Charlottesville, Virginia

[wallycat]

Anyone live, lived, visited or have an opinion on Charlottesville??

Yup, a possible road trip for the eternal hunt of the "new home." :rolleyes: :D

[slknight]

Ana, KathrynY went to UVA so she should be able to chime in. Also, I believe that Luv to Cook (Anita) lives there currently.

I'm not sure that I could ever live there because I personally don't like UVA. :p :p (Sorry Kathryn!)

[jphilg]

I have spent a lot of time in Charlottesville because my mother grew up there and my father's side of the family has ties to UVA. I think it is a thoroughly charming small city, although it is having some sprawl lately. I would love to live in the horse-and-wine country surrounding C'ville.

I worry that it might not be wintery enough for you. I would definitely look in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, where it can be 20 degrees cooler on a given day than downtown. But I don't know about snowfall...

Peter and I are actually going down for a wine weekend in August, if you want me to do any specific scouting.

[wallycat]

Thanks for offer of scouting....nothing is definite so would hate to eat up your time. Have a fabulous time doing the wine thing :-)
Sounds like if I can't have snow, wine isn't a bad trade-off :p

I have no clue what DH's brain is doing...so I will just ride the wave and see where it takes me :)

[lindrusso]

Hi Ana. :)

I'm not intimately familiar with C'ville, but my Dad was a prof at UVA and my mom has taken me over there many times to shop. It's a pretty town with much to offer, as is true of many college towns. You would also not be all that far, about an hour, from Lexington, VA, another very charming, beautiful, historic town with two colleges (Washington & Lee and Virginia Military Institute).

That whole area of VA is just beautiful. I would move there in a heartbeat. But yes, sprawl and rapid development are an issue there, I think.

As for snowfall, they don't tend to get all that much but I was there visiting from Texas one winter and it snowed 3 feet and was -1º! That was a bit much for me. :D

If wine interests you or you do go down to scout out the area....45 minutes to the west of C'ville is a truck-stop town called Raphine where my parents now live. They have a little winery there called Rockbridge Vineyards and they make some very nice wines. Just down the road from that is an old water-powered mill where they grind their own wheat still using the paddle wheel - they also do cooking classes, luncheons and sell kitchen items. My mom works there occasionally. Right next to that there is an herb farm that is quite charming. Also nearby is a yarn store where I think some of the ladies get together to knit and/or sew. Not that this has much to do with C'ville and moving there, but it might give you an idea of the charm that the area has to offer.

Just beautiful. I really get homsesick for the east coast with all its historic charm and mountains whenever I visit. :)

Alysha

[Luv to Cook]

slknight is right...I live in Cville. Any specific questions that you have? DH just graduated from the business school and we are staying put while he starts his company. We really do like it here, but I am not sure I want to settle here. Everyone is right...there is some sprawl issues, which I am kinda excited about since I am from NoVA. A lot of people do have issues with it, but it doesn't seem to bad to me since I have seen alot worse. That said, it really is beautiful here, lots to do outdoors, friendly people, great wine, and great history.

I would love to tell you more. Let me know what you are looking for.

Anita

[wallycat]

Thanks everyone!

Anita,
DH is retired so work isn't an issue. If I could continue doing part-time or fill in work (I'm an RD and a librarian) that would be great but not a pressing thing.
He prefers warmer weather and I prefer cold so we're trying to find someplace that is a compromise.
Is housing expensive?? Mosquitos? Cost of living? How far is the nearest Trader Joes :o
We may drive out there in September ....unless he changes his mind, again :rolleyes:

[mcraig13]

My in-laws live in C'ville--only a little over an hour away from Richmond. DH moved there with his family when he was a senior in high school--30 years ago. His dad was affiliiated with the medical school at UVA.

C'ville is a lovely city/the ultimate college town. COL/housing is probably higher than Richmond or other cities close by---but less than D.C./Northern Va. area, I think. Cliamte wise you should be in heaven. They get more snow/cold weather than Richmond but their summers are not quite as hot/humid. You may have never experienced anything like a Richmond summer. I don't think there is a Trader Joe's anywhere around but you can probably find something that will work.

Outside of the city are wonderful little country towns. Batesville--off of Rt. 29 south of C'ville is the home of a number of great musicians (Mary Chapin-Carpenter, etc.). Sissy Spacek, John Grisham, and Howie Long live nearby.

If I did not love my neighborhood in Richmond so much---I would move to C'ville.

[Karen in VA]

I love Charlottesville. I'm from NoVa, so CH seems so much less congested than here, but still has so much to offer. Someone recently wrote it up as the best place to live in the country, so I suspect that the population is only going to continue to grow. But it is such a nice area, close to mountains, cities, beautiful VA countryside. My parents have a home in Lake Monticello, a wonderful lake community only 25 minutes away, but seems like it is much further out from a "city". Because it is home to a big university, CH has lots of cultural opportunities, restaurants, shopping etc.

It's worth a visit just to have a nice weekend away.

[KathrynY]

Ana, it's been several years since I lived in Charlottesville, but my parents still live there so I visit a few times a year. Since I graduated (15 years ago :eek: ) there's been a tremendous amount of growth in and around the city. Lots of new research centers around the university, and new businesses in the area.

UVA has a huge medical center, and is a center for medical care and research throughout southwestern Virginia and West Virginia. There should be plenty of opportunity for you to find employment as either an RD or librarian between the university and the medical center. There are also community colleges in the area, and several other universities in the region.

The humidity in Virginia in the summer can be stifling, but a/c is the norm so it's really not much of an issue. They get some snow, but usually my parents complain more about icy stuff, which makes it hard to cross Afton Mountain if you're headed over to the Shenandoah Valley. Wintergreen is a small ski resort not far away - we had our wedding reception there.

The Blue Ridge parkway is nearby, and Virginia has an extensive state park system with plenty of places to camp, fish, hike and boat. Plenty of places out away from Charlottesville where you can still find affordable antique treasures if that's your thing.

No TJ's but Charlottesville does have a Whole Foods :D , and a decent selection of interesting and ethnic restaurants.

Here's (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4625179/&e=7249) an article about that recent #1 ranking by "Cities Ranked & Rated" mentioned earlier.

My Dad says that housing is getting really steep closer in to the city, and that it appears young families are now forced to look further out for affordable property. Of course, distance is relative - my parents are in Ivy, 15 minutes from downtown and they think that's "out". I commute further than that to work every day. ;) Some of their retired friends have homes in Keswick and Lake Monticello.

Susan, I imagine it would be pretty hard to live in C'ville and not be a UVA fan! :p You haven't seen the UVA themed family room at my house, have you? ;)