The neighborhood guide and market update for Virginia Beach’s northern district: Lake Smith and Lake Lawson, Bayside schools, and a no tunnel commute to JEB Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk.
Bayside (23455) is the northern district of Virginia Beach between Independence Boulevard, Northampton Boulevard and the Shore Drive corridor: established subdivisions such as Lake Smith Terrace, Lake Shores, Aragona Village, Haygood Point, Wesleyan Pines and Cypress Point, zoned to Bayside High School, with no tunnel between you and JEB Little Creek or Naval Station Norfolk. Redfin: $351K median sale price, up 3.4% year over year, $210 per square foot, 26 days to contract, 211 sales for the three months ending September 2026. Written and kept current by John King, U.S. Navy veteran and REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty, Virginia license 0225211050, 441 closings across Hampton Roads since 2014, 25 of them in ZIP 23455, 5.0 stars on 117 Google reviews. Call or text (757) 270-3994.
Last reviewed October 24, 2026 · Market figures: Redfin, Bayside, three months ending September 30, 2026 · Closing record: REIN MLS, 2014 to August 2026
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Lake Shores is one of the Bayside subdivisions built around Lake Smith in the early 1960s. This tour shows a home there as it was when filmed, not current availability, and gives you a feel for the lot sizes, the brick ranches and the water that runs through this part of Virginia Beach.
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Bayside is the northern district of Virginia Beach, one of the seven boroughs created when Princess Anne County and the old resort city merged in 1963. In everyday use it means the established neighborhoods between Independence Boulevard and Northampton Boulevard, north of Virginia Beach Boulevard and south of Shore Drive: Aragona Village, Lake Smith Terrace, Lake Shores, Pembroke Meadows, Thoroughgood, Haygood Point, Wesleyan Pines, Sajo Farm and Cypress Point, almost all of it in ZIP 23455. Redfin tracks the whole district as one polygon, and that is the source for the market figures on this page.
What draws buyers here is practical. Both JEB Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk are reachable without a tunnel, Norfolk International Airport sits just across Northampton Boulevard, Town Center is ten minutes down Independence, and the Chesapeake Bay beaches along Shore Drive are a short drive north. The JEB Little Creek housing guide and the Naval Station Norfolk housing guide cover the base by base commute math.
The housing stock is older and more varied than the newer parts of the city: 1950s and 1960s brick ranches in Aragona and Lake Smith Terrace, 1980s colonials in Wesleyan Pines and Haygood Point, golf course homes and condos in Cypress Point, lakefront lots on Lake Smith and Lake Lawson, and a handful of newer infill subdivisions such as Sajo Farm. That range is why Bayside has an entry point for almost every budget, and why a comparable market analysis here has to be subdivision specific.
Bayside holds some of the oldest European settlement in Virginia Beach. The Thoroughgood land grants along the Lynnhaven River date to the 1630s, the Thoroughgood House on Parish Road is a National Historic Landmark, and the lakes that give several subdivisions their names are reservoirs built for the city of Norfolk. The postwar subdivisions came in waves, and you can still read the decades in the architecture.
Adam Thoroughgood received a large land grant along the western branch of the Lynnhaven River in 1635, in what became Lynnhaven Parish and later Princess Anne County, formed in 1691. The brick house at 1636 Parish Road that carries his name was built around 1719, likely by a great grandson. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, is owned by the City of Virginia Beach, and operates as a museum in the middle of the Thoroughgood neighborhood.
Lake Smith and Lake Lawson are part of the City of Norfolk’s water supply system, which is why their shorelines stayed largely undeveloped while houses filled in around them. The first large postwar subdivisions followed the new roads: Aragona Village, with its 1950s ranches, is still one of the most recognizable Bayside neighborhoods, and the homes John King has closed there date to 1956 through 1960.
On January 1, 1963, Princess Anne County merged with the City of Virginia Beach, in part to stop Norfolk from annexing more of the county. Bayside was one of the seven original boroughs of the new city, and the name has stuck to the district ever since. Bayside High School opened on Haygood Road in 1964, a year into the new city’s life.
