Editing Charlottesville, Virginia

{{Redirect|Charlottesville}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Charlottesville, Virginia
| settlement_type    = [[Independent city (United States)|Independent city]]
| image_skyline      = Charlottesville Downtown Mall.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Charlottesville Downtown Mall
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = Seal of the City of Charlottesville, VA.png
| nicknames          = C'ville, Hoo-Ville
| motto              = A great place to live for all of our citizens.
| image_map          = {{maplink
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  | switch             = Charlottesville;Virginia;the United States
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| pushpin_map        = Virginia#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_label      = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of cities and counties in Virginia|County]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_name1  = [[Virginia]]
| subdivision_name2  = None ([[Independent city (United States)|Independent city]])
| government_type    = [[Council–manager]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Juandiego Wade, ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title2      = City manager
| leader_name2       = Samuel Sanders, Jr.
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1762
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_51.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 10.27
| area_total_km2     = 26.60
| area_land_sq_mi    = 10.25
| area_land_km2      = 26.55
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.02
| area_water_km2     = 0.05
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Census QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/charlottesvillecityvirginia,US/PST045219|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref>
| population_total   = 46553
| population_density_sq_mi = 4541.76
| population_density_km2 = 1753.41
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 17, 2022}}</ref>
| population_metro   = 221524 ([[List of metropolitan statistical areas|209th]])
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|1|48|N|78|28|44|W|region:US-VA|display=inline}}
| elevation_m        = 181
| elevation_ft       = 594
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 22901–22908
| area_code          = [[Area code 434|434]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 51-14968<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=U.S. Census website |access-date=January 31, 2008 |df=mdy }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1498463<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov |title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007 |access-date=January 31, 2008}}</ref>
| blank2_name        = Major roadways
| blank2_info        = [[File:I-64.svg|25px|link=Interstate 64 in Virginia]] [[File:US 29.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 29 in Virginia]] [[File:US 250.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 250 in Virginia]] [[File:Virginia 20.svg|25px|link=Virginia State Route 20]]
| blank3_name        = Waterways
| blank3_info        = [[Rivanna River]]
| blank4_name        = Public transit
| blank4_info        = [[Charlottesville Area Transit]], [[University Transit Service]], JAUNT
| blank5_name        = Rail service
| blank5_info        = [[Cardinal (Amtrak)|Cardinal]], [[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]], [[Northeast Regional]]
| blank6_name        = Airport
| blank6_info        = [[Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport|Charlottesville-Albemarle]]
| website            = {{URL|http://www.charlottesville.gov/|charlottesville.gov}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| population_demonym = Charlottesvillian
| named_for          = [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
}}

'''Charlottesville''', colloquially known as '''C'ville''',{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en |s|i|ˈ|v|ɪ|l|}}}} is an [[independent city (United States)|independent city]] in [[Virginia]], United States. It is the [[county seat|seat of government]] of [[Albemarle County, Virginia|Albemarle County]], which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |title=Find a County |publisher=[[National Association of Counties]] |access-date=2011-06-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> It is named after [[Queen Charlotte]]. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the city's population was 46,553.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charlottesville city, Charlottesville City, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5154090780|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 30, 2022}}</ref> The [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] combines the City of Charlottesville with Albemarle County for statistical purposes, bringing its population to approximately 160,000. Charlottesville is the heart of the [[Charlottesville metropolitan area]], which includes Albemarle, [[Fluvanna County, Virginia|Fluvanna]], [[Greene County, Virginia|Greene]], and [[Nelson County, Virginia|Nelson]] counties.

Charlottesville was the home of two [[President of the United States|U.S. presidents]], [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Monroe]]. During their terms as [[Governor of Virginia|Governors of Virginia]], they lived in Charlottesville and traveled to and from [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], along the 71-mile<!--{{convert|71|mi|adj=on}}--> historic [[Three Notch'd Road]]. [[Orange, Virginia|Orange]], located {{convert|26|mi}} northeast of the city, was the hometown of President [[James Madison]]. The [[University of Virginia]], founded by Jefferson, straddles the city's southwestern border. Jefferson's home and primary [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantation]], [[Monticello]], located {{convert|3|mi|0}} southeast of the city, is, along with the University of Virginia, a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], each attracting thousands of tourists from across the country every year.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.monticello.org/about/foundation.html |title = About the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Monticello |publisher = The Thomas Jefferson Foundation |access-date = March 18, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080214121430/http://www.monticello.org/about/foundation.html |archive-date = February 14, 2008}}</ref>

==History==
At the time of European settlement, part of the area that became Charlottesville was occupied by a [[Monacan people|Monacan]] village called ''Monasukapanough''.<ref name=swanton>{{cite book | last=Swanton| first=John R.| title=The Indian Tribes of North America| publisher=Smithsonian Institution| year=420| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtHI5pkJOGMC| isbn=0-8063-1730-2| pages=72| oclc=52230544}}</ref>

===Founding===
An Act of the Assembly of Albemarle County established Charlottesville in 1762. Thomas Walker was named its first trustee. It was situated along a trade route called [[Three Notch'd Road|Three Notched Road]] (present day [[U.S. Route 250]]), which led from [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] to the [[Great Appalachian Valley|Great Valley]]. The town took its name from the British queen [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]].

{{stack|[[File:Monticellofromgardens.jpg|thumb|View of [[Monticello]] from its gardens]]}}
During the [[American Revolutionary War]], Congress imprisoned the [[Convention Army]] in Charlottesville at the [[Albemarle Barracks]] between 1779 and 1781.<ref>
{{Cite book
 | last = Moore
 | first = John Hammond
 | title = Albemarle: Jefferson's County, 1727 - 1976
 | publisher = Albemarle County Historical Society & University Press of Virginia
 | year = 1976
 | location = Charlottesville
 | isbn = 0-8139-0645-8
}}
</ref>
The Governor and legislators had to abandon the capitol temporarily and on June 4, 1781, [[Jack Jouett]] warned the Virginia Legislature meeting at [[Monticello]] of a planned raid by Colonel [[Banastre Tarleton]], allowing a narrow escape.

