Charlottesville here. I see your long post and I raise you a longer response as I run down your criteria list:
has solid school districts
- Both the City of Charlottesville and the adjoining County of Albemarle have good schools. Each year there are kids from the area headed to Ivy league and other well-respected schools, including UVA here in town.
generally more hospitable
- You can’t get much more hospitable than Cville. For the most part it retains something of a small town feel and has a particular southern charm about it.
warmer climate with fun outdoor activities. My wife grew up in Fl and Hawaii, the winters here are like "beyond the wall" in Game of Thrones to her.
- Central VA weather is temperate, if not confusing. If you want to fall in love with Cville, come visit in the spring or autumn. It can get pretty hot and humid in the summer – but usually not unbearable. During winter it usually gets as low as the mid-teens with a total snowfall of around 2.5-3.5 feet for the season. Why I say confusing is because oftentimes during winters it will snow one week and then be 50-60 degrees the next week. Snowfalls usually tend to hit hard and fast; but are not usually a continuous event throughout the season.
- Sitting at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, an hour’s drive or less gets you to some beautiful views and hiking. There’s tubing on the James River, a very active running community, and plenty more I’m forgetting about.
lower cost of living, so that we don't need to be striving for bigger salaries, can save more and do more with our money. I realize pay is somewhat regional and a pay cut might come with moving.
- Here’s where Cville bites. The university tends to pay well so it drives strong prices in the retail real estate market. Other players are the National Ground Intelligence Center that brings with it several defense/intelligence companies. There is a decent financial services presence as well. Depending on what your profession is, you could easily maneuver in this market. We’re not talking New York or DC prices here, but it isn’t the cheapest place around.
Ideally live in a center-of-town area...sidewalks, trees, community, the more walkable/bikeable the better, trying to stay away from the cookie-cutter homes and suburban sprawl.
- In truth, the city is a bit spread out but it basically ticks all your boxes here. A car is required. But that doesn’t mean walking and biking are discouraged – I would say the opposite is true. There are sidewalks all over that are pretty well maintained and an expansive run of bike lanes. There’s also a pretty good public bus system. Central downtown features a pedestrian mall that holds great food and shopping as well as an amphitheater with weekly concerts during summer.
- At the neighborhood level, Cville is very friendly. It’s hard to avoid some cookie cutters, but there’s also plenty of old charm if you’re willing to pay for it.
Bonus points for universities nearby, airports and highways within reasonable driving distance. Also, bonus points if there's some degree of diversity, in any form.
- Major, well-respected University within the city limits.
- Medium-sized airport with direct flights to NYC, Philly, Chicago, and others. 1.25 hours away from Richmond International Airport. 2 hours away from Dulles.
- Excellent access to I64 for east-west travel and Rt. 29 north is a direct route to DC.
- 1 hour away from Richmond, VA. 2 hours from DC. 2.5 hours from VA Beach.
- The university boasts an in-demand undergraduate program, excellent medical school, top business and law schools, as well as other great graduate programs. There’s also a wide range of cuisine choices. We’ve got diversity in spades.
and of course a place where we can continue our real estate projects.
- There’s strong retail demand for housing in the greater Cville area as well as pretty well funded investors already in the area. This makes deals in the city hard to come by. They do exist if you’re diligent…but no 2% rules here. The real value of Cville for a RE investor is its access to secondary and tertiary markets. Cville is well located to more rural sub markets such as Buckingham, Nelson, and Augusta counties to the south/southwest.
Look at Cville and look at potential job opportunities for yourself and see how your potential income squares with the housing market here. I think if there's an inkling that the numbers work for you then definitely come visit.
Let me know if/when you make the trip, I’ll introduce you to a truly great cup of local coffee.
