Johnson Village is located in the southwest portion of Charlottesville. The neighborhood is bounded to the north by Rock Creek, to the west by Cherry Avenue, to the south by Willard Drive, and to the east by 5th Street.

The Johnson Village neighborhood began in 1962. The neighborhood contains 112 acres of land, 42 acres of which were undeveloped until late 2005 when new townhome, apartment, and single-family housing was constructed. The original 1962 Johnson Village neighborhood plan showed 336 lots with three accesses: Shamrock Road, Highland Avenue, and 5th Street/Cleveland Avenue. Only the Shamrock Road access was constructed, and remains the only entry/exit point at present. The neighborhood property has been in continuous ownership of Johnson Village Inc., which is owned by LeRoy Bruton. The neighborhood was in Albemarle County until it was annexed by Charlottesville in 1962.

Johnson Village remains the last vestige of land originally owned by Bellemeade Development Corporation, which was owned by the McElroy family beginning in 1933 - before Cherry Avenue was constructed. The Forest Hills, Green Valleys, Johnson School, and the U.S. Army Reserve properties were part of earlier sales by Bellemeade.

The location and topography of the neighborhood make this a unique body of land. The rolling topography contains ravines, level plateaus, and two stream corridors. Until late 2005, the northwestern and southern portions of Johnson Village were bounded by woods. Much of the northern woodlands remain, although the southern woods were cleared for development.

The land was attractive for development because it surrounded Johnson Elementary and was close to the University of Virginia and downtown Charlottesville. Johnson Elementary was built in 1954, and is located in the northern portion of the neighborhood.The school serves as a place of education, gathering spot for neighborhood meetings, and recreation spot for both students and community members.