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
Unlike much of Virginia, Charlottesville was spared the brunt of the [[American Civil War]]. The only battle to take place in Charlottesville was the [[Battle of Rio Hill|skirmish at Rio Hill]], an encounter in which [[George Armstrong Custer]] briefly engaged local [[Confederate Home Guard]]s before retreating. A year later, the Charlottesville Factory, founded c. 1820–30, was accidentally burnt during General [[Philip Sheridan]]'s 1865 raid through the Shenandoah Valley. However, the mayor had surrendered the city to Generals Custer and Sheridan to keep the town from being burned. The factory had been taken over by the Confederacy and used to manufacture woolen clothing for the soldiers. It caught fire when some coals taken by Union troops to burn the nearby railroad bridge dropped on the floor. The factory was rebuilt immediately and was known as the Woolen Mills until its liquidation in 1962.<ref name="MonicaCalif.)1998">{{cite book
|author1=Museum of African American Art (Santa Monica, Calif.)
|author2=Hampton University (Va.) Museum
|title=The International Review of African American Art
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4htVAAAAMAAJ
|year=1998
|publisher=Museum of African American Art
|page=23
|access-date=October 22, 2010
}}</ref>

=== Segregation and Jim Crow laws ===
After Reconstruction ended, Charlottesville's African American population suffered under [[Jim Crow laws]] that segregated public places and limited opportunity. Schools were racially segregated and African Americans were not served in many local businesses.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ninety-Two Acre Tract on Rugby Avenue Will Be Converted into Playground for whites. Second Tract, on Rose Hill, For Colored|date=21 January 1926|work=Daily Progress}}</ref> Public parks were planned separately for the white and African American populations: four for whites, and one for African Americans built on the site of a former dump.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Can exposing Americans to Charlottesville's savage, racist history save it?
|first=Jocelyn Nicole
|last=Johnson
|date=December 13, 2018
|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/13/us-racism-history-save-charlottesville}}</ref> The [[Ku Klux Klan]] had chapters in the Charlottesville area beginning at least in the early twentieth century,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/black-community-charlottesville-response/537285/|title=Black Charlottesville Has Seen This All Before|last=II|first=Vann R. Newkirk|date=2017-08-18|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-08-20|language=en-US}}</ref> and events such as [[lynching in the United States|lynchings]] and [[cross burning]]s occurred in the Charlottesville area. In 1898, Charlottesville resident [[Lynching of John Henry James|John Henry James]] was lynched in the nearby town of Ivy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/James_The_Lynching_of_John_Henry_1898|title=James, The Lynching of John Henry (1898)|website=Encyclopedia Virginia|language=en|access-date=2018-08-20}}</ref> In August 1950, three white men were observed burning a cross on Cherry Avenue, a street in a mostly [[African-American neighborhood]] in Charlottesville.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Charlottesville Citizens Shocked By Burning Cross in Negro Area Tuesday Night|date=August 18, 1950|work=Charlottesville Tribune}}</ref> It was speculated that the cross burning might be a reaction to "a white man [who] had been known to socialize with one of the young Negro women in that vicinity."<ref name=":0" /> In 1956, crosses were burned outside a progressive church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uucharlottesville.org/the-talk-of-tjmc-on-torches-and-crosses-and-the-call-of-our-faith/|title=The Talk of TJMC – On Torches, and Crosses, and the Call of Our Faith – Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church|website=Unitarian Universalist|date=August 2, 2017|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-20}}</ref>

In 1947, Charlottesville organized a local [[NAACP]] branch.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Local NAACP Seats Officers Tonight|date=January 21, 1971|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.albemarle-cvillenaacp.org/about-us/|title=About Us|website=Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP|access-date=November 30, 2018|archive-date=December 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005157/http://www.albemarle-cvillenaacp.org/about-us/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2001, the Charlottesville and Albemarle Branches of the NAACP merged to form the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Branch.<ref name=":3" />[[File:Lewis & Clark.jpeg|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Meriwether Lewis|Lewis]] and [[William Clark|Clark]] (now removed by the city)]]In the fall of 1958, Charlottesville closed its segregated white schools as part of Virginia's strategy of [[massive resistance]] to federal court orders requiring integration as part of the implementation of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] decision ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]''. The closures were required by a new series of state laws collectively known as the [[Stanley Plan]], which prohibited and denied funding to integrated public schools. Segregated schools remained open, however.<ref name="racebeat">{{cite book | author = [[Gene Roberts (journalist)|Roberts, Gene]] and [[Hank Klibanoff]] | title = [[The Race Beat|The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation]] | publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf]] | place = New York | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-679-40381-7}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2020}} The first African-American member of the Charlottesville School Board was Raymond Bell in 1963.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9qkzDwAAQBAJ&q=%22albemarle+training+school%22&pg=PA15|title=Urban Renewal and the End of Black Culture in Charlottesville, Virginia: An Oral History of Vinegar Hill|last1=Saunders|first1=James Robert|last2=Shackelford|first2=Renae Nadine|publisher=McFarland|year=1998|isbn=9781476632384|language=en}}</ref>

In 1963, later than many Southern cities, civil rights activists in Charlottesville began protesting segregated restaurants with [[sit-in]]s, such as one that occurred at Buddy's Restaurant near the University of Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/civil-rights-leaders-reflect-on-charlottesville-segregation-50-years-after-king-speech/article_6d420fa4-0d00-11e3-b22c-0019bb30f31a.html|title=Civil rights leaders reflect on Charlottesville segregation 50 years after King speech|website=www.dailyprogress.com|date=August 24, 2013 |access-date=2021-02-15}}</ref>

