About
Michael Freeman and the York River Side of the Peninsula
Yorktown sits a short drive up the Peninsula from Michael Freeman's Newport News office, and it draws many of the same buyers he serves every week: people moving on military orders, owners trading a long-held home for something smaller, and newcomers who want the river close by.
A Peninsula broker
Legacy Builders Realty Group, which Michael founded and leads as Principal Broker, works from Fountain Way in Newport News, on the same Peninsula as York County.
About 500 closings
Michael has worked in Virginia real estate since 2002 and has closed roughly 500 transactions across the region.
SRES® and MRP
His two designations cover owners selling a long-held home and service members relocating on orders, both common moves in York County.
A teacher of first-time buyers
He has taught a first-time homebuyer course, and he still explains each step of a purchase before it arrives.
This Area
Understanding Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is the county seat and historic village of York County, but a Yorktown mailing address also reaches Grafton, Tabb and the neighborhoods off Victory Boulevard and Hampton Highway. The village, ZIP 23690, sits on a bluff above the York River, with Main Street, Riverwalk Landing and the 1781 battlefield of Colonial National Historical Park, and its homes fall under a historic district overlay with its own design review. Inland, 23692 and 23693 hold most of the area's single-family homes, from Coventry and Running Man to newer streets along Route 17, and Redfin rates both ZIPs very competitive. York County is more than half water by area, so flood exposure and Chesapeake Bay buffers matter on many lots, and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown occupies about a fifth of its land. Since August 2025 the Coleman Bridge to Gloucester has carried no toll. Knowing which of these layers touch a given address is where a good Yorktown purchase starts.
“In Yorktown the river, the record and the rulebook all come with the deed, and Michael Freeman reads each one before you sign.”
Market Snapshot
The Yorktown Market in Four Numbers
These figures are for ZIP 23692, which covers Grafton and much of Yorktown along Route 17. Tabb's 23693 ran higher in the same month, with a median sale price of $604,738.
Source: Redfin, ZIP 23692, August 2026. Numbers change every month; Michael can run current figures for any Yorktown street.
Local Insights
100 Facts About Yorktown and York County
Each fact comes from a public source such as Redfin, the Census Bureau, the National Park Service or York County. Open a category to read it.
Market Fundamentals12 facts
- In ZIP 23692, which covers Grafton and much of Yorktown along Route 17, the median sale price was $445,807 in August 2026, up 2.0% from a year earlier (Redfin).
- Homes in 23692 took a median of 26 days to sell in August 2026, four days longer than a year before (Redfin).
- The 23692 sale-to-list ratio was 99.7% in August 2026, and 23.8% of homes there went for more than asking (Redfin).
- Tabb's 23693 posted a median sale price of $604,738 in August 2026, up 16.4% year over year, on 98 sales (Redfin).
- Homes in 23693 sold at 100.5% of list price in August 2026, 39.0% closed above asking, and the median time to sell was 23 days (Redfin).
- Redfin rates both 23692 and 23693 "Very Competitive," each with a Compete Score of 80 out of 100 for the three months ending August 2026.
- In the 23690 village ZIP, the median sale price was $449,805 in August 2026 on only 17 sales, so a single closing can move that number (Redfin).
- Median price per square foot was $226 in 23692, $224 in 23693 and $213 in 23690 in August 2026 (Redfin).
- York County's median owner-occupied home value is $433,200, and median gross rent is $1,827 a month (ACS 2020-2024).
- Median monthly owner costs in York County are $2,250 with a mortgage and $681 without one (ACS 2020-2024).
- York County's real estate tax rate is $0.78 per $100 of assessed value, billed by calendar year and due in halves on June 25 and December 5.
- The 78-cent rate took effect for 2025, four cents above the old $0.74 and the county's first real estate rate increase in nine years.
History & Heritage12 facts
- York County began in 1634 as Charles River Shire, one of Virginia's eight original shires, and took the York name in 1643.
- Yorktown was laid out under the Act for Ports of 1691 on about 50 acres bought from Benjamin Read and divided into 85 lots.
- Yorktown became the county seat in 1696 and, as a tobacco port, peaked around 1750 with nearly 2,000 residents (National Park Service).