The lakefront subdivisions around Lake Smith were platted in the early 1960s; the Lake Shores home John sold in August 2026 was built in 1960. Through the 1970s and 1980s development pushed east and north with Pembroke Meadows, Wesleyan Pines (homes from the mid 1980s), Haygood Point (late 1980s) and the Cypress Point golf course community, where the attached homes John has closed were built between 1987 and 1992.
Bayside is essentially built out, so new supply comes from infill subdivisions such as Sajo Farm (2013) and from renovation of the older housing stock. Virginia Wesleyan University, the Bayside Recreation Center, the Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area and the Haygood and Independence retail corridors anchor daily life. As tunnel traffic grows, a district that reaches Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk and the airport without one keeps looking better.
Bayside occupies the north central part of Virginia Beach, roughly bounded by Northampton Boulevard and the Norfolk line to the west, Shore Drive and the Chesapeake Bay neighborhoods to the north, Independence Boulevard and the Pembroke area to the east, and Virginia Beach Boulevard to the south. Independence Boulevard, Haygood Road and Northampton Boulevard are the spine roads, and Interstate 64 is reached at Northampton Boulevard.
Drive times vary by subdivision and hour, but as a rule: JEB Little Creek is about 10 to 15 minutes via Independence Boulevard or Northampton Boulevard, Naval Station Norfolk about 20 minutes via I-64 and I-564, Norfolk International Airport about 10 minutes, Town Center about 10 minutes, the Chesapeake Bay beaches on Shore Drive about 10 minutes, downtown Norfolk about 20 to 25 minutes, and the Oceanfront about 20 to 25 minutes. None of those routes use a tunnel.
Military positioning: Bayside is the Virginia Beach district that serves both JEB Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk without a tunnel crossing, which is why it shows up in the Little Creek housing guide as the value option behind Chic’s Beach. It also works for NAS Oceana buyers who want northern Virginia Beach and are willing to drive 25 minutes south. VA buyers are welcome here; call me to talk through the numbers for your BAH.
See where Bayside sits in northern Virginia Beach, between Naval Station Norfolk, JEB Little Creek, the airport and Town Center.
Bayside is the northern district of Virginia Beach: established subdivisions around Lake Smith and Lake Lawson with no tunnel between you and JEB Little Creek or Naval Station Norfolk.
Bayside is a district, not a single subdivision, so the spread is wide: 1950s ranches in Aragona Village, 1960s lakefront in Lake Shores and Lake Smith Terrace, 1980s colonials in Wesleyan Pines and Haygood Point, golf course homes and condos in Cypress Point, and larger lots in Thoroughgood. Redfin puts the district median at $351K for the three months ending September 2026, with homes selling at 100% of list on average and 35% of them above list. Browse current Virginia Beach listings here.
| Property Type | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Condos & townhomes | $105K to $300K | Bayside Villas, Lake Smith Condos, Cypress Point attached; recent Redfin sales from $107K for one bath units |
| Ranches & starter homes | $245K to $350K | Aragona Village and Lake Smith Terrace, mostly 1950s and 1960s, three bedrooms |
| Larger & updated homes | $450K to $550K | Wesleyan Pines, Haygood Point, Sajo Farm, renovated Lake Shores |
| Lakefront & Thoroughgood | $600K to $1M+ | Lake Smith and Lake Lawson frontage, large Thoroughgood lots; a Chandler Lane listing is active above $1M |
Ranges reflect John King’s 25 closings in ZIP 23455 (2018 to 2026) and Redfin’s Bayside sold and active listings as of October 2026. Individual homes vary.
I have closed 25 transactions in 23455 since 2018, 13 of them inside the Bayside subdivisions themselves. Here is what I see people overlook.
Bayside is a district. Price it like one and you will be wrong by $200,000.
A 1958 Aragona ranch, a Cypress Point golf course townhome, a Wesleyan Pines colonial and a lakefront lot on Lake Smith are all "Bayside" and they do not comp against each other. My 23455 closings run from $145,000 to $750,000. The useful question is never what Bayside sells for, it is what your subdivision, your lot and your decade of construction sell for. Zillow does not make that distinction. I do.
The no tunnel commute is the quiet value driver, and it is getting stronger.
Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk families can live here without ever crossing a tunnel, and the airport is ten minutes away. As HRBT construction and tunnel volume keep growing, that advantage shows up in days on market: the 13 homes I have closed inside Bayside subdivisions went under contract in a median of five days.
Lake Smith and Lake Lawson are Virginia Beach’s most under priced water.
Because the lakes are Norfolk reservoirs, the shoreline stayed natural and the frontage is limited. You get real water views and kayak access at prices far below the Chesapeake Bay neighborhoods a mile north. The Lake Shores home I sold in August 2026 went under contract in three days at $525,000, cash. Check the flood zone and the elevation certificate early on any lakefront purchase; that is routine here, not a reason to walk away.
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Bayside is served by Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Most of the district feeds Bayside High School, home of the citywide Health Sciences Academy, through Bayside Middle or Independence Middle. Elementary zoning changes street by street, so confirm the assignment for any specific address with VBCPS before you write an offer.
Bayside is not a resort style HOA community. It is an established part of the city with public amenities that most neighborhoods would envy: two freshwater lakes with a natural area and kayak launch, a full city recreation center, a university campus, and the Chesapeake Bay a short drive up Independence Boulevard.
Bayside draws Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk buyers who want a Virginia Beach address without a tunnel, long term owners in the 1950s and 1960s subdivisions, first time buyers who are priced out of the bay front, and renovators who see what a brick ranch on a quarter acre near Lake Smith can become. It is quieter and more varied than the newer master planned parts of the city, and most subdivisions have no mandatory HOA.
Bayside’s own restaurants are neighborhood places along Independence Boulevard, Haygood Road and Diamond Springs Road. For a night out, Shore Drive is ten minutes north and Town Center ten minutes south. Each card opens the location in Google Maps.
Live mortgage rates, payment calculator, and current listings — updated automatically.
Estimates only · Tax at 0.97% Virginia Beach rate · Insurance at 0.5%
Updated October 2026 · Source: Redfin (Bayside) and REIN MLS · Updated monthly
| Address | Specs | Sold Price | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5612 Summit Arch | 2 bed · 1 bath · 816 sf | $107,000 | Sep 17, 2026 |
| 411 Resort Ct | 2 bed · 1 bath · 866 sf | $154,400 | Sep 17, 2026 |
| Lake Shores (John King, buyer side) | 3 bed · 1,526 sf · built 1960 | $525,000 | Aug 31, 2026 |
| 5661 Summit Arch | 2 bed · 1 bath · 816 sf | $140,000 | Aug 13, 2026 |
| 537 Pier Ct | 2 bed · 1 bath · 816 sf | $142,500 | Jul 29, 2026 |
| 267 Fair Meadows Rd | 4 bed · 1 bath · 1,382 sf | $320,000 | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Address | Specs | List Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 932 Southmoor Dr #305 | 2 bed · 2 bath · 1,367 sf | $250,000 | New |
| 1733 Greenhouse Rd | 3 bed · 2.5 bath · 1,556 sf | $472,000 | Active |
| 1049 Norwich Ave | 4 bed · 2.5 bath · 1,904 sf | $475,000 | Active |
| 616 Whitechapel Dr | 4 bed · 2 bath · 2,250 sf | $500,000 | Coming soon |
| 4400 Chandler Ln | 4 bed · 3 bath · 2,676 sf | $1,050,000 | Active · Thoroughgood |
Source: Redfin, Bayside, three months ending September 30, 2026; sold and active lists as of October 3, 2026 · REIN MLS · View all current listings →
Redfin’s Bayside polygon shows a $351K median sale price for the three months ending September 2026, up 3.4% year over year, $210 per square foot (up 1.4%), a median 26 days to contract versus 27 a year ago, 211 sales in the period (down 24.4% from a year earlier), sellers averaging 100.0% of list and 35% of homes selling above list. Redfin rates the district 80 out of 100, Very Competitive, with hot homes going pending in about 15 days at roughly 1% above list. For context, Redfin’s figures for the same period put the Virginia Beach median sale price at $430K, up 6.8% year over year, with a median 28 days to contract, so Bayside is appreciating slightly faster than the city from a lower base. Fewer sales on higher prices is the classic tight inventory pattern, and it favors prepared sellers.
