The community is centered on the Charles City County Court House, from which it takes its variant names Charles City Court House and Charles City Courthouse. Charles City lies at the intersection of State Routes 5 and 155. It is 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Richmond, 17 miles (27 km) east of Hopewell, 23 miles (37 km) west of Williamsburg, and about 2 miles (3 km) north of the James River.
Charles City CDP, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.