Moving to Charlottesville (Richmond, Burke, Leesburg: cul-de-sac, for sale, real estate)

[jillybean307]

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I will be moving to Cville in August to start my PhD at UVA. I've never been to the area (going to visit next weekend), so I have a ton of questions about the area that I hope you kind folks wouldn't mind answer.

1. Can anyone recommend apartment complexes in/around Cville to look at? I tried using an apartment ratings website but a lot of the ratings had me terrified. I'd like something safe & quiet and not really catering to college students. Are there any areas of Cville I should avoid?

2. My SO is in the medical field and will be looking for a job in the area so he can come with me. I know about UVA's hospital system, but are there any other hospitals in the area we should look at? I have some thanks to google, but the more options the better.

3. Regarding question #2, is Richmond too far of a commute if we live in Cville?

4. Are there any towns in between Cville and Richmond we could look at? We don't have any children and won't since I'll be a grad student for at least five years, so I'm not concerned with school systems.

Thanks in advance!

[jmarkd]

jillybean307-- Sorry to piggyback, it was either that or top-post

I am also very interested in learning about the Charlottesville area. I have a potential job at U Va and plan to check out the area while interviewing within the next week.

I spoke to the hiring manager this morning and the first thing he mentioned was the cost of housing, which is a bit like a Floridian warning the Devil about the heat- I live in Loudoun County, Va. However, some insights on the cost of a 4BR, 1600-2500sf single family home in the area would be great. I have checked Realtor.com for C-Ville itself but am not sure about which surrounding areas are nice. I grew up in Spotsylvania, 75 min. east of there, and I know a lot of areas in between are hicksville. Looking for the minivan-driving, not-too-intense soccer mom-friendly area, with sidewalks and walking trails and a Super Wal-Mart nearby. Is that specific enough?

My situation:
- married, both of us are 30, college grads, religious and socially conservative
- wife stays home with 2 & 1/2 kids (ages 2, 9 mos. and #3 due in Oct.)- we would like a subdivision/town with other young kids/ couples
- In 1/07, we paid $305k for a 3BR 1200 sf single family house west of Leesburg, Va.
- We are looking to pay less than $275K for at least a 4-bedroom house...the family continues to grow
- don't mind a commute of 30 minutes
- not too concerned about living near the university, we have little kids and wouldn't use the undoubtedly nice cultural stuff
- schools aren't important- we can always move in a few years (and I don't believe it takes a high-scoring school to teach Johnny how to add, read, and wipe his bum!)

I have searched the forums and haven't seen any advice on the surrounding towns beyond generalties, i.e. "Fluvanna County is ok." Fire away!

[hodologica]

> any other hospitals in the area we should look at?

Martha Jefferson. Northeast end.


> don't mind a commute of 30 minutes

That should get you around pretty much all of greater Cville, I'd imagine, even at bad times. Traffic here is getting much worse but it's not like Fairfax or Loudon Cos. Not yet anyway.


> is Richmond too far of a commute if we live in Cville?

I've never tried.


> apartment complexes in/around Cville to look at? I tried using an apartment ratings website but a lot of the ratings had me terrified. I'd like something safe & quiet and not really catering to college students. Are there any areas of Cville I should avoid?

The Blue Ridge Apartment Council site is a large searchable database. I think any real estate firm can list there, though I'm not sure. Undergrad town extends maybe 3/4 mile from each edge of the university campus, on average, and is as bad as you might think in terms of clamor. Eastern stretch of Cherry/Elliot Ave is the one place I'd just as soon not be on foot at night. I'm a pretty rough an ready type though, and male. You might or might not also be intimidated by the 10th Street North area which is also a little on the wild side. Generally, I would say the rest of Cville is basically never intimidating... there has been some stuff over the years, but nothing regular.

Are ya trying to rent sight-unseen?


> minivan-driving, not-too-intense soccer mom-friendly area, with sidewalks and walking trails and a Super Wal-Mart nearby.

Walmart's on the ~4-mile commercial strip of Route 29N. There are at least a few developments of a sort of suburban cul-de-sac nature (I'm guessing - haven't been inside) around the edges of town. In town, on the west (UVA) side, there are some nice areas in Fry's Spring that are shady and give (to me anyway) an impression of bygone American decades, where I think at least a few professors live. Not sure how many Bush votes it supplies, but it's anything but radical, very restrained, kind of a bow-tie and maple trees kind of place, generally. I don't know the prices there or anywhere, since I rent.


