Runneymede feels more like the countryside than a subdivision. It sits off Shearer Road in rural eastern Davidson, about five miles from downtown Davidson, where long driveways lead to custom homes set among mature hardwoods along Callaway Hills Lane and Deerhaven Court. Beyond the homes, the neighborhood's preserved woods run down to the Rocky River.
The first homes were built in 1993, and most were finished between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s. Nearly all were custom-built, so floor plans, styles and details vary from house to house. Most are about 2,600 to 5,000 square feet with three to five bedrooms. Brick exteriors and front porches are common, some plans have a main-level primary suite or a bonus room, and some homes add a finished walk-out basement, a private pool, a workshop or a detached garage.
The land is a big part of the appeal. Homesites range from just under an acre to about three acres, much of it rolling and wooded, and some back up to the neighborhood's conserved woods. That gives each home far more space and privacy than a typical Davidson lot.
Runneymede has a Davidson mailing address, but the whole neighborhood is outside the Town of Davidson's limits in unincorporated Mecklenburg County. Homeowners pay county property taxes but not Town of Davidson taxes. Homes use private wells and septic systems, and the neighborhood is in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district.
Everyday life is still close to town. Downtown's locally owned restaurants, shops and Davidson College events are about a 13-minute drive, Fisher Farm Park's hiking and mountain bike trails are a few minutes away, and River Run Country Club is close by for golfers. I-77 is about six miles away at Exit 30, and uptown Charlotte is roughly 23 miles south.
What makes Runneymede stand out is how much land comes with it. Few neighborhoods this close to downtown Davidson combine custom homes on large wooded lots with about 50 acres of permanently protected woods, riding trails along the Rocky River and a neighborhood equestrian center. For buyers who want privacy and a rural setting without giving up a Davidson address, Runneymede is hard to match.