=== Destruction of Vinegar Hill ===
In 1965, the city government razed the downtown African American neighborhood [[Vinegar Hill (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Vinegar Hill]] as an [[urban renewal]] project, after the city council passed a law stating that "unsanitary and unsafe" properties could be taken over by a [[housing authority]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timeline.com/charlottesville-vinegar-hill-demolished-ba27b6ea69e1|title=In 1965, the city of Charlottesville demolished a black neighborhood slum|date=2017-08-15|work=Timeline|access-date=2018-08-19}}</ref> Vinegar Hill had served the needs of the black community while the city remained [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/30442-vinegar-hill-park-process-to-start-this-summer/|title=Vinegar Hill Park process to start this summer ⋅ Charlottesville Tomorrow|website=Charlottesville Tomorrow|access-date=2018-09-01}}</ref> One hundred thirty homes, five Black-owned businesses, and a church were destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.charlottesville.org/departments-and-services/departments-h-z/neighborhood-development-services/historic-preservation-and-design-review/historic-resources-committee/local-markers/vinegar-hill|title=Vinegar Hill {{!}} City of Charlottesville|website=www.charlottesville.org|language=en|access-date=2024-04-11}}</ref> Many displaced community members moved into the Westhaven public housing project. The land was not redeveloped until the late 1970s.

Despite razing this small area comprising about 20 acres abutting West Main Street in the city's commercial downtown area, Charlottesville maintained its vibrant black community spanning the much larger and still extant Ridge Street and Fifeville neighborhoods to the south, and the Tenth & Page and Rose Hill neighborhoods to the north. Neighborhood civic associations, social clubs, and church groups sponsored activities for its residents.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Charlottesville Society|date=15 April 1971|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref> The Blue Mints Social Club met at the home of Mrs. Reva Shelton on December 1, 1974. At this meeting, the group planned their annual "Baskets of Cheer", and hosted a Cabaret Dance on New Year's Eve at Carver Recreation Center, with the Randolph Brothers performing.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mrs. Reva Shelton Entertains the Blue Mints|date=December 12, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref> In 1974, other social clubs listed are the Bethune Art and Literary Club, The Lucky Twenty Club, and the Les Amies Club.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mrs. Fortune Hostess to the Bethune Art and Literary Club|date=December 12, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Mrs. Witcher Entertains the Lucky 20 Club|date=December 12, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Mrs. Garrett Hostess To Les Amies Club|date=December 12, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref>[[File:Robert Edward Lee sculpture covered in tarp.jpg|thumb|upright|Lee sculpture covered in black tarp following the [[Unite the Right rally]] of 2017 (now removed by the city)]]
[[Image:Court Square.jpg|thumb|right|Court Square and Confederate statue (now removed by the city)]]

===Conflict over Confederate symbols===
{{see also|Unite the Right rally|Charlottesville car attack}}
Starting in the 2010s Charlottesville received national attention because of local conflict between those who did and those who did not want Confederate symbols removed. ''[[The Washington Post]]'' has reported that "Nowhere has this clash been more fraught than in Charlottesville, where parks have been renamed, then renamed again, streets have been re-christened, and stickers bearing white supremacist slogans go up as quickly as activists can remove them."<ref>{{cite news
|title=Charlottesville won't celebrate Thomas Jefferson's birthday. It will mark slavery's end instead
|first=Michael E.
|last=Miller 
|date=March 1, 2020
|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/03/01/charlottesville-thomas-jefferson-birthday-slavery/}}</ref>

City attempts to remove statues of [[Robert E. Lee]] and [[Stonewall Jackson]] from downtown parks have been the subject of extensive, unresolved litigation. In August 2017, [[White supremacy|white supremacist]] groups opposed to their removal organized the "[[Unite the Right rally]]" to protest against the removal of the [[Robert E. Lee Monument (Charlottesville, Virginia)|''Robert E. Lee'']] statue from then Lee Park, subsequently renamed [[Emancipation Park (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Emancipation Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/15/organizers-and-leaders-charlottesvilles-deadly-rally-raised-money-paypal/|title=Organizers and leaders of Charlottesville's Deadly Rally Raised Money With PayPal|last=Southern Poverty Law Center|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|first=Hate Watch Staff|access-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> After the rally, a [[Charlottesville car attack|white nationalist drove a car into protesters]], resulting in the death of counter-protester [[Charlottesville car attack#Victims|Heather Heyer]] and causing injuries to 19 other counter-protesters.<ref name="HeimWaPo">Joe Heim, Ellie Silverman, T. Rees Shapiro & Emma Brown (August 12, 2017), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html "One dead as car strikes crowds amid protests of white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville; two police die in helicopter crash"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812103231/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|date=August 12, 2017}}, ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The incident became national news and Charlottesville became a symbol of political turbulence nationwide.<ref>{{cite news |title=What Charlottesville Changed |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/12/charlottesville-anniversary-supremacists-protests-dc-virginia-219353/ |access-date=24 February 2024 |agency=[[Politico Magazine]] |date=12 August 2018}}</ref> The city succeeded in the removal of the Lee and Jackson statues on July 10, 2021,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paviour |first1=Ben |title=Charlottesville Removes Robert E. Lee Statue That Sparked A Deadly Rally |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/10/1014926659/charlottesville-removes-robert-e-lee-statue-that-sparked-a-deadly-rally |access-date=24 February 2024 |agency=[[NPR]] |date=10 July 2021}}</ref> in addition to a statue of [[Meriwether Lewis]], [[William Clark]] and [[Sacagawea]] of the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vera |first1=Amir |title=Charlottesville removes Lewis and Clark statue featuring Sacagawea along with Confederate statues |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/12/us/sacagawea-lewis-and-clark-statue-charlottesville-virginia/index.html |access-date=24 February 2024 |agency=[[CNN]] |date=13 July 2021}}</ref>

