Charlottesville, VA (university, compensation, eat)

[lairs]

Hi,

I'd appreciate some assistance. We are considering the Charlottesville, VA area (Ruckersville) for retirement to an active adult community. Does anyone have information to share on the area? Secondly, does anyone have a good public/free resource that gives the humidity of an area? Thank you.

[hodologica]

Try www.city-data.com for the humidity figures. It is certainly very unpleasant outdoors here in Charlottesville in the high summer, at least from noon til dark. But that's pretty much the case anywhere you go at this latitude that's away from the sea. In compensation, the winters are pretty mild; there's little frost outside of the months of Dec-Jan-Feb.

The town is very cultured, with a prepoderance of nontraditional culture though there is also classical music etc.

What makes the town distinct - other than having a large number of music events etc - is the downtown mall, which is maybe 40 x 200 yards, mostly closed to cars. In fine weather on a weekend evening there can be thousands of people milling around, sitting around, and eating outdoors at restaraunts. There's a lot of street musicians and such. It's a very interesting thing to take in. Particularly because it's not just young kids that go down there, nor any few classes or temperments of person, but pretty much the whole town.

Politically, C'ville went for Kerry by at least 80% to 20. Bush stickers are seldom seen. Ruckersville, at 10 miles out, is probably a bit more conservative. Go 20 miles out and you're in in conservative territory, town or country. Charlottesville is different than it's geographic millieu because it grew up alongside the University, which is 200 years old.