Expect competition on anything priced right under $400K: a third of Bayside homes sold above list this quarter and the median home went under contract in 26 days. Get pre approved, know which subdivision you are actually targeting, and budget for inspection items on 1950s and 1960s houses (sewer lines, electrical panels, windows). VA buyers compete fine here when the offer is written well; see the A.N.C.H.O.R. Plan.
Your buyer pool is Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk families, airport and Town Center commuters, and first time buyers priced out of the bay front. Price to your subdivision, not the district median, and have your flood zone and any association paperwork ready before you list. The K.I.N.G. Method is how I run it; a valuation is free.
"Before working with John, we had our home listed with another agent, and it sat on the market for four months with very little traffic. […] We relaunched with John, and within just three days on the market, we saw significant traffic and received multiple offers above list price."
"I served in the Navy with this man and when I found out he was a realtor it was a no-brainer. 10/10 would recommend to anyone!"
"He is the consummate professional, shows up strong at all times. He speaks truth and does not try to sell. He puts you in the best position to achieve your goals, providing sound guidance at every turn."
I have closed 25 transactions in ZIP 23455 since 2018, from a $145,000 Cypress Point condo to a $750,000 Ocean Park home, and 13 of them inside the Bayside subdivisions themselves. The pattern is consistent: homes priced to their own subdivision go fast, and the ones that sit were priced to the district average.
An Aragona ranch, a Cypress Point townhome and a Lake Shores lakefront can be a mile apart and $300,000 apart. The listings that sit in Bayside are almost always priced off a district average or an automated estimate. I build the price from closed sales in your subdivision and your decade of construction.
Lots near Lake Smith, Lake Lawson and the Little Creek watershed can fall in a FEMA flood zone, and 1950s and 1960s houses carry original cast iron or clay sewer laterals. An elevation certificate and a sewer scope in hand turn two common renegotiation points into non events.
The older subdivisions have no mandatory association, which simplifies a sale. Cypress Point, Sajo Farm and every condo do, and the resale packet is the slowest document in the file. Order it the week you list, not the week you go under contract.
Figures come from John King’s own REIN MLS closing record — 428 MLS-recorded transactions (441 client sides), 2014–2026 — not a regional average. ZIP-level figures cover every closing recorded in that ZIP code, which is a wider area than this one neighborhood; sample sizes are shown so you can weigh them. Past results do not predict what any individual home will do.
A Lake Shores walkthrough and the neighborhoods that work for a JEB Little Creek commute.
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Bayside is in ZIP code 23455 in northern Virginia Beach, Virginia. The district runs roughly from Northampton Boulevard and the Norfolk line east to Independence Boulevard, and from Virginia Beach Boulevard north toward Shore Drive. A few streets on the eastern edge fall in 23462.
Both, which causes confusion. Bayside was one of the seven boroughs created when Princess Anne County merged with Virginia Beach in 1963, and today it is the name for the whole northern district. Inside it are dozens of individual subdivisions such as Aragona Village, Lake Smith Terrace, Lake Shores, Pembroke Meadows, Thoroughgood, Haygood Point, Wesleyan Pines, Sajo Farm and Cypress Point. Redfin tracks the district as one polygon called Bayside.
Redfin reports a $351K median sale price for Bayside for the three months ending September 2026, up 3.4% year over year, at $210 per square foot. The spread is wide: one bath condos have sold near $107,000, 1950s and 1960s ranches run roughly $245,000 to $350,000, updated colonials and larger homes $450,000 to $550,000, and lakefront or Thoroughgood properties $600,000 to more than $1 million.
Redfin shows a median of 26 days on market for the district, with 35% of homes selling above list and a Compete Score of 80 out of 100. In John King’s own record, the 13 homes he has closed inside Bayside subdivisions went under contract in a median of five days, and all 25 of his ZIP 23455 closings in a median of 18 days.
No. That is one of Bayside’s main advantages. JEB Little Creek is about 10 to 15 minutes away by Independence Boulevard or Northampton Boulevard, and Naval Station Norfolk is about 20 minutes by I-64 and I-564. Neither route crosses a tunnel, which matters more every year as tunnel traffic grows.