===Religious history===
Christ Episcopal Church was Charlottesville's first church. It was begun in 1820 by builders on loan from Thomas Jefferson, and the congregation's current home was completed in the early 1900s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-ville.com/the-rite-stuff-what-the-episcopal-churchs-position-on-gay-marriage-can-teach-us-about-the-middle-ground|publisher=[[c-ville.com]] |date=July 30, 2013|title=The rite stuff: What the Episcopal Church's position on gay marriage can teach us about the middle ground|access-date=October 19, 2019}}</ref>

The first black church in Charlottesville, the First Baptist Church of Charlottesville, was established in 1864. Previously, it was illegal for African Americans to have their own churches, although they were allowed to worship in designated areas in white churches, if the white church members allowed it. Its first black pastor (previously, it was required by law that all churches have white pastors), was [[William D. Gibbons]]. The date he became pastor is not known with certainty, but was about 1868. A current predominantly African-American church can trace its lineage to that first church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hallowedground.org/African-American-Heritage/First-Baptist-Church-Charlottesville|title=First Baptist Church (Charlottesville)|publisher=The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership|access-date=May 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518073946/http://www.hallowedground.org/African-American-Heritage/First-Baptist-Church-Charlottesville|archive-date=May 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Congregation Beth Israel (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Congregation Beth Israel's]] 1882 building is the [[Oldest synagogues in the United States|oldest synagogue building]] still standing in Virginia.<ref>Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues, Mark W. Gordon, American Jewish History 84.1 (1996) 11–27 [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v084/84.1gordon.html]. [http://www.ajhs.org/rediscovering-jewish-infrastructure 2019 article update].</ref>

In 1974, some of the Baptist churches in Charlottesville included the Union Run Baptist Church, the South Garden Baptist Church, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Charlottesville Society|last=Reaves|first=Donna|date=September 5, 1974|work=Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune}}</ref>

The first [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] church in Charlottesville was the Church of the Paraclete, built in 1880 and erected as a parish in 1896. In 1906 the church building was renovated and the parish was renamed to Holy Comforter. A second parish was erected for the growing Catholic population in 1976 called the Church of the Incarnation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Holy Comforter Church {{!}} Holy Comforter Catholic Church|url=https://holycomforterparish.org/history-of-holy-comforter-church/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=holycomforterparish.org|date=March 28, 2013}}</ref> In 1967 a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]]-run parish for Catholic students at the University of Virginia was dedicated (replacing a [[Newman Centers|Newman Center]] begun in 1943), and named St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://stauva.org/about-us|access-date=2020-07-31|website=St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish|language=en}}</ref> The first Mass of record in Charlottesville was celebrated in the parlor of F. M. Paoli's residence, presumably on Random Row, now West Main Street. Services were held for about 12 years after that in the Town Hall. The presiders were priests who came from St. Francis Assisi Church in Staunton and then traveled on to other missions in the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://holycomforterparish.org/history-of-holy-comforter-church// | title=History of Holy Comforter Church &#124; Holy Comforter Catholic Church | date=March 28, 2013 }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[Image:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|right|thumb|[[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]] at the [[University of Virginia]], designed by [[Thomas Jefferson]]]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|10.3|sqmi|km2}}, virtually all of which is land.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |access-date=April 23, 2011}}</ref> Charlottesville is located in central Virginia along the [[Rivanna River]]—a tributary of the [[James River (Virginia)|James]]—just west of the Southwest Mountains, a range which parallels the [[Blue Ridge Mountains|Blue Ridge]] about {{convert|20|mi|km}} to the west. Charlottesville is {{convert|99|mi|km}} from [[Washington, D.C.]], and {{convert|72|mi|km}} from [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]. Charlottesville exists on rolling hills between the [[University of Virginia]] to its west and [[Rivanna River]] to its east.

===Climate===
Charlottesville has a four-season [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''), with all months being well-watered, though the period from May to September is the wettest. Winters are somewhat cool, with a January average of {{convert|36.2|°F|1}}, though lows can fall into the teens (< −7&nbsp;°C) on some nights and highs frequently (11 days in January) reach {{convert|50|°F}}.<ref name="nws" /><ref name="NCEI1" /> Spring and autumn provide transitions of reasonable length. Summers are hot and humid, with July averaging {{convert|77.6|°F|1}} and the high exceeding {{convert|90|°F|0}} on 34.4 or more days per year.<ref name="nws" /><ref name="NCEI1" /> Snowfall is highly variable from year to year but is normally moderate, averaging {{convert|17.0|in|cm|0}}.<ref name="nws" /><ref name="NCEI1" /> What does fall does not remain on the ground for long. Extremes have ranged from {{convert|-10|°F|0}} on January 19, 1994, up to {{convert|107|°F|0}}, most recently on September 7, 1954.<ref name="nws" />

