Chalottesville vs Williamsburg
 

My husband and I are considering Charlottesville and Williamsburg for retirement - mainly due to harsh winters where we are and very high cost of living (esp. housing).

We are aware these 2 places are considered a little high (housing) by VA standards, but not by ours. A small 2 BR 1 1/12 Bath here is @450K-500K and that might be a fixer.

We know also that both areas get snow, but not the 60"+ that we get here.

Humidity and heat might be a problem for us, so if there is a difference between these 2 places we'd like to know.

We are most concerned with ambience. Having a nice place to live with a sense of community and a nice "working" downtown (shops, restaurants, etc.), not just a town with strip malls or a giant mall outside town.

From what we've read, both of these areas look nice, and of course we will visit, but would like to get the scoop on the "vibe" of these places. My concern is that Williamsburg is just a tourist area, but that is an assumption. Our town is a tourist area too, and that does not bother me, because there is plenty here for the locals - a great downtown, bookstores, shops, restaurants, library, hospital, and lots of festivals always going on.

Which would you choose, and why?

I live in Fredericksburg - about 50m north of Richmond, moved here in 93. Williamsburg is a tourist mecca - but there are some nice residential areas...College of William & Mary is there. But, so is Busch Gardens, the Shopping Outlets, and the summer beach traffic (you're just west of VA Beach).

Of these two areas, I'd recommend looking at the Charlottesville area - UVA, quaint downtown areas also close to Richmond (state capital). Overall, a much more leisurely pace, I think.

My parents lived in a terrific Continuous Care Facility in Williamsburg called Williamsburg Landing. It's really a beautiful spot offering a variety of living options. You may find it of interest.

We will be taking a trip out here next year. We will be staying in Williamsburg, but driving to Charlottesville to spend the day and poke around.

Any other towns between Williamsburg/Charlottesville or near Charlottesville we should check out?

Ones that come to mind that I've heard are:

Crozet, Barboursville, Orange.

Any of these worth visiting? Which towns are considered in the wine region?

C'ville seems to be more the wine area. Williamsburg is a bit closer to the Va. Beach area. C'ville seems to be a bit cozier. Downtown area is quaint, a little slow when school is not in session. But you are close to many areas to drive to. Williamsburg seems more touristy.

My two cents from what I have seen.
:-)

As a Williamsburger, it pains me to say that Charlottesville would likely be the better choice. Williamsburg is lacking a cohesive down-town (Merchants Square is a tourist shopping area, not a town center). Charlottesville, however, is crowded by my standards. The traffic at nearly all hours is unbearable, it's just as bad as northern virginia/DC at times.

I would look at Roanoke if you haven't. It sounds like a back water, but it has the most vibrant down town I've seen in a "small" town. Very neat farmers market, restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores, etc in several square blocks. Plus the blue ridge mountains are a great natural setting. It's only 40 minutes from Blacksburg for the college type events and culture, at least worth a visit/some research! It feels less sprawling than Charlottesville, and the traffic didn't seem as bad.

Thanks. We will look at Roanoke, but I think it might be too big for us (as Charlottesville might be also).

I didn't realize that Williamsburg didn't have a downtown.

Ideally, what we'd like is what we have now in a town - the main street is about 5-6 blocks, cobble and brick, with a mix of touristy (but not tacky) shops and "real" shops (pastry shop, bookstore, library, newstand) a mix of hip restaurants, and offices, but these are all in historic buildings so they don't stand out. Nothing is higher than 2 stories.

The main street leads to the water, where there is a "square" where the lighting of the Christmas tree takes place, and all kinds of street festivals and auctions. There are sidewalk sales in summer, and at the end of the street on the water is an old firehouse that is now a live theatre. There is a restaurant attached with outdoor seating, and beside the firehouse is a huge waterfront park where free concerts are held each summer.

Downtowns we've liked (maybe there is a common thread here?) have been Nantucket Island, MA, Carmel, CA, St. Helena, CA, Sonoma, CA and Charleston, CA, although this was a bit on the large scale for us and much of it a bit too touristy.

Perhaps neither of our choices here fit, if anyone has other ideas along these lines, would love to hear. We'd like to stay in the 20-50K population range.

p.s. We also have a Kmart, 2 large grocery stores, a Marshalls, a couple of laundromats,etc., but they are in strip malls on the outskirts of town so as to not detract,but we have all we need with this.

In looking at my favorite towns, I see some are pretty small. So I guess we should look at 10K - 50K.

It seems the theme is historic, attractive, small-scale (no skyscrapers), sort of old-fashioned, with "real" stores (not just tourist stores) but upscale.

The Merchants Square area in CW has become more of a local downtown area while at the same time becoming less of one. I know that doesn't make much sense but I'll try to explain. In recent years CW has listened too much to consultants and has brought in stores such as Williams Sonoma and Talbots, stores you can find anywhere in the US. At the same time, the renovation of the Kimball movie theater and the success of locally owned shops, restaurants, and a great coffee cafe have given the Merchants Square area a nice "downtown" feel. Couple that with the farmers market on Saturday mornings and you have an area that attracts the locals.

