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It’s academic: Life in Charlottesville can be a nice education |
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Monday, 26 March 2007 |
University towns are hot retirement destinations for baby boomers longing to
return to school, at least part time, but infrastructure hasn’t always kept
pace. Traffic in the increasingly popular Charlottesville, some longtime local
residents say, has increased palpably in recent years, and the city’s and
county’s fathers have been slow to make the necessary improvements and
expansions. Instead, they have focused on cleaning up and gentrifying downtown
areas.
From what we observed during a four-day stay last year, they
have done a terrific job of that but, of course, an attractive downtown brings
more people into the city, exacerbating the traffic problems. Only recently
have the city and county begun to seriously consider creation of a regional
transportation authority to deal with the problems.
The 25-year old
Downtown Mall, which replaced a formerly seedy commercial area, features 120
shops, 30 restaurants and no cars, although parking garages and lots are within
a block or two. A free trolley service runs between the university and The Mall
and picks up people along the way. The Mall is great for people-watching, and
the food we had at three of its restaurants was good to outstanding. (The best
was Zo-Ca-Lo, which serves inventive fare with a slight Latin embellishment; the
Downtown Grille and Blue Light were good but not as inventive.) 
The
Mall is eight blocks long, bracketed at one end by a big Omni Hotel and indoor
ice rink, and at the other end by an amphitheatre that attracts top talent like
country and western stars Dwight Yoakum and George Jones, as well as the Black
Crowes and Bruce Hornsby. With the opening last August of the new $130 million,
15,000-seat University of Virginia basketball arena, even more headline acts
will be coming to the area (and more non-students will be able to attend the
basketball games).
The Mall has sparked construction of condos and the
refurbishment of existing apartments in the surrounding neighborhoods. At The
Randolph, a five-story condo building two blocks from The Mall, the price range
is $350,000 to $800,000 for 1,200 to 2,200 square foot units. A few townhouses
and condos in the downtown area passed the $1 million threshold for the first
time recently.
Of course, Charlottesville might be just another one-horse
town if it weren’t for its anchor and major reason for being, the University of
Virginia, one of the best public universities in the nation. The school’s
undergraduate population includes nearly 1,000 students from 90 countries, and
this adds a cosmopolitan tone to the city.
The university also appeals
to the non-traditional-aged student, with a roster of interesting courses,
public lectures and other sponsored activities. We spoke with Sondra Stollard,
dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, who described
intellectual activities that span degree programs, certificate programs and an
innovative “Community Scholar” program. More than 1,000 Community Scholars from
the area, including talented high school students and senior citizens with a
passion for a particular subject, attend selected UVA classes with undergrads.
The school’s “personal enrichment program” provides a wide array of
subjects for those who want to explore their inner child-literature writer,
landscape architect, or Monticello expert (Jefferson’s legendary home is just a
few miles away and a must side trip for those visiting the city). Dean Stollard
says these courses have “a strong academic bent, no fluff,” that they last a
semester and that many “sell out fast.”
The Jefferson Institute for
Lifelong Learning (JILL), which UVA helped develop as an alternative to its own
more intensive and expensive curriculum, offers day courses for those who have
transportation issues or just want to spend their evenings at home. Many JILL
courses are taught by former UVA faculty, as well as by local business people.
Recent course titles included “Writing Your Memoirs,” the canal and people of
Panama, and the poetry of Alexander Pope. JILL’s students range in age from the
30s to 80s, with most in their 60s.
The golfing communities we visited in
the area, none more than 40 minutes from the city, offer a wide range of
lifestyles, housing options and pricings. The farthest from Charlottesville, at
30 miles, is the Wintergreen Resort, which offers two-season recreation, with an
emphasis on golf and skiing (we reviewed the community here on Feb. 23). On
some days during the winter, you can do both. Residents don’t seem to mind
sharing their space with resort guests; indeed, many current residents first
came for a weekend and later purchased a home in Wintergreen. One other unique
and commendable feature of the resort: More than half its 11,000 acres will
remain natural forever.
The three other communities we visited are closer
to the city. Old Trail, in Crozet, which we reviewed here on March 8, is the
least established, about 18 months old and still in development mode. Its golf
course will always be daily fee, and so it doesn’t offer a private club
experience. Its attraction is in the variety of housing it offers, the services
planned within walking distance of all its homes, and its proximity to
Charlottesville (20 minutes).
Keswick Estate is the most exclusive of
the area’s communities, offering two-acre lots at up to $900,000 and homes that
average over $2 million. The course, an Arnold Palmer re-design of a Fred
Findlay classic, is for the exclusive use of Keswick’s members, many of whom are
residents, as well as guests of the 48-room mansion on the hill that overlooks
the community.
Glenmore, at about 20 minutes from the city and an hour
from Richmond, presents a more traditional golf community on a piece of property
with enough elevation changes to provide lofty views from the golf course and
many of the homes. We thought the John LaFoy-designed course was challenging
and scenic and the community an attractive mix of housing options.
We'll review Keswick and Glenmore, as well as the terrific and private
Farmington Country Club, in the days that follow.
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