- The Siege of Yorktown ran from September 28 to October 19, 1781, and was the final major land battle of the Revolutionary War.
- On October 14, 1781, French troops stormed Redoubt 9 while Americans under Alexander Hamilton took Redoubt 10.
- Surrender terms were negotiated at the Moore House on October 18, 1781, and the British army marched out the next day.
- The Nelson House on Main Street was built about 1730 by the grandfather of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of Virginia in 1781.
- Congress authorized the Yorktown Victory Monument on October 29, 1781, but it was not unveiled until 1884, and its current Victory figure dates to 1957.
- A second Siege of Yorktown ran from April 5 to May 4, 1862, along the Confederate Warwick Line that stretched to the James River.
- Colonial National Historical Park, created as a national monument in 1930, covers about 9,349 acres across Yorktown, Jamestown, Cape Henry Memorial and the Colonial Parkway.
- The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown opened in 1976 as the Yorktown Victory Center and took its current name in 2016, with 22,000 square feet of permanent galleries.
- Thorpland in Tabb, begun in the 17th century, is among the oldest surviving wood-frame houses in America.
Environmental & Geographic10 facts
- York County covers 215 square miles, and 110 of them are water.
- By land area, York County is the third-smallest county in Virginia, with about 105 square miles of land.
- The York River forms the county's northern edge, and the county counts more than 200 miles of coastline.
- Main Street sits on a bluff above the river, while Water Street runs along the beach below it.
- First Street data reported by Redfin puts 44% of 23693 properties and 35% of 23692 properties at risk of severe flooding over 30 years, compared with 7% in 23690.
- First Street rates wind risk "Severe" for every property in 23690, 23692 and 23693.
- Yorktown Beach has about two acres of public York River beachfront, with a Mobi-Mat, a beach wheelchair and an accessible fishing pier.
- New Quarter Park covers 545 acres along Queen's Creek, with woodland, meadow and tidal-creek habitat.
- Coventry sits on about 320 acres along a curve of the Big Bethel Reservoir.
- The Goodwin Islands at the mouth of the York River are a National Estuarine Research Reserve managed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Lifestyle & Culture12 facts
- Riverwalk Landing opened in 2005 as a $24 million waterfront district with nine buildings and more than 21,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.
- Yorktown Bookshop, Viccellio Goldsmith, Carrot Tree and Patriot Tours & Provisions are among the Riverwalk Landing businesses.
- The Riverwalk piers take recreational boats, tall ships and visiting naval vessels, and the schooners Alliance II and Serenity are home-ported there.
- Yorktown Market Days run on Saturday mornings from April into late September, with winter and holiday markets later in the year.
- The Sounds of Summer concert series brings live music to the riverfront on Thursday evenings from late May through August.
- Yorktown Day is held every October 19, with ceremonies at the Victory Monument and along Main Street.
- The 2026 Yorktown calendar includes the Sail Yorktown Festival in June, the Wine & Oyster Festival in October and the Lighted Boat Parade in December.
- The Watermen's Museum on Water Street was founded in 1981 and tells the story of the people who worked the York River.
- The Freight Shed on Water Street, built by the National Park Service in 1935 for Baltimore steamships, is now a rentable event venue.
- Back Creek Park has a free boat launch, a dog park and 12 lighted pickleball courts on 27 acres.
- New Quarter Park has an 18-hole disc golf course, 5.5 miles of mountain bike trail and Civil War redoubts.
- Water Country USA is in York County, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg sits just across the county line.
Infrastructure & Access10 facts
- The Coleman Bridge, carrying US 17 over the York River, went toll-free on August 8, 2025, ending the northbound toll charged since 1996.
- At 3,750 feet, the Coleman Bridge is the largest double-swing-span bridge in the United States.
- US 17 runs through York County as the George Washington Memorial Highway and meets Route 134 at an interchange in Tabb.
- Victory Boulevard (Route 171) links I-64 at Exit 256 with Tabb and continues on to Poquoson.
- Hampton Highway (Route 134) connects Tabb with downtown Hampton in about 11.6 miles.
- I-64 is York County's only interstate, with exits 247, 250 and 258 signed for Yorktown.
- The 23-mile Colonial Parkway connects Yorktown with Williamsburg and Jamestown.
