The Ashland Historic District encompasses the historic central core of Ashland, Virginia, now a suburb of nearby Richmond. The town developed in the mid-19th century as a summer resort area, but in the late 19th and early 20th century it grew more significantly as a streetcar suburb of its larger neighbor. Its central core had its biggest building boom between about 1875 and 1920, and contains a large assortment of high-quality residences in Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and other styles. The district is centered on the junction of Center Street with Virginia State Route 54, and has a roughly cruciform shape covering 159 acres (64 ha).