NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION:

Charlottesville
Quality of Life

Charlottesville is located in the center of Virginia along a tributary of the James River, a mere 20 miles from the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. With only 44 inches of rain per year and having an average annual temperature of 57° F means we have great weather year round. For the past four years, Charlottesville has been ranked in Money magazine's list of the top 100 best places to live, and we have been given a higher ranking than any other city in Virginia each year. In 2004, Fromer's Cities Ranked and Rated 2004 named Charlottesville the "Best Place to Live in America."

We have an engaging history and a rich culture. "City of the three presidents," Charlottesville was home to James Monroe, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation estate, is located just a few short miles from the downtown area. The original center of Charlottesville, Court Square, has buildings dating back to the town's founding in 1762.

Beautiful landscapes and award-winning courses designed by top architects are above par for golfers. Our nearby rivers and lakes provide a great setting for sailing, fishing, kayaking and other aquatic activities. Our twenty-three neighborhood parks are maintained by the Department of Recreation. These parks provide a variety of classes and team sports for all ages.

Charlottesville's lively downtown is the core for commercial business in all of Central Virginia. We have a variety of family activities in addition to a bustling nightlife. The Downtown Mall is one of the longest outdoor pedestrian malls in the country, and the Paramount Theater holds concerts, Broadway shows and other events.

Town Profile

Climate Control

Location

Demographics

 

Economy
Major Industries:
Education
Manufacturing
Retail Trade
Services
Travel Trade
Construction
Technology


Employment Total: 35,078
Unemployment: 3.3


Home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville's college area, known as The Corner, is full of college bars and late-night eateries. With approximately 19,643 students, the University of Virginia not only helps fuel the commercial success of many of our downtown businesses, but it also provides a pool of skilled workers for our prosperous community.

Parks and Recreation

Dedicated to providing exceptional and creative programs, services and facilities while preserving natural and cultural environments, the Charlottesville Dept. of Parks and Recreation maintains the City's extensive park system, trails, school grounds, two cemeteries and various grounds throughout our City. The Dept. also offers annual and seasonal events ranging from movies in the park to free concerts, fairs and festivals. The Blue Ridge Mountains are legendary for their towering beauty and proximity to the range allows residents to participate in numerous outdoors recreational opportunities.

Arts and Culture
On the list of World Heritage sites, along with the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids of Egypt are the University of Virginia and Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's legacies. Offering tours of the house, garden and plantation as well as events like fruit and wine tasting, Monticello adds a unique aesthetic quality to Charlottesville. James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland is one of the premier attractions in Central Virginia. Ash Lawn-Highland is host to a number of wine festivals, historical events and celebrations, educational workshops and a variety of concerts including a summer opera festival.

Education
University of Virginia
"Fathered" by Thomas Jefferson, The University of Virginia is notable for being the first educational institution in America to offer specializations in areas now common, like architecture, astronomy and philosophy. UVA was also the first university to separate church and education. Its School of Engineering and Applied Science is the oldest engineering school in the nation associated with a university. The school has a progressive campus with a world-class faculty including a Nobel Laureate, 25 Guggenheim fellows, 26 Fulbright fellows, six National Endowment for the Humanities fellows, two Presidential Young Investigator Award winners, three Sloan award winners, three Packard Foundation Award winners, and the Chairman of the NAACP. Home to the champion University of Virginia Cavaliers, UVA athletics are always popular. Graduates of the University of Virginia include Edgar Allen Poe, Georgia O'Keefe, three Kennedy's, three U.S. Supreme Court Justices, two Surgeons General, one Speaker of the House, a Senate Majority Leader, and others who have held prestigious government positions.

Piedmont Virginia Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College offers general education, college preparatory programs, and continuing education programs. For 26 years, Piedmont Virginia Community College has brought students and local businesses together through worker-training and re-training programs. With an enrollment of about 7000 students each year, Piedmont Virginia CC contributes to the local workforce and their continuing education program allows people a chance to get that degree they've always wanted.

Mary Baldwin Adult Degree Program

Mary Baldwin College's main campus is located in Staunton, VA, about 45 minutes west of Charlottesville. Their Adult Degree Program is located at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, and it offers B.A. and B.S. degrees with 25 majors. It also offers certificate programs in health care, leadership, business, computer information systems, and marketing.

National College

National College offers bachelors degrees in business and computer information systems. It also offers associate degrees and diploma programs in business, health care fields, and others. It also offers a Master of Business Administration.

Old Dominion University Teletechnet

ODU offers several distance learning programs; programs available at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

The Charlottesville City School Division

Charlottesville City Schools feature a CLASS (Creative Learning After School and in the Summer) program, which is offered at all elementary schools year round. The University and Community College provide adult education through the school of Continuing Education, which offers a wide variety of credit and non-credit courses. Many activities of public interest are scheduled and promoted by the local educational institutions, particularly the University, including athletic events in all major sports as well as concerts, plays, lectures, and forums.