Wanderer, I love the sound of your current town! Is it in New England? Where are you moving from?

I would second a recommendation for Roanoke. Having grown up there, I can say, living now in upstate NY I completely miss it and wish I could move back. It has about 100,000 people but has a small town atmosphere, but having all of the conveniences you need. For housing, I would recommend looking in the Cave Spring, Penn Forest, or Hunting Hills areas. They have amazing restaurants, good down home atmosphere, and have never met a nasty person. Good luck!

I suggest you spend more than a day looking at the Charlottesville area. The main road, Rt. 29, does suffer from traffic but not more than Rts. 64 and 60 around Williamsburg. They are both nice towns, but different. Wmsb is more touristy but probably has more golf courses, if that's an interest. Charlottesville has many small communities around it (the ones you mentioned, plus Gordonsville, Keswick, etc.) and is geographically located in the most beautiful part of the state. There are many wineries there and lots of hiking opportunities (also skiing at Wintergreen Resort). Charlottesville probably has better dining options.

Roanoke does have a nice downtown and is a nice city, but not nearly as quaint as Cville or Wmsb. Most people are native to Roanoke, while most in Wmsb will be from "somewhere else" (and Cville is a mix).

If you prefer a smaller town, definitely look at Lexington. It is very quaint, historic, and has a great university too.

Wanderer, when I read your ideal town description, Jonesborough, Tenn., immediately came to mind (minus the water). It's Tennessee's oldest town, home of the National Storytelling Festival and National Storytelling Center. It is less than ten miles from a city of 50,000, but Jonesborough is definitely a small town all its own. Photos at http://tinyurl.com/a3ky3

But I'm sure there are several towns in Virginia that would suit you nicely. I have passed through Orange, Va., a couple years ago and it was nice and quiet, there was a restored train station in the center of town, it's in the wine region, and near James Madison's home of Montpelier.

If you like Southwest Virginia, and you think Roanoke is too big, then you should look at the town of Abingdon. It's beautiful with lots of 1800's Federal-style architecture. It's home of the Barter Theater, which is the state theater of Virginia. There are nice resturants, an arts center, a great movie theater, etc. etc.
http://www.abingdon.com/tourism

We are considering retiring in Winchester, Virginia. It would probably fit your requirements. Check the town website.

Charlottesville is nice for what you want. It has an excellent healthcare system with UVA and a good pedestrian area downtown. Traffic is bad, thuogh. And if you think it's too big for you, consider Staunton, VA. It's about 30 minutes from C-ville, cute downtown with restaurants and lower cost of living but with all the convenience of an easy drive to C-ville.

Orange is really nice and relatively unspoiled- go visit Montpeiler (SP??) on a race day

forgot to mention- there are definate temperature/climate differences between Williamsburg and Charlottesville.

I prefer Charlottesville's colder winters over Williamsburg's smampy summers

smampy= swampy

How about Stanton? Not far from Charlottesville...
Or.. Ashland.. very close to Richmond, but small.

Fraggle, FYI - It's spelled Staunton, pronounced "Stanton"

Wow! Lots of suggestions, thanks.

My husband told me there would be temp differences between Cville and Wmsburg, and I thought not! Now I know better.

We would prefer a little cooler than the heat and humidity!

Yes, we are from New England. Newburyport, MA to be exact. Were it not for the length of winter, the amount of snow and the cold, on top of the high cost of living here, we would snow.

Ideally, we'd like NO snow or cold, but CA seems out of our price range. We really want to stay near a coast though, as we both love the ocean.

Our town is 1700/1800s and very "quaint". We also don't just want some cute town that is out in the middle of nowhere. It has to have surrounding towns that also offer something. We are also looking at Sonoma, CA, as there is so much to do in that area - yes, though, I know the cost of living.

My husband has said unless we can find something as special as where we are, we are not moving!! So thanks for all the suggestions - lots to check out!

If anyone would like to see my town, here's the link.
http://www.newburyport01950.com/downtown/pres0000.html
Please come visit!

http://www.newburyport01950.com/waterfront/gallery.html

http://www.newburyport01950.com/Jopp...t/gallery.html

Sorry, couldn't resist showing more. Now you know why my husband said where we move has to be special!

Anything in VA like this????

Sorry to contradict your husband and a previous poster but the climate in these two places is more similar than not.

The average monthly high and low temps for Charlottesville and Wmburg track within a couple of degrees of one another despite the fact that C'ville is in central VA and at a higher elevation.
Springs and falls are gorgeous and temperate. Summer is hot and humid. Winters are generally mild.

How long does the heat and humidity last (the worst of it)?

Typically starts sometime in June and ends in September. July and August are the worst.

I went to college in Lynchburg and can tell you it is a gorgeous little town of about 50,000. It is halfway between Roanoke and Charlottesville.

Humidity will be high in the summer. Agree with obxgirl that the climates are very similiar.

GT, did you go to Liberty? How did you like it? I went to Longwood.

Good gawd no! I would have been kicked out of Liberty in about five minutes. Did you know they can't even hold hands in public?

