Is Charlottesville "affordable"? (Richmond, Roanoke: houses, buy, elementary school)

[karenvh]

Hello -
My family and I have had enough of the "Great white north" (NH - 3' of snow on the ground and temps in the teens constantly) and want to move somewhere more temperate.
I'll be finishing my nursing degree this May, we have 3 young kids (elementary school), and my husband is in the IT field.
What is a decent price range for 4 bedroom houses around there? We picked Charlottesville solely on the fact that the UVA is there, with a big healthcare facility for me to work at. Does anyone have any idea what a nurse makes down there?
Is Charlottesville a "big city?" Is there a good public transportation system?
Or are there suburbs where one can buy a house with a little bit of land... I'm thinking 2-3 acres.
anyway, we're just starting out... we plan on vacationing down there this summer to check things out...thanks for your help!!

Mia

[j1n]

Vacationing to check the area(s) out is a very smart idea. Charlottesville is not a "big city". Yes, there is a lot of "rural" and acreage to be had...probably for quite a bit less than you are used to looking at in NH. You might want to look into Barboursville or some of the other areas around Charlottesville too.

If you want bigger mountains, lower cost of living, more variety, colleges and and hospitals galore...look at the Roanoke Valley. You can easily find a 4 br for under 200k, and lots more for over 200k.

Annual nursing salaries in both cities average around 50k.

[Lynch Vegas]

Housing is pretty high in C-ville, but not compared to the North. I agree that Roanoke is a great place, and is more of a real city and housing is cheaper. However, if you can find the right gig for work in C-ville it is a very interesting place in a very good location with probably a more eclectic mix of "big city" amenities. I suggest checking out C-ville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke on your vacation. All very similar in some ways, but truly very different in many ways. All three are great communities and have a small town feel. Roanoke is much bigger than others (300k pop vs 150k L-burg and maybe 75k C-ville). All of them have great access to the mountains, Roanoke being a little more surrounded by them. Richmond is much bigger, but still by no means a big city, and has VCU Medical and plenty of great areas and amenities as well. Biggest drawback (for me especially - I live there but am from Lynchburg) is at least 1.5 hour drive to the mountains. One good thing about Richmond and Roanoke is they both (especially Richmond) have pretty good flights and fares out of their airports. From C-ville it is about 70 miles down I-64 to Richmond + 10 more miles to the airport. C-ville airport is pricey and Lynchburg airport is ridiculously pricey (due to lack of flights). Washington airports are about 2 hours drive from C-ville or Richmond as well. Personally, if I were a nurse I'd pick C-ville. Housing is high only in a relative sense for a Virginia town of its size. If you like rural living and don't mind a commute you can live in southern Albemarle or Nelson county for pretty cheap.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by karenvh

Hello -
My family and I have had enough of the "Great white north" (NH - 3' of snow on the ground and temps in the teens constantly) and want to move somewhere more temperate.
I'll be finishing my nursing degree this May, we have 3 young kids (elementary school), and my husband is in the IT field.
What is a decent price range for 4 bedroom houses around there? We picked Charlottesville solely on the fact that the UVA is there, with a big healthcare facility for me to work at. Does anyone have any idea what a nurse makes down there?
Is Charlottesville a "big city?" Is there a good public transportation system?
Or are there suburbs where one can buy a house with a little bit of land... I'm thinking 2-3 acres.
anyway, we're just starting out... we plan on vacationing down there this summer to check things out...thanks for your help!!

Mia

I'd think after New Hampshire that you'd find Charlottesville affordable. It's a decent sized town but definately not a "big city". They have buses but not a great public transportation system, especially for where it sounds like you'd want to be (in the surrounding county).

Albemarle County is probably where you'd want to be, ESPECIALLY with three kids. The schools are excellent. I'd suggest looking in the Crozet area perhaps for your acreage and it's a beautiful area, though it's getting more developed and a bit more pricey... It's just a 10-15 minute drive down 250 to get into Charlottesville and the schools are great (talkin' to a JT Henley Middle and Western Albemarle High grad here... ).

Other places that are great (but are unsure of recent prices) are Earlysville, Ivy, and Free Union.

[TN Lily]

I agree with J1n. Housing is expensive in the Charlottesville area. Your salaries will go further in the Valley - middle or lower Shenandoah, Roanoke or in SW Va. I lived in the Harrisonburg area for 6 years. Due to husband's job, we are in Louisa, VA. The Valley is much friendlier in my opinion. I want to return to the Valley.

Louisa County VA owes its growth to both Charlottesville and Richmond. Each end of the county has suburbs serving those two cities. Housing is cheaper in Louisa County. There are folks who live in Augusta County who drive over Afton Mountain on I-64 as part of their commute. But commuting over that mountain on a really foggy day can be quite an experience.

As far as schools go in the city of Charlottesville, I have gathered that Albemarle County overall has better schools. There are lots of private schools in Charlottesville, but many of them are expensive.

Charlottesville is not a big city. But it has traffic issues - minor compared to "large cities." I prefer to avoid the Rt. 29 corridor north of the rt. 250 bypass. My impression of the city government based on personal experience and reading the local paper (Daily Progress) is that the folks running C-ville are arrogant and lack common sense.

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by Lynch Vegas

I suggest checking out C-ville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke on your vacation.

Lynchburg might be too much of a cultural change........