Bayside is served by Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Most of the district feeds Bayside High School on Haygood Road, home of the citywide Health Sciences Academy, through Bayside Middle School or Independence Middle School. Elementary schools include Bayside, Thoroughgood, Pembroke Meadows and Luxford, and Old Donation School, the citywide gifted program, is located in the district. Zoning is address specific, so confirm the assignment for any home with VBCPS.
Yes, particularly for buyers assigned to JEB Little Creek or Naval Station Norfolk who want a Virginia Beach address without a tunnel commute, and for anyone who flies often, since Norfolk International Airport is about ten minutes away. Prices are below the Chesapeake Bay neighborhoods a mile north, which stretches BAH further. VA loans work well here; 20% of John King’s 23455 closings were VA financed.
Lake Smith and Lake Lawson are freshwater reservoirs that belong to the City of Norfolk’s water system, which is why much of their shoreline has stayed natural. The Lake Lawson / Lake Smith Natural Area at 5381 Shell Road is a 42 acre city park with more than 1.5 miles of trails, fishing decks, a boat ramp and an ADA kayak launch. Several Bayside subdivisions, including Lake Shores and Lake Smith Terrace, have lakefront lots.
Most of the older Bayside subdivisions, including Aragona Village, Lake Smith Terrace and Lake Shores, have no mandatory homeowners association. Cypress Point, Sajo Farm and the condominium communities such as Bayside Villas and Lake Smith Condos do have associations with dues and resale disclosure packets. Check the specific subdivision before you buy or list.
Parts of it are. Lots along Lake Smith, Lake Lawson and the Little Creek watershed can fall in FEMA special flood hazard areas, while much of the interior is in Zone X. Flood zone status affects insurance and financing, so look it up for any specific address early. For lakefront purchases an elevation certificate is routine and worth having before the inspection period ends.
The Chesapeake Bay beaches along Shore Drive, including Chic’s Beach and First Landing State Park, are about ten minutes north by Independence Boulevard. The Atlantic Oceanfront and boardwalk are about 20 to 25 minutes east. Bayside gives you both without paying waterfront prices.
The Lake Lawson / Lake Smith Natural Area for trails, fishing and kayaking; the Bayside Recreation Center at 4500 First Court Road with an indoor pool, gym and fitness floor; Virginia Wesleyan University’s events and athletics; the Thoroughgood House, a circa 1719 National Historic Landmark museum; and the Haygood and Independence retail corridors, with Town Center and Pembroke Mall a few minutes south.
They share ZIP 23455 and the Little Creek commute, but Chic’s Beach is the bay front strip north of Shore Drive with beach access and a higher price point, while Bayside is the larger inland district with the lakes, the schools and more house for the money. Many buyers start their search at Chic’s Beach and buy in Bayside once they compare what the same budget purchases.
Virginia Beach’s real estate tax rate is approximately $0.97 per $100 of assessed value. On a $351,000 Bayside home that is roughly $3,405 per year before any exemptions. Most Bayside subdivisions have no HOA dues on top of that; condominium and newer communities do.
It depends on your subdivision, your lot, your decade of construction and your condition far more than on the district median. John King has closed 25 transactions in ZIP 23455, 13 of them inside Bayside subdivisions, and builds a valuation from closed comparable sales in your subdivision rather than an automated estimate. It is free and usually ready within a day.
Spring sells fastest in John King’s Virginia Beach record, but it is not automatically the best time for you. Homes he listed in May went under contract in a median of 19 days against 55 for October listings, and May puts you ahead of the summer PCS wave that drives a large share of Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk demand. That said, well priced Bayside homes have moved in days in every season. Faster is not the same as more money, though: waiting months for spring adds mortgage, tax, insurance and upkeep payments and exposes you to rate and price changes. If you are ready now, price from current comparable sales and list now.
Same commute logic, different price points and water.
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John King is a U.S. Navy veteran and REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty — 13+ years experience, 441 closings, and deep roots in the Virginia Beach market. Whether you are buying, selling, PCSing to Little Creek or Naval Station Norfolk, or want to know what your Bayside home is worth today, reach out directly.
Or call directly: (757) 270-3994
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