- The free Yorktown Trolley runs daily from late March through late November, stopping at the Battlefield Visitor Center, Main Street, Riverwalk Landing and the beach.
- Nearly half of the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport airfield, including two of its runways, lies inside York County.
- The $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion is expected to reach substantial completion in 2027.
Schools & Education9 facts
- York County School Division serves more than 13,000 students from pre-K through grade 12.
- The division runs 10 elementary, 4 middle and 4 high schools, plus York River Academy, a charter school.
- The four high schools are Bruton, Grafton, Tabb and York; there is no school named Yorktown High.
- York High on George Washington Memorial Highway opened in 1954 and houses the division's International Baccalaureate program.
- The York County School of the Arts operates at Bruton High, with literary arts, theatre and dance programs.
- Magnet programs include math, science and technology at Yorktown Elementary and fine arts at Waller Mill Elementary.
- York County is one of seven divisions that send students to the New Horizons Governor's School for Science and Technology in Hampton.
- The School Board's proposed FY2027 operating budget is about $206 million, with 74.6% going to instruction.
- The division assigns school liaison officers to Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Langley, Fort Eustis and Coast Guard Base Portsmouth.
Land, Development & Zoning10 facts
- York County's 2040 Comprehensive Plan, titled "Charting the Course," was adopted on November 21, 2023.
- The Yorktown Historic District Overlay took effect June 1, 2004, and a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed to build, alter, move or demolish structures there, fences and signs included.
- Buildings in the historic district are classed as pivotal (1865 or earlier), contributing (1866 to 1945) or non-contributing (1946 or later).
- Homes in the historic district are limited to two stories at the main facade, with a roof pitch between 9:12 and 12:12.
- Waterfront view corridors in the village must be at least 15 feet wide and add up to at least 25% of street frontage.
- Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Areas require a 100-foot vegetated buffer along water and wetlands, which limits additions, decks and clearing on many waterfront lots.
- The Yorktown master plan dates to 1993, and construction on Riverwalk Landing began in 2004.
- Running Man has more than 560 homes built from the mid-1980s off Victory Boulevard, with a recreation association pool.
- Coventry was developed by American Eastern and has nine neighborhoods, from 1,200-square-foot townhomes to 3,100-square-foot single-family homes, plus six lakes.
- Naval Weapons Station Yorktown covers 20.7 square miles, about a fifth of the county's land, which keeps a long stretch of riverfront out of private development.
Demographics7 facts
- York County had an estimated 71,374 residents in July 2025, up from 70,045 at the 2020 Census.
- There are 26,968 households in York County, averaging 2.58 people each (ACS 2020-2024).
- Median household income in York County is $109,956, and per capita income is $52,374 (ACS 2020-2024).
- Half of York County's adult residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher (ACS 2020-2024).
- 94.6% of York County households have broadband, and 97.5% have a computer (ACS 2020-2024).
- 86.5% of York County residents lived in the same house a year earlier (ACS 2020-2024).
- Weldon Cooper Center projections put York County at about 81,370 residents by 2030 and 88,288 by 2040.
Investment & Value9 facts
- 71.6% of York County homes are owner-occupied, which leaves roughly 28% in the rental market (ACS 2020-2024).
- Naval Weapons Station Yorktown supports the Atlantic Fleet with 37 tenant commands and has included Cheatham Annex since 1998.
- Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, commissioned in 1959, hosts seven "A" schools, including Boatswain's Mate and Machinery Technician.
- York County's largest employers include the School Board, the County of York, Sentara Healthcare and Busch Entertainment (Virginia Works, Q3 2025).
- York County's unemployment rate was 3.0% in September 2025, below Virginia's 3.4% and the national 4.3%.
- Retail sales in York County topped $1.26 billion in 2022, and accommodation and food services added $316.1 million (Economic Census).
- York County lists 12 industrial and commerce parks, including Victory, Bethel and Busch industrial parks and York River Commerce Park.
- Colonial National Historical Park recorded more than 2.7 million visits in 2022, part of the tourism base of the Historic Triangle.
- County officials said 2026 reassessments raised values by about 9.4% on average, and the FY2027 budget proposal kept the rate at 78 cents.