> cost of housing

Yeah, the disgruntlement around here is palpable, but is mostly about changes relative to the past - rather precipitous over the last few years. Coming from Northern VA I kind of doubt you are going to be too intimidated as long as your income is comparable to or greater than what you had in Loudon. I'm not familiar with Loudon prices but I'm sure they aren't too far from the Burke / Ffx Sta ones I grew up with.


I'd me more than glad to answer further, but I doubt I will spontaneously re-check this thread. So, if you post further questions, just holler by emailing me the URL.

[beachy keen]

Originally Posted by jillybean307

1. Can anyone recommend apartment complexes in/around Cville to look at? I tried using an apartment ratings website but a lot of the ratings had me terrified. I'd like something safe & quiet and not really catering to college students. Are there any areas of Cville I should avoid?

I lived in Cville a few years ago. I rented with MSC (Management Services Corporation). I highly recommend them. The apartment where I lived was probably too close to the University for you if you don't want to be near undergrads, but MSC has plenty of other properties. For example, you might like their North Woods apartments/townhouses which are a little further from the University so you probably won't have undergrads as neighbors.

Also, while that apartment ratings website is useful to an extent, it's best to take it with a grain of salt. It's best to check out apartments in person. That's good you are going to visit next weekend-- many apartments are already leased for fall.

3. Regarding question #2, is Richmond too far of a commute if we live in Cville?

Yes. It's over 60 miles to Richmond.

Charlottesville is a very beautiful city. Good luck with everything!

[beachy keen]

Originally Posted by jmarkd

and a Super Wal-Mart nearby.

There actually isn't a Super Wal-Mart in Charlottesville. The closest one is over in Waynesboro, about 25 miles to the west. But like the other poster said, there's a "regular" Wal-Mart on 29 N.

Have you looked at the Forest Lakes area, which is just north of Charlottesville on 29 N?

[califantastic]

There is Sam's Club next to Wal Mart in Cville so put the two together and you essentially have a Super Wal Mart.

[jmarkd]

Thanks for the tips on Wal-Mart. I guess I could survive without the Super WM, although I have heard prices for groceries are higher down there. For reference, a gallon of milk is $3.69 around Loudoun.

I will check out Fry's Spring, and if anyone has any other neighborhoods/ towns to share please do so. I am going down there tomorrow (Tuesday, June 5) for an interview.

Anybody out there have any thoughts on Lake Monticello? From what I know, it's 17 miles SE from C-ville, in Fluvanna County. Growing up in Spotsylvania I was always amused that their school's mascot was the "FluCos". anyway, LM is ~6K people, about 1/4 of the county's population. Gated community, man-made lakes, golf course (man-made as well), seems to be plenty of folks of all ages, not just retirees. The HOA is $520 a year which seems to get you a lot of amenities. There are a TON of homes for sale, which gives me pause b/c that could mean the neighborhood is going downhill and people are moving out. 4-5 BR homes are $220-290K, or more for new construction.

I am concerned about the "tyrannical HOA" problems I've read about, and would love to know what LM is like. On the surface it seems like a great place for a young couple with small children.

>Yeah, the disgruntlement around here is palpable, but is mostly about changes relative to the past - rather precipitous over the last few years. Coming from Northern VA I kind of doubt you are going to be too intimidated as long as your income is comparable to or greater than what you had in Loudon. I'm not familiar with Loudon prices but I'm sure they aren't too far from the Burke / Ffx Sta ones I grew up with.

My 1200 square foot, 3-bedroom brick rambler cost $305K (and I got a great deal). West of Leesburg, Loudoun gives you a discount. It's hard to compare to Fairfax, though, because a home that small in FFX, if there are any, would probably be in a rundown neighborhood.

[amybeth]

Richmond would be at least an hour, probably more depending on exact location. It would be too far for me! Look at Martha Jefferson Hospital as well, non profit, pays well, I hear it is a very good place to be employed. In Cville, I would avoid 29N...to much traffic. Hopefully you can find something close to downtown so you can enjoy the downtown mall, be close to uva etc....good luck to you!