, so we have not verified a preferred approach from Chippenham Parkway, I-64 or the western suburbs, and you should test your own commute before you rely on any of these areas.
Westover Hills: about 1.6 miles from the campus
Westover Hills is the closest of the five on a straight line. Measured from Westover Hills Boulevard to the medical center, the gap is roughly 1.6 miles. Our community page describes it as south of the James River, with local businesses, restaurants and nearby parks and trails. The proxy here is distance, and nothing more: we did not verify a driving route or time.
Westover Hills is the wrong fit if your priority is a location that is already on a verified bus timepoint for the campus, because that timepoint is on Broad Rock Boulevard itself and we could not confirm which streets the bus uses in this area.
Forest Hill: parkland about 1.7 miles from the campus
Forest Hill is centered on a documented landmark. The City of Richmond lists Forest Hill Park at 4021 Forest Hill Avenue, a park that was once a quarry, an estate and then an amusement park and is on Virginia’s historic register. Today it has a restored lake, tennis courts, picnic shelters, a playground and many walking paths, it is open from sunrise to sunset, and the South of the James Market is typically held there on Saturday mornings from May through November. From the park to the medical center is about 1.7 miles in a straight line.
Forest Hill is the wrong choice if you want the shortest possible gap to the campus, since Westover Hills measures slightly closer, and it is not the choice for someone who wants a dense, warehouse-district setting, which is what Manchester offers next.
Get a saved search for the areas on this list
Tell us which of these neighborhoods you want to watch and we will set up a saved search pre-filtered to them, so new listings in Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Manchester, Stratford Hills and Bon Air reach you as they appear. Start from our property search and save your areas there.
Manchester: riverfront blocks about 2.1 miles away
Manchester is on the south bank of the James and, per our community page, has changed from an industrial district into an urban neighborhood with renovated warehouses and apartments and views of the downtown skyline. Measured from the neighborhood’s mapped center to the campus, it is about 2.1 miles in a straight line. Its relationship to Hull Street is the useful proxy: the VA names the Hull Street Road and East Belt Boulevard intersection as the GPS point for the campus, and Hull Street is also where the GRTC bus line below begins.
Manchester is the wrong match for a buyer who wants wooded surroundings or a large lot, because the area is described by its converted industrial buildings and apartments rather than by its tree cover.
Stratford Hills: a longer run of about 4.1 miles
Stratford Hills is south of the James near the Huguenot Bridge, and our community page describes it as wooded, with spacious homes and a quiet residential setting. The distance proxy is the Stratford Hills shopping center, which is about 4.1 miles from the campus in a straight line, noticeably farther than the three areas above.
Stratford Hills is the wrong fit if you expect to be at appointments within a few minutes of leaving home, and it is also not the place to look if you want a bus timepoint for the campus nearby, because the verified stop sits in the Broad Rock and Hull Street corridor.
Bon Air: the farthest on the list, about 6.2 miles
Bon Air is in Chesterfield County, just southwest of the city, and was developed as a resort destination in the late 1800s, and our community page describes historic homes and mature trees. We include it because it is a well-known Southside-adjacent community, but at roughly 6.2 miles straight-line from the village center it is the farthest area here, and we did not verify any route between the two.
Bon Air is the wrong place to start if a short trip to this particular campus is your main requirement. It is a better fit for someone who has already decided on Chesterfield and wants the VA to be one factor among several.
Getting there without driving
GRTC’s published Route 86 (Broad Rock/Walmsley) schedule lists the Richmond VA Medical Center as a timepoint, along with Broad Rock and Belt, Broad Rock and Snead, Banton and Dupont, Broad Rock and Jervie, and Hull at Southside Plaza. That PDF dates from October 2024, so confirm current service before you plan around it. GRTC’s newer Broad Rock Zone brochure describes Link, an on-demand service for any location within the zone that connects with Route 86, among other routes. The brochure labels the medical center on its map but does not state the zone boundary in text.
For rail or other transit-based searches, our guides to neighborhoods near Amtrak stations and neighborhoods near a community college use the same proxy method.
Buying near the campus with a VA loan
Many buyers who use the medical center also look at VA-backed financing. Our guide to VA loans in Richmond covers entitlement, the funding fee and what sellers should know. When you are ready to compare lenders, our preferred lenders page is the starting point, and our buyer services page explains how we work with buyers from the first search to closing. This guide is general information and not financial or legal advice.
Your next step: the saved search
Pick the areas you want from the list above and we will set up the same saved search described earlier, filtered to those neighborhoods. Begin at the property search or ask us a question through our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the McGuire VA Medical Center the same place as the Richmond VA Medical Center?
Yes. The VA’s own facility page lists the Richmond VA Medical Center and describes it as formerly known as Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital. Many people still say McGuire, and mapping services often still label the site with the older name. The street address is the same either way: 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard.
Where is the main entrance on the campus?
The VA facility page lists Building 500 as the main entrance and places primary care on the first floor near that entrance. The VA also links an interactive campus map for finding a specific clinic or provider, so use that map before your first visit.
What are the hours and cost of the GRTC Link service in the Broad Rock zone?
GRTC’s Broad Rock Zone brochure, effective July 12, 2026, lists Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with no Sunday service. It says no fare is required until further notice. Rides are booked in the GRTC On the Go app or by phone, and the brochure caps a booking at four passengers. Because the brochure does not define the zone boundary in text, confirm that your pickup address is inside the zone when you book.
Does the VA offer help getting to appointments if I do not drive?
The facility page links to VA resources on requesting rides to health appointments, travel pay reimbursement, reimbursed mileage rates and the Veterans Transportation Program. Eligibility rules sit on those VA pages, so read them or ask the facility directly instead of assuming you qualify.
Is there another VA site nearby that these neighborhoods would also serve?
The facility page lists the Massaponax VA Clinic at 4830 Southpoint Drive as a separate location for podiatry. That clinic is its own site, and this guide has not measured neighborhoods around it, so treat the list above as relevant to the Broad Rock Boulevard campus only.
Do these neighborhoods work for buyers who do not use VA services at all?
The list is built around one fixed point, the medical center, so it says nothing about schools, commutes or other priorities. If your reason for living near the campus is only one of several, use the property search to pair these areas with the other places you need to reach.