{{Weather box
| location = Charlottesville, Virginia ([[Leander McCormick Observatory]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://people.virginia.edu/~rjp0i/|title=Ricky Patterson's homepage |publisher=[[University of Virginia]] |access-date= August 3, 2020}}</ref>), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
| single line = Y
| collapsed = 
| Jan record high F = 81
| Feb record high F = 84
| Mar record high F = 94
| Apr record high F = 98
| May record high F = 100
| Jun record high F = 105
| Jul record high F = 107
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 107
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 88
| Dec record high F = 83
| year record high F = 107
| Jan high F = 44.7
| Feb high F = 48.7
| Mar high F = 56.5
| Apr high F = 68.3
| May high F = 75.4
| Jun high F = 83.1
| Jul high F = 87.4
| Aug high F = 85.6
| Sep high F = 79.2
| Oct high F = 68.5
| Nov high F = 57.7
| Dec high F = 48.1
| year high F = 66.9
| Jan mean F = 36.2
| Feb mean F = 39.1
| Mar mean F = 46.4
| Apr mean F = 57.1
| May mean F = 65.4
| Jun mean F = 73.5
| Jul mean F = 77.6
| Aug mean F = 75.9
| Sep mean F = 69.4
| Oct mean F = 58.7
| Nov mean F = 48.5
| Dec mean F = 40.0
| year mean F = 57.3
| Jan low F = 27.7
| Feb low F = 29.5
| Mar low F = 36.3
| Apr low F = 45.9
| May low F = 55.4
| Jun low F = 63.8
| Jul low F = 67.9
| Aug low F = 66.3
| Sep low F = 59.6
| Oct low F = 48.9
| Nov low F = 39.3
| Dec low F = 31.9
| year low F = 47.7
| Jan record low F = −10
| Feb record low F = −9
| Mar record low F = 7
| Apr record low F = 14
| May record low F = 32
| Jun record low F = 40
| Jul record low F = 49
| Aug record low F = 44
| Sep record low F = 34
| Oct record low F = 26
| Nov record low F = 8
| Dec record low F = −3
| year record low F = -10
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.42
| Feb precipitation inch = 2.97
| Mar precipitation inch = 3.96
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.48
| May precipitation inch = 4.63
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.68
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.84
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.02
| Sep precipitation inch = 5.21
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.92
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.65
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.75
| year precipitation inch = 48.53
| Jan snow inch = 3.9
| Feb snow inch = 5.9
| Mar snow inch = 3.8
| Apr snow inch = 0.0
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.2
| Dec snow inch = 3.2
| year snow inch = 17.0
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 9.6
| Feb precipitation days = 8.6
| Mar precipitation days = 10.6
| Apr precipitation days = 11.7
| May precipitation days = 13.1
| Jun precipitation days = 11.7
| Jul precipitation days = 12.2
| Aug precipitation days = 11.3
| Sep precipitation days = 10.2
| Oct precipitation days = 9.0
| Nov precipitation days = 8.4
| Dec precipitation days = 9.9
| year precipitation days = 126.3
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 2.2
| Feb snow days = 2.2
| Mar snow days = 1.4
| Apr snow days = 0.1
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.0
| Nov snow days = 0.2
| Dec snow days = 1.5
| year snow days = 7.6
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws>
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lwx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 3, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI1>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00441593&format=pdf
| title = Station: Charlottesville 2W, VA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 3, 2021}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
| location = [[Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport]], Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present{{efn|Threaded records maintained at the "Charlottesville 2W" (Leander McCormick Observatory) from January 1893 to November 13, 1998, and at Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport since November 14, 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|title=Threaded Extremes|website=threadex.rcc-acis.org}}</ref>}})
| single line = Y
| collapsed = Y
| Jan record high F = 81
| Feb record high F = 84
| Mar record high F = 94
| Apr record high F = 98
| May record high F = 100
| Jun record high F = 105
| Jul record high F = 107
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 107
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 88
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 107
| Jan high F = 47.3
| Feb high F = 51.4
| Mar high F = 59.6
| Apr high F = 70.3
| May high F = 77.5
| Jun high F = 85.6
| Jul high F = 89.7
| Aug high F = 87.3
| Sep high F = 81.0
| Oct high F = 70.6
| Nov high F = 59.7
| Dec high F = 50.7
| year high F = 69.2
| Jan mean F = 38.4
| Feb mean F = 41.4
| Mar mean F = 48.7
| Apr mean F = 58.5
| May mean F = 66.6
| Jun mean F = 74.8
| Jul mean F = 79.0
| Aug mean F = 76.9
| Sep mean F = 70.4
| Oct mean F = 59.3
| Nov mean F = 49.1
| Dec mean F = 41.5
| year mean F = 58.7
| Jan low F = 29.5
| Feb low F = 31.3
| Mar low F = 37.7
| Apr low F = 46.6
| May low F = 55.6
| Jun low F = 64.0
| Jul low F = 68.3
| Aug low F = 66.5
| Sep low F = 59.7
| Oct low F = 47.9
| Nov low F = 38.5
| Dec low F = 32.2
| year low F = 48.1
| Jan record low F = −10
| Feb record low F = −9
| Mar record low F = 1
| Apr record low F = 14
| May record low F = 29
| Jun record low F = 40
| Jul record low F = 49
| Aug record low F = 44
| Sep record low F = 34
| Oct record low F = 25
| Nov record low F = 8
| Dec record low F = -3
| year record low F = -10
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 2.96
| Feb precipitation inch = 2.35
| Mar precipitation inch = 3.54
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.17
| May precipitation inch = 4.17
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.38
| Jul precipitation inch = 3.37
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.87
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.09
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.31
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.36
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.04
| year precipitation inch = 41.61
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 9.0
| Feb precipitation days = 7.8
| Mar precipitation days = 10.0
| Apr precipitation days = 10.9
| May precipitation days = 13.5
| Jun precipitation days = 11.8
| Jul precipitation days = 13.1
| Aug precipitation days = 11.4
| Sep precipitation days = 10.9
| Oct precipitation days = 8.9
| Nov precipitation days = 7.5
| Dec precipitation days = 9.3
| year precipitation days = 124.1
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= nws/><ref name=NCEI2>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093736&format=pdf
| title = Station: Charlottesville AP, VA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 3, 2021}}</ref>
}}
''Notes'':
{{notelist}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1870 = 2838
| 1880 = 2676
| 1890 = 5591
| 1900 = 6449
| 1910 = 6765
| 1920 = 10688
| 1930 = 15245
| 1940 = 19400
| 1950 = 25969
| 1960 = 29427
| 1970 = 38880
| 1980 = 39916
| 1990 = 40341
| 2000 = 40099
| 2010 = 43475
| 2020 = 46553
| estyear = 2021
| estimate = 45672
| estref = 
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 5, 2014|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/va190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref> 2010–2015<ref name="Va">{{cite web|title=Commonwealth of Virginia Official 2015 Population Estimates|url=http://www.coopercenter.org/demographics/interactive-map|publisher=Virginia Weldon Cooper Center|access-date=May 2, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316145553/http://www.coopercenter.org/demographics/interactive-map|archive-date=March 16, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Charlottesville city, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name="2000CensusP004">{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Charlottesville city, Virginia |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US5114968&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Charlottesville city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5114968&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Charlottesville city, Virginia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US5114968&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|30,825
|28,827
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |29,609
|68.43%
|66.31%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |63.60%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|9,916
|8,344
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |7,030
|22.01%
|19.19%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |15.10%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|42
|65
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |66
|0.09%
|0.15%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.14%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|2,215
|2,758
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |4,064
|4.92%
|6.34%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |8.73%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|13
|13
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |18
|0.03%
|0.03%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|89
|89
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |218
|0.20%
|0.20%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.47%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|847
|1,156
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |2,341
|1.88%
|2.66%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |5.03%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|1,102
|2,223
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |3,207
|2.45%
|5.11%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |6.89%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''45,049'''
|'''43,475'''
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |'''46,553'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 Census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=U.S. Census website |access-date=May 14, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> of 2010, there were 43,475 people, 17,778 households, and 7,518 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|4,220.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 19,189 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 69.1% [[White American|White]], 19.4% [[Black American]], 0.3% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 6.4% [[Asian American|Asian]], 1.8% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|other races]], and 3.0% from two or more races. 5.1% of the population were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race.

