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"