Average Classroom Student/Teacher Ratios

Charlottesville City Schools:
Charlottesville High School
Buford Middle School
Walker Upper Elementary
Burnley-Moran Elementary
Clark Elementary
Greenbrier Elementary
Jackson-Via Elementary
Johnson Elementary
Venable Elementary


Charlottesville Links:
Charlottesville City
Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce
Charlottesville Convention and Visitors Bureau - Information for visitors (lodging, dining, attractions)
Charlottesville City Schools
Charlottesville Weather - Updates from NBC 29
TV Channel 29 - Charlottesville's local TV station
Cville.org - Online Community for Charlottesville residents
Monticello Avenue - Charlottesville's community online bulletin board
University of Virginia
Monticello - Thomas Jefferson's Plantation
Ash Lawn-Highland - James Monroe's Estate


Albemarle County
Quality of Life
Home to approximately 90,000 Virginians, Albemarle County is located in Central VA, about 110 miles southwest of Washington D.C. and 70 miles west of Richmond. Growing steadily for the past two decades, Albemarle County's population warmly welcomes all of our new residents.

Climate

Economy
Albemarle County Employment Total (2003): 40,832
Average Unemployment Rate: 2.7


Albemarle County has a vibrant and growing economy, relying on service, manufacturing, education, retail, travel, trade, and agriculture industries. We have an unemployment rate of only 2.6%, lower than the state and national percentages.

Home to the Ash Lawn-Highbury Music Festival, Albemarle County draws in thousands of tourists from across the nation.

Service and government enterprises employ the greatest portion of the area's employed persons, with the next highest level found in the retail trade. The construction industry, and finance, insurance and real estate come in third. The University of Virginia and UVA Health System the region's largest employer, employed over 12,200 persons in 2003.

Housing
Median New Sales Price: $285,000
Median Resale Sales Price: $339,925
Total Number Home Sales: $270,500


Parks and Recreation
Outdoor recreational opportunities run rampant in Albemarle. With easy access to the waterways at Beaver Creek Lake, Chris Green Lake, Walnut Creek Lake, Totier Creek Park and Rivanna River, boating, fishing and aquatic recreation are always popular. Open daily until dusk, Darden Towe Dog Park allows for off-leash leisure for you and your canine companion. 28.5 miles of trails and greenways grace our County, allowing hiking, jogging, running or a slow-paced stroll. Albemarle County is proud to present our first Water Park. From May to September, Simpson Park features three main water-themed attractions, a sunning plaza, and a variety of recreational amenities.

Arts and Culture
Agricultural festivals are a past time in Albemarle - with festivals popping up throughout the year celebrating the area's delicious seasonal harvests. Home to popular theme parks, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Paramount's Kings Dominion, Central Virginia offers fun for the whole family. Called "The World's Most Beautiful Theme Park" and "The World's Favorite Theme Park," Busch Gardens Williamsburg showcases the cultures of 6 countries. Two of the park's rollercoasters are ranked among the "Top 25 Rollercoasters in the World."

Education
Albemarle Schools had an enrollment of 12,251 students for the 2003/04 academic year -seventeen elementary schools, five middle schools, and four high schools - 26 Total. Providing a unique educational opportunity to our high school students, the Albemarle County Public Schools World Languages Program offers instruction in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Classical Greek, Arabic, Russian, German, French, Spanish and Latin. Our professional faculty is dedicated to ensuring that each child receives the finest education we can provide.

Average Classroom Student/Teacher Ratios

Albemarle Public Schools
Elementary Schools:
Agnor-Hurt
Baker-Butler
Broadus
Brownsville
Cale
Crozet
Greer
Hollymead
Meriwether Lewis
Murray
Red Hill
Scottsville
Stone-Robinson
Stony Point
Woodbrook
Yancey


Middle Schools:
Burley
Henley
Jouett
Sutherland
Walton


High Schools:
Albemarle
Monticello
Murray
Western Albemarle
Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC)


Albemarle County
Albemarle.org - Albemarle County Website
Albemarle County Private Schools
Albemarle Churches and Religious Organizations
Albemarle County Fair


Central Virginia
Overview:
Central Virginia has a rich history, being the birthplace and residence of some of our nation's Founding Fathers. It is also the location of three premier historical sites: Henricus Historical Park, Flowerdew Hundred and the Germanna Historic Site. Scattered across the area, there are preserved Civil War battlefields in Richmond, Petersberg and Appomattox.

The tourism industry benefits from three NASCAR tracks at Richmond, Martinsville and South Boston, which are prime attractions for any car lover. We have 11 State Parks and gardens. Best of all, Central Virginia is home to two of the world's best theme parks - Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Paramount's King's Dominion.

The Shenandoah National Park is located just north of the Central Virginia area. The Skyline Drive runs 105 miles through the park along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

For the culturally inclined, we have the spectacular Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and over 20 Vineyards & Wineries, some of the best on the east coast.


Central Virginia Links:
Commonwealth of Virginia
Fluvanna County Public Schools
Greene County Public Schools
Nelson County Public Schools
Louisa County Public Schools
Orange County Public Schools
Central Virginia Online Community - Central Virginia Community Homepage


Real Estate Resources:
ERA.com -ERA Real Estate Homepage
Upromise.com -A portion of your real estate transaction can go towards a college education
The Real Estate Weekly -General Real Estate info for the area