There were 17,778 households, out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 14.9% under the age of 18, 24.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27.8 years. The population was 52.3% female and 47.7% male. The city's low median age and the "bulge" in the 18-to-24 age group are both due to the presence of the [[University of Virginia]].

The median income for a household in the city was $44,535, and the median income for a family was $63,934. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $26,049. About 10.5% of families and 27.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

20% of Charlottesville residents have a graduate or professional degree, compared with 10% in the United States as a whole.<ref name="virginialmi.com">{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=Virginia Community Profile: Charlottesville city |url=http://virginialmi.com/report_center/community_profiles/5104000540.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117064826/http://virginialmi.com/report_center/community_profiles/5104000540.pdf |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |website=virginialmi.com}}</ref>

Federally, Charlottesville is part of [[Virginia's 5th congressional district]], represented by Republican [[John McGuire (Virginia politician)|John McGuire]], elected in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |title=McGuire handily wins Virginia's 5th District |url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/government-politics/elections/mcguire-handily-wins-virginias-5th-district/article_edd078ee-9be8-11ef-93b9-b3d4d0eba492.html |access-date=2021-05-26 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

===Crime===
The city of Charlottesville has an overall [[crime rate]] higher than the national average, which tends to be a typical pattern for urban areas of the [[Southern United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2012-crime-statistics|title=FBI Releases 2012 Crime Statistics|publisher=FBI |access-date=August 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Butterfield|first=Fox|date=July 26, 1998|title=Ideas & Trends: Southern Curse; Why America's Murder Rate Is So High|newspaper=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/26/weekinreview/ideas-trends-southern-curse-why-america-s-murder-rate-is-so-high.html |access-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> 
[[File:Charlottesville Total Crime Rates 2009-2023.png|thumb|Charlottesville's total crime rate from 2009 to 2023]]
The total number of crimes reported in Charlottesville declined from 2009 to 2020, followed by a slight rebound continuing through 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia Crime Online |url=https://va.beyond2020.com/va_public/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Virginia Crime Online}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:SNL Financial, Charlottesville, VA IMG 4213.JPG|right|thumb|S&P Global building in Charlottesville]]
Charlottesville is the home of the [[National Radio Astronomy Observatory]] headquarters, the [[Leander McCormick Observatory]] and the [[CFA Institute]]. It is served by two area hospitals, the [[Martha Jefferson Hospital]] founded in 1903, and the [[University of Virginia Health System|University of Virginia Hospital]]. The [[National Ground Intelligence Center]] (NGIC) is in the Charlottesville area. Other large employers include [[Crutchfield]], [[Emerson Automation Solutions]], [[PepsiCo]] and [[S&P Global]].

18% of people employed in Charlottesville live there, while 82% commute into the city. 42% of those commuting to Charlottesville live in [[Albemarle County]]. Additionally, 11,497 people commute from Charlottesville outside of the city for employment. 51% of those commuting from Charlottesville work in Albemarle County. In 2016, Charlottesville had a 3.3% unemployment rate.<ref name="virginialmi.com" />

===Largest employers===
According to the city's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Charlottesville Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2024) |url=https://www.charlottesville.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/270 |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=6 April 2025 |website=City of Charlottesville}}</ref> the largest employers in the city are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
| 1
|[[University of Virginia Health System|University of Virginia / Blue Ridge Hospital]]
|1,000+
|-
|2
|[[Albemarle County, Virginia|County of Albemarle]]
|1,000+
|-
|3
|[[Sentara Health|Sentara Healthcare]]
|1,000+
|-
|4
|UVA Health Services Foundation
|1,000+
|-
|5
|City of Charlottesville
|1,000+
|-
|6
|[[Charlottesville City Public Schools|Charlottesville City School Board]]
|500–999
|-
|7
|[[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]]
|500–999
|-
|8
|[[Food Lion]]
|500–999
|-
|9
|Fluvanna County Public School Board
|500–999
|-
|10
|[[Walmart]]
|500–999
|}

==Attractions and culture==
[[Image:First United Methodist, Charlottesville, VA IMG 4220.JPG|right|thumb|First [[United Methodist]] Church in the historic district of downtown Charlottesville (pictured July 2011) has since been renovated.]]
[[Image:Downtownmallcville.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Downtown Mall]]]]

