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My husband and I are interviewing in Charlottesville and I just wanted to make sure that my perception of it is accurate- thanks in advance for any input you can give!
We are late 20's professionals who have lived in NovA for the past 7 years We don't have kids yet (but would like to soon). We want to have a little bit of land (1-5 acres) to raise some of our own crops/have chickens. Basically small-scale homesteading- maybe homeschooling. Hubby is in accounting, and I'm a VA certified elementary teacher. I've taught mostly in independent schools in NoVA. Our primary concerns are clean resources (water/air) and a sense of community. We looked at Floyd County VA but it was a little bit too rural for us. We don't hate NoVA, and in fact we like the City of Falls Church. Our primary reasons for moving would be to have a little bit more land, and job opps. that aren't primarily with government contracters (for my hubby). He'd like to get into higher ed. We also like the culture and diversity that living near a university brings.
*Is the Rivanna River (and most of its streams) clean enough to fish in and eat out of every once in a while? It seems as though the Rivianna has been protected for some years by various organizations and that although there are some "impaired" sections that it is in relatively okay shape compared to a lot of other rivers in the nations. Would you feel safe swimming/fishing in a stream of the Rivianna?
*Is there a of heavy industry in the Greater Cville area. The heavy industry seems to be concentrated in Waynesboror?
*Cville seems to be on public water, is most of Abermarle and Fluvanna on well water? Does groundwater quality seem okay for the most part?
*There seems to be a large presence and support of local sustainable small-scale agriculture. Would you say that's the case? If so, where are most of those folks located?
*When I'm looking at "driving distance" times from places like Crozet, Afton, Palmyra to Cville proper, do I need to double the actual times between the hours of 7-9 and 3-7? Being from NoVA I'm suspecting that might be the case, as I've heard traffic in Cville isn't wonderful.....
*Are there modest homes (3/2) that have 1-5 acres for low 200,000's in Crozet, Afton, or Palmyra? Upper 100,000 would be even better, if so, where would those areas be?
*Crozet seems to fit our needs, having a small town center, availability of homes with 1 or 2 acres that aren't outrageously priced, and 30 minutes or less to Cville.
* Cville seems like a college town that is a bit more than just a college town due to the history of the area. What I mean by this is that although a lot of the population is dominated by UVA folks, that there are non-UVA folks there too. Right?
*It seems like it has a history of people wanting to protect a lot of the buildings/resources there and that this has both pros and cons
Pro- Historic Preservation, Con- a lot of old buildings that could get unsightly
It also seems that there is lots of funding by various groups for projects that help make the city/county a better place via non-profit organizations etc.
*I've been reading a lot of posts about Cville having a culture of "haves and have nots". What's that about? One could say the same about NoVA where we live now. Is it comparable to that? For example, here in NoVA there are people who live in 1 million homes and then immigrants who can barely afford rent. We've been fortunate to find a neighborhood of working professionals who live within their means in small old cape cods and who don't compete for whose lawn looks the most manicured etc.
*Last question- my elderly mother would most likely be moving with us. A lot of the independent living apartments seem very expensive. I think it's because they provide lots of ammenities such as cooked meals, cleaning etc. My mom just wants a little apt. that is equipped with grab bars and a sense of community where there are some activities for the residents every once in a while. Oh, and van transportation (she doesn't drive). She lives with us now in NoVA, but she refuses to live in a more rural area, thus the need for the independent living center in Cville. Any thoughts about independent senior apartments that fit that bill?
I do not believe that there is much heavy industry in Charlottesville. Waynesboro has a carpet factory. Stuart's Draft has several factories -Little Debbie and I think Hershey's. Target has a major distribution center there too. There is a factory that makes medical supplies there too. I don't think of these as heavy industry. Likely, there is more in both places than I have listed.
Have you been on the website of the Charlottesville Area Ass'n of Realtors? That may answer your real estate questions. I know you can get what you are looking for in Fluvanna County in your price range.
Good luck.
Hopefully others will answer some of your other questions. I have been surprised that no one has yet!
Old Orchards and Arsenic/Lead Contamination in Abermarle/Fluvana?
Thanks for your reply TN Lily!
The industries you mentioned don't seem of concern.
One thing that has come on our radar recently is Crozet. It seems like a an area with a main street center, not too far from C-ville that also had some moderately priced homes.
However, I've been seeing a lot of warnings about some of the new developments out there having arsenic and lead contamination in their soil due to the old orchards that were there in the 40's-50's which used Lead Asenate as a pesticide as well as loads of DDT before it was made illegal in 1972 since it's virtually impossible to grow peaches and especially apples on a commercial level without pesticides. Apparently the DDT breaks down over time, but the arsenic and lead remain in the top 6 inches of soil. The old Crozet Orchard, which I've seen is near Mint Springs Park is a superfund cleanup site because of it.
I heard that a lot of Crozet area residents might have this arsenic/lead problem in their soil because most of Crozet was orchards until the past few decades. The EPA is saying that it's not something to panic about, but instead just leaver your yard planted in grass so as not to disturb the soil and kick up the arsenic/lead, and to have children avoid playing in the dirt, and to wash their hands immediately after coming indoors.
We plan on doing a lot of growing of our own veggies and other things that would disturb the soil, so I don't think Crozet is the area for us.
Surely apple/peach orchards weren't limited to the Crozet area. Was most of Abermarle County orchards? What about Fluvana? I suppose we'll just have to really check the history of the land before we buy anything.
Is there a high level of gang activity in Charlotesville? My elderly mother is considering federally subsidized senior housing that is near the intersection of Ridge Street and Garret street. I originally thought this was a great area since it's near the downtown mall and she could walk to places. But I've been hearing that is where most of most of the gang activity is located. Should I be concerned about her safety...?