Hyper-Local Detail9 facts
- Main Street and Water Street addresses in the village carry the 23690 ZIP, including the American Revolution Museum at 200 Water Street.
- Grafton, York County's largest community, uses ZIP 23692; it was once called Cockletown and got its post office in 1872.
- Tabb uses a Yorktown mailing address in ZIP 23693 and is named for Mary Octavia Tabb, its postmaster from 1893 to 1910.
- Running Man Trail addresses are in 23693, and Running Man is assigned to Mt. Vernon Elementary, Tabb Middle and Tabb High.
- Coventry lies between Big Bethel Road, Hampton Highway and Route 17, and the Villas at Coventry are on Cheswick Circle in 23693.
- Seaford, on Crab Neck between Back Creek and Chisman Creek, has its own ZIP, 23696.
- Grafton High and Grafton Middle share a campus at 403 Grafton Drive in 23692.
- US 17 meets Denbigh Boulevard and Fort Eustis Boulevard in Grafton.
- Chisman Creek Park and Wolf Trap Park both sit on reclaimed fly-ash sites along Wolf Trap Road.
Why Michael
What Michael Brings to a Yorktown Move
Waterfront lots, read closely
A 100-foot Resource Protection Area buffer and a First Street flood score can change what a riverfront lot allows. He checks both before you commit.
Historic district rules, mapped
Inside the Yorktown overlay, even a new fence needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. He sets those expectations during the inspection period.
Orders-ready relocation
Moves tied to the Naval Weapons Station, the Coast Guard Training Center or Langley run on fixed dates, and he can manage much of one from a distance.
Detail from the beat
Police work in New York City and Norfolk trained him to notice what others miss, and he brings that attention to every showing and contract.
FAQ
Yorktown Questions, Answered
Does Michael Freeman work in Yorktown and the rest of York County?
Yes. From his Newport News office on the same Peninsula, Michael works across Yorktown's three main ZIPs, 23690, 23692 and 23693, including the historic village, Grafton, Tabb, Coventry and Running Man.
What is the property tax rate in York County?
York County's real estate rate is $0.78 per $100 of assessed value, billed by calendar year in two installments due June 25 and December 5. On a $445,000 assessment that comes to about $3,471 a year.
Which high school serves a Yorktown address?
There is no Yorktown High School. York County School Division has four high schools, Bruton, Grafton, Tabb and York, and assignment follows the street address. Michael confirms the assigned schools with the division for each property before an offer.
Can I renovate a house in historic Yorktown?
Yes, with approval. Inside the Yorktown Historic District Overlay, building, altering, moving or demolishing a structure, including a fence or sign, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Yorktown Design Committee. Homes are limited to two stories at the main facade, and waterfront view corridors must stay open.
How much does flood risk matter when buying in Yorktown?
It varies a lot by ZIP. First Street data on Redfin puts 44% of properties in 23693 and 35% in 23692 at risk of severe flooding over 30 years, against 7% in the village ZIP. Michael pulls the FEMA zone, an insurance estimate and any Resource Protection Area buffer for each property before you commit.
Can Michael help with a military move to Yorktown?
Yes. Michael is a Military Relocation Professional, so he can handle much of a move tied to Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown or Joint Base Langley-Eustis from a distance, built around your reporting date.
Michael Freeman's Authority Center
Loans, inspections, estates and relocation questions that reach beyond one town live in the Authority Center, Michael's library for all of Hampton Roads.
Other Areas
Explore the Rest of Hampton Roads
Newport News
Shipyard city with Port Warwick, Hilton Village and City Center
Visit the Newport News site
Williamsburg
Historic Triangle living around Colonial Williamsburg
Visit the Williamsburg site
Hampton
Historic neighborhoods between the Peninsula and the harbor
Visit the Hampton site
Virginia Beach
Oceanfront and Oceana-area homes south of the harbor
Visit the Virginia Beach site
Chesapeake
Suburban neighborhoods along the Intracoastal Waterway
Visit the Chesapeake site
Suffolk
New construction and open space in North Suffolk
Visit the Suffolk site
Authority Center
Michael's central library for buying, selling and financing a home anywhere in Hampton Roads.
Go to the Authority Center