Charlottesville, give me the good, the bad, and the ugly; (Richmond: low crime, houses)

[TrvlnMn]

Not being from Charlottesville you'll probably like it. Not being from Charlottesville you'll probably get paid enough to live here. Charlottesville area businesses (gov't included) likes to hire from out of state. The idea being that the grass is always greener somewhere else. I think that philosophy is driven by the fact that almost everyone now living in Charlottesville is from somewhere else.

The real estate is expensive. You can live in (with the benefits of) several different major national cities.. for the same cost as living in Charlottesville. Rent is expensive too.

Most people move to Charlottesville either because of a job, to retire, or to raise a family. If it's because of a job- make sure they're giving you at least 40k. Any less and they could hire a local.

Someone mentioned the fall scenery... well this year it's just brown. Drought conditions have guaranteed that the change of season leaf colors won't be anything to look at.

The person who said the area caters to the uber affluent.. they are right on. Charlottesville is a rich liberal's paradise.

Crime in Charlottesville is almost non-existent by national standards. And even the "bad areas" aren't really bad at all. There are no bad areas- it's just "Where can you afford to live?"

Here are some helpful links:

Real Central VA (real estate topics)

DailyProgress.com | Charlottesville Va News, Classified & Lifestyle (daily newspaper)

The HooK - Charlottesville's Best Weekly Newspaper (weekly paper)

C-VILLE Charlottesville's news & arts weekly | Charlottesville VA news music culture dining (weekly paper)

cvillenews.com (news commentary)

Good luck with things.

[pythagras]

A lot of people with jobs in Charlottesville live in Waynesboro or Augusta county. It has its plusses and minuses. Housing is significantly more affordable. A single family home in Waynesboro = condo in Charlottesville. The commute to Charlottesville can range from 30-45 minutes depending.

There are large cultural differences. In the Waynesboro area, people are more blue collar and conservative, less urban afluent/cosmopolitan so culturally its extremly different from Charlottesville. I've found people *tend* to be less snobby and more down-to-earth in Waynesboro and more apt to strike up friendly conversation. However in Waynesboro people *may be* more apt to be uneducated, stereotypical rednecks. That being said, Charlottesville people *tend* to be very well-educated, intellegent and thoughtful, but also quite elitist, self-obsessed, and snobby.

I can't speak to a comparison between Waynesboro/Augusta/Staunton schools vs Charlottesville/Albemarle, maybe others can chime in.

[khill]

I was born and raised in Fluvanna County (twenty miles or so to Ch'ville) I moved in 2003 after I married a military member. There are areas that I would not live in those do include some of the neighborhoods by UVA Hospital. There were some decent areas on 29 N when I left. A beautiful neighborhood was Dunlora. It was pricey when I left, Im sure it has gone up since. What information are you looking for?

[albinoazian]

Looks cheap to me. I looked on realtor.com and the homes are cheap. I live in Orange County, CA and where I live there are no detached homes under $575k and looks Charlottesville has a lot around $200k. It is a reason I was looking to move there. I am a teacher and I can't even afford an apartment (I live in a studio). Charlottesville is looking pretty attractive.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by TrvlnMn

Not being from Charlottesville you'll probably like it. Not being from Charlottesville you'll probably get paid enough to live here. Charlottesville area businesses (gov't included) likes to hire from out of state. The idea being that the grass is always greener somewhere else. I think that philosophy is driven by the fact that almost everyone now living in Charlottesville is from somewhere else.

The real estate is expensive. You can live in (with the benefits of) several different major national cities.. for the same cost as living in Charlottesville. Rent is expensive too.

Most people move to Charlottesville either because of a job, to retire, or to raise a family. If it's because of a job- make sure they're giving you at least 40k. Any less and they could hire a local.

Someone mentioned the fall scenery... well this year it's just brown. Drought conditions have guaranteed that the change of season leaf colors won't be anything to look at.

The person who said the area caters to the uber affluent.. they are right on. Charlottesville is a rich liberal's paradise.

Crime in Charlottesville is almost non-existent by national standards. And even the "bad areas" aren't really bad at all. There are no bad areas- it's just "Where can you afford to live?"

Here are some helpful links:

Real Central VA (real estate topics)

DailyProgress.com | Charlottesville Va News, Classified & Lifestyle (daily newspaper)

The HooK - Charlottesville's Best Weekly Newspaper (weekly paper)

C-VILLE Charlottesville's news & arts weekly | Charlottesville VA news music culture dining (weekly paper)

cvillenews.com (news commentary)

Good luck with things.

Charlotteseville espensive??? Maybe we are thinking of two different places. It's actually quite cheap. You can get a real nice s/f home from the lower to mid 200's in a gated community, i would hardley call that expensive. Besides that it always places pretty high in the 100 greatest places to live in the US list.

[pythagras]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

Charlotteseville espensive??? Maybe we are thinking of two different places. It's actually quite cheap. You can get a real nice s/f home from the lower to mid 200's in a gated community, i would hardley call that expensive. Besides that it always places pretty high in the 100 greatest places to live in the US list.

There's a difference between Charlottesville proper and say 20 minutes from Charlottesville proper (ie Lake Monticello), Prices drop fairly quickly.

[Rhett_Butler]

Basically Charlottesville can be expensive, but the surrounding Albemarle County IS expensive.... Lake Monticello is in Fluvanna County, so yes, it's cheaper...

Albemarle County schools are superb, so if you have children that's where people prefer to live if they can afford it.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by pythagras

There's a difference between Charlottesville proper and say 20 minutes from Charlottesville proper (ie Lake Monticello), Prices drop fairly quickly.

Good point. I'm used to Northern Va prices. Charlottesville looks like a bargain to me.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

Good point. I'm used to Northern Va prices. Charlottesville looks like a bargain to me.

A bargain until you realize you probably wouldn't be paid what you're making in NoVA as I'm sure you know...

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by VAFury

A bargain until you realize you probably wouldn't be paid what you're making in NoVA as I'm sure you know...

Very true. I was thinking more as a retirement option in the future.