I went to Lynchburg College which is a small private liberal arts school. Or should I say a flunked out:-D

I ended up graduating from the University of South Carolina.

GT, I was wondering about that! Growing up in Roanoke and going to Longwood, we would hear (and laugh) about all of the restrictions. They also had to have chaperones on their "dates".

I loved Roanoke! We would road trip to Va Tech and Radford all the time!

Virginia was a great state to go to school in! We would also spend weekends at UVA and JMU. My favorite was a 200 keg party UVA had every year at Easter. I think it was called Easters or something of the sort.

Randolf Macon had great outdoor parties in their dell.

Can you see why I flunked out of college? LOL!

Just done some reading, and Staunton sounds really nice, as well as Lexington, but think that might be a little small for us. Winchester also sounded nice. And Abingdon. Wow... so much to see! Can't wait to come out.

Given our "wish list" I think we will rule out Wmsburg - we really want a town with a real "downtown".

Between Staunton, C'ville, Abingdon, Lexington and Winchester, ?Fredericksburg - which seem to be closest to what we want??? - in a nutshell - Historic, vibrant, attractive, good boutiquey shops and restaurants (hate chains, malls and strip malls), farmers markets, arts, festivals (i.e.,lots going on), a great "walking" town, good health care (especially cardiac)with a hospital in town, and nice surrounding area/towns. We love antiques and wine, and would love to be in an area with both, but not stuck in the "boonies" (i.e. cute town with nothing around it)and a big wish - may not be possible in VA - the lowest possible heat and humidity!

Hi Wanderer,

Just got back from Newburyport! :) I have ancestry/connections there, and visit a few times a year. The flurries made the town very festive! It's funny, in this one weekend we've hit: Concord (NH) Midnight Merriment, Exeter (NH) Christmas Parade (had a child marching), Kennebunkport (ME) Xmas Prelude (had a child working), and Newburyport (MA to visit the cemetary) ! Had some good meals, but only bought three gifts...

At any rate, please post back after your trip to Virginia. I would also love to eventually move to a small town like yours - but warmer!

C'ville....C'ville....C'ville....

Roanoke is way too far from anything.

C'ville and you can be close to many things plus be around farmers' markets, great food, etc.

b-(

I think C'ville sounds the most like what we want - Cosmopolitan flavor, but still sort of a small town feel... not far from a bigger city, although have not heard good things about Richmond. What's the real scoop there?

Dreamer2 - where do you live???

Here's the poop on Crozet. Our friends left Tampa, sold their off-bayshore house and bought half of a small farm in Crozet. The area then was all farms and Crozet had a little tiny "downtown", it was very quaint. Well within a couple of years, those farms were bought by developers and now our friends, who wanted to live in the country, are in the suburbs, slowly being swallowed by the burbs, surrounded by acres and acres of houses. They are not happy although they can sell their land to a developer who could put about 20 houses on it. When I visited last they took me to a little area that still had vestiges of age and gentility but I don't recall what it was. Personally, I think I'd buy at Woodstock, Mount Jackson, or thereabouts.

Most small towns that have anything interesting going on also have strip malls and lots of real setate development. The only way to insulate yourself is to buy in an established, older neighborhood or a farm. Staunton and Charlottesville probably both offer a lot of what you want but have a mix of things you don't, like strip malls and development. I live near Crozet and it is becoming more developed. It is a bedroom community for C-ville (since C-ville is too expensive for many to live in) and you can make a lot of money developing for the commuters.

As for Richmond, it has undergone a lot of revitalization and is a great place to live within an hour or two of. It has good shopping and dining and plenty to do. Like any city, there are places to avoid after dusk but overall it's great.

Although I am by no means as knowledgable about C'ville as the other folks here, one other amenity there that I especially appreciated is its large number or used and rare book dealers. Whenever I attend Rare Book School at UVA, I often make a trip into C'ville center and visit the book shops. So, if you and your husband are booklovers, that's something else you might enjoy. Of course, visiting UVA's lovely, historic campus is always a treat, too.

Can anyone comment more on Staunton/Waynesboro. From what I've read/seen on web site, Staunton looks like of cute, although I know looks can be deceiving.

I checked homes in Waynesboro and could not believe the prices! My hubby and I really like something older with character, and looks like there's alot of that around.

My husband is very afraid of living in "Pat Robertson country" though. We are conservative politically, but not extreme right wingers.

Any comments on either town, especially how they compare to C'ville??

p.s. We don't mind having a few strip malls - we have them here, and they contain some handy things like CVS and the dry cleaner and an ATM, grocery store, and Marshalls and KMart.

They are outside of town though on the outskirts, and there is a nice historic downtown a few blocks from where we live in a neighborhood of homes from the 1700 and 1800s.

We don't care if there are strip malls, we just don't want a place that that's ALL there is. Our one requirement we won't budge on is having a "real" downtown that is lively, attractive, and historic. Ours has a library, a couple bookstores, police station, old-fashioned newstand and soda fountain, clothing stores, pet gift boutique, kitchenware, etc. all in old historic buildings.

Of the two you originally asked about, I'd agree with an early poster and choose Fredericksburg!