Charlottesville has a large series of attractions and venues for its relatively small size. Visitors come to the area for wine and beer tours, ballooning, hiking, and world-class entertainment that perform at one of the area's four larger venues. The city is both the launching pad and home of the [[Dave Matthews Band]] as well as the center of a sizable indie music scene.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7Vem4i8xFLw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20151120173410/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vem4i8xFLw Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vem4i8xFLw|title=Interview with Carey Sargent|last=C-VILLE Weekly|date=February 4, 2008 |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=August 12, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Charlottesville hosts multiple orchestral groups including the Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra|url=https://brco.avenue.org/|access-date=2022-01-11|website=brco.avenue.org}}</ref> Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mission and History|url=https://www.yocva.org/mission-history|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia|language=en-US|archive-date=January 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111025356/https://www.yocva.org/mission-history|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia {{!}} McIntire Department of Music|url=https://music.virginia.edu/symphony|access-date=2022-01-11|website=music.virginia.edu}}</ref>

The Charlottesville area was the home of [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and [[James Monroe]]. [[Monticello]], Jefferson's plantation manor, is located just a few miles from downtown. The home of [[James Monroe]], [[Ash Lawn-Highland]], is down the road from [[Monticello]]. About {{convert|25|mi|km}} northeast of Charlottesville lies the home of James and [[Dolley Madison]], [[Montpelier (James Madison)|Montpelier]]. During the summer, the Ash Lawn-Highland Opera Festival is held at the downtown Paramount Theater with a performance at Ash Lawn-Highland.

The nearby [[Shenandoah National Park]] offers recreational activities, scenic mountains and hiking trails. [[Skyline Drive]] is a scenic drive that runs the length of the park, alternately winding through thick forest and emerging upon sweeping scenic overlooks. The [[Blue Ridge Parkway]], a similar scenic drive that extends {{convert|469|mi|km}} south to [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] in [[North Carolina]], terminates at the southern entrance of Shenandoah, where it turns into Skyline Drive. This junction of the two scenic drives is only {{convert|22|mi|km}} west of downtown Charlottesville.

Charlottesville's [[downtown]] is a center of business for [[Albemarle County, Virginia|Albemarle County]]. It is home to the [[Downtown Mall]], one of the longest outdoor pedestrian malls in the nation, with stores, restaurants, theaters and civic attractions. The renovated [[Paramount Theater (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Paramount Theater]] hosts various events, including Broadway shows and concerts. Local theatrics downtown includes Charlottesville's community theater Live Arts. Other attractions on the Downtown Mall are the Virginia Discovery Museum and a 3,500 seat outdoor amphitheater, the Ting Pavilion (formerly the Sprint Pavilion and the nTelos Wireless Pavilion). Court Square, just a few blocks from the Downtown Mall, is the original center of Charlottesville and several of the historic buildings there date back to the city's founding in 1762.

Charlottesville also is home to the [[University of Virginia]] (most of which is legally in Albemarle County<ref>UVa's main grounds lie on the border of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Although maps may include this area within the city boundaries, most of it legally is in the county. Exceptions include the University Hospital, built in 1989 on land that remains part of the city. Detailed PDF maps are available at: {{cite web|url=http://www.web.virginia.edu/srem/teams/ |publisher=University of Virginia |title=Space and Real Estate Management: GIS Mapping |access-date=April 25, 2008}} See also: {{cite web|url=http://george.loper.org/trends/2001/Jul/94.html |date=July 2001 |title=Geographical Jurisdiction |work=Signs of the Times |first=George |last=Loper |access-date=April 25, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080416073405/http://george.loper.org/trends/2001/Jul/94.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = April 16, 2008}}</ref>). During the academic year, over 20,000 students enter Charlottesville to attend the university. Its main grounds are located on the west side of Charlottesville, with [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s Academical Village, known as [[the Lawn]], as the centerpiece. The Lawn is a long esplanade crowned by two prominent structures, [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]] (designed by Jefferson) and Old Cabell Hall (designed by [[Stanford White]]). Along the Lawn and the parallel [[The Range (University of Virginia)|Range]] are dormitory rooms reserved for distinguished students. The University Programs Council is a student-run body that programs concerts, comedy shows, speakers, and other events open to the students and the community, such as the annual "Lighting of the Lawn".<ref>{{cite press release
 |url        = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3408
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121215055711/http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3408
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = December 15, 2012
 |title      = The University of Virginia's Historic Lawn Lights Up
 |publisher  = University of Virginia
 |date       = December 6, 2007
 |access-date = February 24, 2008
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
 | url = https://www.readthehook.net/stories/2007/12/13/PHOTOPHILE-Lawn-A.rtf.aspx
 | title = UVA illumination draws thousands
 | last = Kuhlman
 | first= Jay
 | work = The Hook
 | date = December 6, 2006
 | access-date = 2022-12-19
}}</ref> One block from The Rotunda, the University of Virginia Art Museum exhibits work drawn from its collection of more than 10,000 objects and special temporary exhibitions from sources nationwide. It is also home to the [[Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School]] where all U.S. Army military lawyers, known as "JAGs", take courses specific to military law.

[[Image:2008-0830-Charlottesville-DowntownMall.jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Mall]]
[[The Corner (UVA)|The Corner]] is the [[commercial district]] abutting the main grounds of the University of Virginia along University Avenue. This area is full of college bars, eateries, and University merchandise stores, and is busy with student activity during the school year. Pedestrian traffic peaks during the university's home football games and graduation ceremonies. Much of the university's [[Fraternities and sororities|Greek life]] is on the nearby [[Rugby Road]], contributing to the nightlife and local bar scene. West Main Street, running from the Corner to the [[Downtown Mall]], is a commercial district of restaurants, bars, and other businesses.<ref>{{Cite news
 | url = https://www.readthehook.net/stories/2008/01/17/COVER-west%20main-C.rtf.aspx
 | title = West Main Street: Then and Now
 | last= McNair
 | first= Dave
 | date = January 17, 2008
 | work = The Hook
 | access-date = 2022-12-19
}}</ref>

Charlottesville is host to the annual [[Virginia Film Festival]] in October, the Charlottesville Festival of the Photograph in June, and the [[Virginia Festival of the Book]] in March. In addition, the [[Foxfield Races]] are [[Steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]] races held in April and September of each year. A [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] celebration, including a [[Naturalization]] Ceremony, is held annually at Monticello, and a [[First Night]] celebration has been held on the Downtown Mall since 1982.

