What BestPlaces Users Say about Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia is a city located in the central part of the state, known for its historical landmarks, lively downtown area, and vibrant culture. It is home to the University of Virginia and has a population of approximately 46,000 people. The city has been ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States by various publications, but it has also faced controversy in recent years due to its history and political climate. Here are some user reviews from BestPlaces.net about living in Charlottesville.
From user "Jenny" - "I've lived in Charlottesville for 10 years and I absolutely love it here. The city has a great mix of urban and rural areas, which means you get the best of both worlds. The downtown area has amazing restaurants and local shops, and there are always events going on. It's also a very educated and diverse community."
From user "Tom" - "I moved to Charlottesville a few years ago for a job and I have to say, it's been a bit of a disappointment. The cost of living is pretty high, especially for housing, and the traffic can be a nightmare. I also find the political climate to be quite tense and polarizing. It's a beautiful city, but I'm not sure if I'll be staying here long-term."
From user "Sarah" - "Charlottesville is a great place to raise a family. The schools are top-notch and there are plenty of family-friendly activities to do. I also appreciate the emphasis on preserving the city's history and culture. It's definitely a unique and special place to call home."
From user "Mark" - "I've lived in Charlottesville my whole life and I've seen a lot of changes, some good and some not so good. The city has been through a lot, but it's a resilient community. I will say that the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years and it's becoming harder for working-class families to afford to live here. But overall, I still love Charlottesville and wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
based on 44 ReviewsGet to know Charlottesville with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Charlottesville
Charlottesville- great place to live - 6/5/2007
I spent 6 years in charlottesville completing my graduate degree. Just moved to Southern California for my new job. I miss Charlottesville so much that it even hurts.
Many people claim that Charlottesville is too expensive, but you get what you paid for there. I believe it's one of very few cities that offer not only great outdoors opportunities but also cultural activities. Plus, you're never stuck in traffic. Those who complain about Charlottesville traffic must have not seen traffic in large cities. Homes and apartments in charlottesville are not nearly as expensive as homes in any big city. Of course, Cville IS more expensive than other cities of 40,000 people. However, it's because this city is much more exciting than those cities, and so many people want to live in Charlottesville.
One problem of Charlottesville is though, there aren't enough jobs there. I just think that UVa professors are so lucky. I would fly back to Charlottesville right away if I
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Nice, But Expensive - 5/7/2007
Charlottesville has a high quality of life, with lots of cultural and recreational amentities. Many nice restaurants, art galleries, hiking and biking trails and so on. The only problem is that the cost of living is high and wages are generally lower than elsewhere in Virginia, making it difficult for everyone to access everything Charlottesville has to
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Not what you read about - 11/25/2006
Charlottesville has received the reputation of being a great small city. It is a small city, and there are a great many problems. The biggest is that it is a little town with all of the big city problems and few of the perks. Also, unless you are wealthy, it is difficult to experience the
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Charlottesville August 2006 visit - 9/4/2006
We visited Charlottesville anticipating the best place to live in America. We were underwhelmed. While Charlottesville has many nice things going for it, so does our present home of Manassas, VA. Traffic on the 29 corridor is as bad as any in the Manassas area including strip malls and sprawl. We talked to locals and found that there is a have and have-nots society there, very elitist. The downtown pedestrian mall is nice but not as nice a few blocks away with narrow streets, old homes and congested street parking. It's a great place to visit with Monticello 10 minutes away, wineries and orchards. The natural bridge is 1 1/2 hours away. But we have decided to stay where we are since our present location seems to be just as good as
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I don't miss Charlottesville - 6/19/2006
I lived in Charlottesville all my life until I moved out of the state in 2004. The area is certainly beautiful year round but it's too expensive, no quality paying jobs, no night life and terrible traffic just to name a few things that caused me to finally leave. If you have a family, it's a great place to live but not if you're single and trying to buy property unless you want to drive from Waynesboro or Lake Monticello. About the only thing, other than family, that I miss about Charlottesville is UVa sports but I can watch that on tv. I don't see myself ever moving back to Charlottesville..much less Virginia with all the state taxes..no thanks!
BTW..I live in Orlando now and love
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Always Something To Do - 6/19/2006
Charlottesville VA is exhausting for people of leisure because there are more interesting things to do than anyone could possibly
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Comments after visiting - 6/5/2006
I recently interviewed for a job in C-Ville. Got the offer, but turned it down for a variety of reasons.
General Impression - Beautiful scenery. Located in rolling hills with lots of large trees all over. Downtown is fairly small and seems to be the only place with any night life, although I was not there long enough to search out all the possibilities.
Housing - prices were higher that expected. However, you get a nice piece of land with your house. I have also visited Austin, TX recently and they seem to be of the California school of 1/4 acre or less lots.
Cost of Living - Expensive to go out for a small town. Rents/Leases must be high for business owners. Flights out of the local airport were ridiculously expensive. Had to fly in/out of Dulles (roughly 100 minutes away).
Conclusion - Seems to be growing too fast. Most likely because it was voted best place to live by some magazine. This is not going to be a pleasant
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Charlottesville is overrated - 5/30/2006
My husband and I moved to Charlottesville for a year while he served as a visiting professor at UVA. We were both open and excited to an experience in Charlottesville, as we generally like small university towns. Unfortunately, we were dismally disappointed. The city is EXPENSIVE, to begin with. We were coming from Boston, so if WE think the city is costly, that let's you know how costly it really is! Boston is by no means cheap, but at least I feel I get something in return --- a walkable city, with public transportation and many free city events, concerts, festivals, etc. It has a street life. Instead, in Charlottesville, houses in the city itself BEGAN around $400,000 and up (WAY UP) range. There was hardly any public transportation to speak of. We were the only ones in the neighborhood ever to venture out and use the sidewalk. (And there weren't always sidewalks). The route 29 sprawl grows worse everyday, with more traffic and more cookie-cutter suburbs. Grocery shopping costs a
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