Charlottesville, VA Information and Resources

Charlottesville: The Best Place to Live in America

Charlottesville has a distinctive flavor not missed by those who visit central Virginia. Its residents welcome you into the town’s unique and eclectic mixture of the diverse and the familiar, and visitors quickly realize Charlottesville is a meeting place for the healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Charlottesville’s unexplainable appeal lies in the natural beauty of its location at the foothills of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, its historic charm, and the uplifting feeling of community among its residents. Over the years, this historical town has become nationally and universally acclaimed as a top weekend getaway; a fantastic, safe location to raise a family, relocate, or retire; and a smart place to start a business.

In the last decade, websites, books, and magazines have scoured the globe to find the best places to live, die, and everything in between, and though compromise is oftentimes unrealistic, organizations agree that it’s difficult to find a better place to live than Charlottesville, Virginia.

In recent years, Charlottesville has been called:

• 1st Best City to Live in USA and Canada (Cities Ranked and Rated, 2004)
• Best Place to Relocate (Relocate America, 2006)
• 4th Best Place to Live in the Country (Kiplinger’s Magazine, 2009)
• 6th Best Place to Live in America (Arts and Entertainment Television)
• Great Place to Live (Cottage Living Magazine)

Kiplinger’s said about Charlottesville: “Thomas Jefferson would be proud of how his hometown has grown up. The Renaissance man laid the foundation for what has become a well-rounded city. From his University of Virginia’s hollering Hoos to the artists on the downtown promenade, the Charlottesville community is an unexpected blend of Southern charm and liberal edge, with a strong business base.”

The town has been put on Money Magazine’s list of Best Places to Live and 100 Best Places to Live (2004), and The Atlantic’s list of Top “Brainiest” Metropolitan Areas. On Modern Maturity Magazine’s list of Most Alive Places to Live, Charlottesville was ranked as the 2nd Best College Town, while E-Podunk.com said Charlottesville was the 1st Best Small College Town. Outside Magazine called Charlottesville One of the Best Places to be Found (1995 and 1999), One of Seven Dream Towns That Have it All (2006), and the Best Town to Live In (2008).

“Few towns can rival Charlottesville’s charmed pairing of smart populace (the nation’s highest number of newspaper readers per capita) with magnolia- and mountain-studded setting,” Outside Magazine said, by way of explanation for the many awards it gave to Charlottesville. Charlottesville draws people in with its thriving industry and stable employment opportunities provided by the University of Virginia, and hold people with its dedication to education, arts, and recreation. With new developments around the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, Charlottesville is sure to stay on the top on everyone’s list of most-desired areas.