My husband and I are interviewing in Charlottesville and I just wanted to make sure that my perception of it is accurate- thanks in advance for any input you can give!
We are late 20's professionals who have lived in NovA for the past 7 years We don't have kids yet (but would like to soon). We want to have a little bit of land (1-5 acres) to raise some of our own crops/have chickens. Basically small-scale homesteading- maybe homeschooling. Hubby is in accounting, and I'm a VA certified elementary teacher. I've taught mostly in independent schools in NoVA. Our primary concerns are clean resources (water/air) and a sense of community. We looked at Floyd County VA but it was a little bit too rural for us. We don't hate NoVA, and in fact we like the City of Falls Church. Our primary reasons for moving would be to have a little bit more land, and job opps. that aren't primarily with government contracters (for my hubby). He'd like to get into higher ed. We also like the culture and diversity that living near a university brings.
My understanding is that UVa is very provincial and it's all about who you know. Compared to just about anywhere else west of Richmond and south of NoVa, Charlottesville is very diverse, but I wouldn't call UVa a hot bed or diversity or outside the box thinking.
*Is the Rivanna River (and most of its streams) clean enough to fish in and eat out of every once in a while? It seems as though the Rivianna has been protected for some years by various organizations and that although there are some "impaired" sections that it is in relatively okay shape compared to a lot of other rivers in the nations. Would you feel safe swimming/fishing in a stream of the Rivianna?
I would swim and fish in it, but in my opinion the rivers in Virginia have too much agricultural waste to eat anything out of them. The only suitable thing to eat of central Virginia rivers is trout anyway, and I'm pretty sure the Rivanna is too warm to support them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*Is there a of heavy industry in the Greater Cville area. The heavy industry seems to be concentrated in Waynesboror?
I'm sure there's some, but I don't work in industry. I've never seen any big factories in Charlottesville, but the "real" locals (i.e. not UVa people) have to be working somewhere...
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*Cville seems to be on public water, is most of Abermarle and Fluvanna on well water? Does groundwater quality seem okay for the most part?
I've never had a problem with well water anywhere in Virginia, unless you're really out there. Just make sure it's not really hard and staining the tub and toilet and you should be good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*There seems to be a large presence and support of local sustainable small-scale agriculture. Would you say that's the case? If so, where are most of those folks located?
*When I'm looking at "driving distance" times from places like Crozet, Afton, Palmyra to Cville proper, do I need to double the actual times between the hours of 7-9 and 3-7? Being from NoVA I'm suspecting that might be the case, as I've heard traffic in Cville isn't wonderful.....
No. There is never standstill traffic on 64, at least not coming from Crozet or Afton. The traffic in Cville and close-in Albemarle is ridiculous for an area this size. Still, peanuts compared to NoVa.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*Are there modest homes (3/2) that have 1-5 acres for low 200,000's in Crozet, Afton, or Palmyra? Upper 100,000 would be even better, if so, where would those areas be?
*Crozet seems to fit our needs, having a small town center, availability of homes with 1 or 2 acres that aren't outrageously priced, and 30 minutes or less to Cville.
* Cville seems like a college town that is a bit more than just a college town due to the history of the area. What I mean by this is that although a lot of the population is dominated by UVA folks, that there are non-UVA folks there too. Right?
Kind of, but not really. The few people who are really truly from the area are Southern/country types that differ little from those in any other central VA city such as Lynchburg, Bedford, Farmville, Madison, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*It seems like it has a history of people wanting to protect a lot of the buildings/resources there and that this has both pros and cons
Pro- Historic Preservation, Con- a lot of old buildings that could get unsightly
It also seems that there is lots of funding by various groups for projects that help make the city/county a better place via non-profit organizations etc.
There are some beautiful neighborhoods in Cville, but honestly there are way too many buildings in my opinion that look in shambles in the name of preservation. Cville proper doesn't appear very posh considering the massive $ that are supposedly floating around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*I've been reading a lot of posts about Cville having a culture of "haves and have nots". What's that about? One could say the same about NoVA where we live now. Is it comparable to that? For example, here in NoVA there are people who live in 1 million homes and then immigrants who can barely afford rent. We've been fortunate to find a neighborhood of working professionals who live within their means in small old cape cods and who don't compete for whose lawn looks the most manicured etc.
Obviously any economic picture is complicated, but that "have vs. have nots" tag is essentially correct. There's the UVA and Cville elite and the (mostly people of color) those who serve them in the service industries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afewgoodcommunities
*Last question- my elderly mother would most likely be moving with us. A lot of the independent living apartments seem very expensive. I think it's because they provide lots of ammenities such as cooked meals, cleaning etc. My mom just wants a little apt. that is equipped with grab bars and a sense of community where there are some activities for the residents every once in a while. Oh, and van transportation (she doesn't drive). She lives with us now in NoVA, but she refuses to live in a more rural area, thus the need for the independent living center in Cville. Any thoughts about independent senior apartments that fit that bill?
There are some, but assisted living is extremely expensive and not plentiful.
Many Thanks! Much appreciated! =)
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 07-03-2012 at 05:48 AM..
Reason: Added quotes for readability
We were shocked at how many buildings and homes in Charlottesville are so shabby. We have lived in Florida and North CArolina, and were surprised that every home in the Charlottesville/mountain area we looked at was either 1) not updated, 2) stank like animal waste, 3) was ugly in design from the get go, or 4) loaded with synthetic fragrance to cover up the stench, and got us sick. Surprised that people are able to sell their homes. As far as historic homes downtown, was surprised also that some were as this author says "shabby." Staunton is a much better looking town.
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Old Orchards and Arsenic/Lead Contamination in Abermarle/Fluvana?
