Charlottesville, give me the good, the bad, and the ugly; (Jefferson: rentals, crime rate)

[mark2544]

Housing prices like NoVA; wages like the boonies. Also, once you are about 5 miles from town, you might as well be in Bedford County or some other place similar. My job that pays 16 per hour plus ins. in PW County, would only pay 11 w/o ins. in C'ville. Great place to attend University, though.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by mark2544

Housing prices like NoVA; wages like the boonies. Also, once you are about 5 miles from town, you might as well be in Bedford County or some other place similar. My job that pays 16 per hour plus ins. in PW County, would only pay 11 w/o ins. in C'ville. Great place to attend University, though.

This is an EXTREMELY desireable attribute for many people.....

Also it isn't fair to say, "Housing prices like NoVA" without comparing what it is that you GET for what you're spending in each place..... Albemarle County might have prices similar to NoVA, but you're getting land along with the house which you most certainly aren't in the DC area....

[JagGal]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

The Good: Close to Washington DC, beautiful country setting, good stores, restaurants, nightspots. UVA and its medical center, Monticello & Thomas Jefferson history. Charming wineries, ski resort, outdoor activities, Richmond is about an hour or so away.

The Bad: The locals can be very snobby toward outsiders. I think C'ville is known as a rather snobby place, in an old style conservative Virginia style.

The Ugly: There is nothing that bad about C'ville. If you can fit in there you will love it and never leave.

I disagree, Ch-ville is very friendly. Many people are from all over the area because of UVA. You can't beat the southern charm without the drawl.... I say that lovingly....I've lived in the south for a "lot of years..."

[gg22901]

Hi Neighbor;

I moved to charlottesville, VA about 1 year ago. Having lived in WNY for most of my life and having spent the last 17 years in Las Vegas, NV, I have finally found "God's Country". People are just incredibly friendly and the weather can't be beat.

Crime: list in many publications as being one of the safest small cities in the country...

Cost of living: Yes, homes are expensive in Charlottesville itself, due to the Univ. (definitely not expensive compared to LV or CA housing market), but there are lovely communities all around the City, within easy commuting distance and the cost of homes is very reasonable compared to the national level.

Wish I had moved here 20 years ago and skipped LV entirely. You can't make a mistake moving to this lovely community. Hope I helped!!

[cellar]

Lots of great wineries in the area!

[Isle_Gal]

My husband and I just returned from our long-anticipated to Hampton Roads and Charlottesville. Hampton Roads seems to get a bum rap on this forum. Of course we were only there for a short visit, but we were impressed w/how clean and family-friendly it was. And there seemed to be a lot to do. Fabulous city-funded rec centers.

Then we made our way to Charlottesville. From the moment we entered the city, we knew we had finally found "the place." Again, we were only there for a short visit, but we cannot wait to relocate our family there next year. It is beautiful, I can't imagine ever being bored there, and (seriously) every person we talked to was pleasant and friendly. We spent a day w/a realtor and saw several neighborhoods/areas/houses. Nothing scared us away there either. Prices are not cheap, but we found them quite reasonable considering what you get (i.e. a basement and land). And that's coming from someone living in Texas, where real estate is cheap.

All in all our impression was that it will be a wonderful place for our kids to grow up.

[taffyally]

We moved to Charlottesville from Ohio. Home prices are very high and even in the slow market we are currently in, prices have not gone down substantially. Charlottesville is basically a small town even though many of the locals don't think so. It tends to be a "UVA driven" community so fitting in can be a problem. The people who have been here for a while all complain about the traffic .... but this is not traffic as I know it and you can still get anywhere in town in 20 minutes. Although Charlottesville is small, you can get to DC or Richmond easily so you have access to the amenities of a larger city.

[angelrena517]

Everyone is saying that the job market is not that great but just curious on the Teacher's job outlook. We're in Florida and wondering if it's comparable or much less..

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by angelrena517

Everyone is saying that the job market is not that great but just curious on the Teacher's job outlook. We're in Florida and wondering if it's comparable or much less..

I think you'll notice a HUGE difference teaching in Charlottesville but I cannot speak to availability of teaching positions. They post them around May or June usually for the following school year...

[cvanripe10]

Yeah I'm not understanding how everyone is saying charlottesville is expensive. Compared to what??A dirt farm in Nebraska??

I see homes in the 200-300k range. For a place with nice climate, low crime, and good schools, that's as good as it gets. Check places like the NYC area, Boston area, Seattle, San Fran. Those areas are expensive.