== Sports ==
[[Image:John Paul Jones Arena HDR.jpg|right|thumb|[[John Paul Jones Arena]], home of the [[Virginia Cavaliers]] basketball programs]]

Charlottesville has no professional sports teams, but is home to the [[University of Virginia]]'s athletic teams, the [[Virginia Cavaliers|Cavaliers]], most notably the 2019 NCAA Men's National Basketball Champions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.virginia.edu/content/uva-wins-2019-ncaa-mens-basketball-championship|title=UVA Wins 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship|date=April 9, 2019|website=UVA Today}}</ref> The Cavaliers have a wide fan base throughout the region and state. The Cavaliers field teams in sports from soccer to basketball, and have modern facilities that draw spectators throughout the year. Cavalier [[American football|football]] season draws the largest crowds during the academic year, with football games played in [[Scott Stadium]]. The stadium hosted large musical events, including concerts by the [[Dave Matthews Band]], [[The Rolling Stones]] and [[U2]].

[[John Paul Jones Arena]], which opened in 2006, is the home arena of the Cavalier [[Virginia Cavaliers basketball|basketball]] teams, in addition to serving as a site for concerts and other entertainment events. The arena seats 14,593 for basketball. In its first season in the new arena concluded in March 2007, the Virginia men's basketball team tied with [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|UNC]] for 1st in the ACC. Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball won the ACC outright in the 2013–14 season, as well as the [[2014 ACC men's basketball tournament|2014 ACC tournament]]. The team finished the season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll before losing to [[Tom Izzo]]'s [[Michigan State Spartans men's basketball|Spartans]] by two points in the Sweet Sixteen held in Brooklyn, New York. The Cavaliers' men's basketball team won the NCAA championship on April 8, 2019.

[[Lacrosse]] has become a significant part of the Charlottesville sports scene. The Virginia Men's team won their first [[NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship|NCAA Championship]] in 1972; in 2006, they won their fourth national championship and were the first team to finish undefeated in 17 games (then a record for wins). The team won its seventh National Championship in 2021. Virginia's Women's team has three [[NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship|NCAA Championships]] to its credit, with wins in 1991, 1993, and 2004. The team most recently lost in [https://www.si.com/college/virginia/lacrosse/virginia-vs-notre-dame-live-updates-ncaa-mens-lacrosse-final-four#:~:text=The%20No.%202%20seed%20Virginia,Lincoln%20Financial%20Field%20in%20Philadelphia. 2023 semi finals] to Notre Dame by a score of 13–12 in overtime on May 27, 2023. The soccer program is also strong; the Men's team shared a national title with Santa Clara in 1989 and won an unprecedented four consecutive NCAA Division I Championships (1991–1994). Their coach during that period was [[Bruce Arena]], who later won two MLS titles at D.C. United and coached the U.S. National Team during the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. The Virginia Men's soccer team won the NCAA Championship again in both [[2009 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship|2009]] and [[2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship|2014]] under coach [[George Gelnovatch]]. Virginia's [[baseball]] team, has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, under Head Coach Brian O'Connor, after hosting several regionals and Super Regionals in the post-season, and playing in the 2009, 2011, and [[2014 College World Series]]. They finished as runners-up in the 2014 edition, despite outscoring [[Vanderbilt University|Vanderbilt]] 17–12 in the three-game series. The team then avenged this loss the following year, beating Vanderbilt in 2015 for its first NCAA baseball title.

Charlottesville area high school sports have been prominent throughout the state. Charlottesville is a hotbed for lacrosse in the country, with teams such as [[St. Anne's-Belfield School]], [[The Covenant School (Virginia)|The Covenant School]], [[Tandem Friends School]], Charlottesville Catholic School, [[Charlottesville High School]], [[Western Albemarle High School]] and [[Albemarle High School (Virginia)|Albemarle High School]]. Charlottesville High School won the [[Virginia High School League|VHSL]] Group AA boys' soccer championship in 2004. St. Anne's-Belfield School won its fourth state private-school championship in ten years in football in 2006. The Covenant School won the state private-school title in boys' cross country in the 2007–2008 school year, the second win in as many years, and that year the girls' cross country team won the state title. [[Monticello High School (Virginia)|Monticello High School]] won the VHSL Group AA state football title in 2007. Charlottesville High School's boys' soccer team were state champs again in 2019, when it won the VHSL Class 4A Championship.

Charlottesville is also home to the [[Charlottesville Tom Sox]] of the [[Valley Baseball League]] who won the 2017 & 2019 league championships. Their home stadium is Crutchfield Park at Charlottesville High School. Charlottesville is also home to the [[Charlottesville Alliance FC]], a soccer team who compete in the NPSL.

==Government and politics==
[[File:City Hall Charlottesville (5868118664).jpg|thumb|right|City Hall (2011)]]
[[File:Flickr 2768192221 Charlottesville City Hall.jpg|thumb|upright|right|City Hall façade showing bas relief statues of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe (2008)]]Voters elect a five-member council to serve as the legislative and governing body. Elected through at-large districts, the members serve four-year terms. Every two years, they select a councilor to serve as mayor. The mayor presides over meetings, calls special meetings, makes some appointments to advisory boards, and serves as the ceremonial head of government. Charlottesville city is overwhelmingly Democratic.

The City Council appoints the City Manager, the Director of Finance, the City Assessor, the Clerk of the council, and members of major policy-making Boards and Commissions. The City Manager serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://charlottesville.org/departments-and-services/departments-a-g/city-council|title=City Council|publisher=City of Charlottesville|access-date=March 28, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406023153/http://charlottesville.org/departments-and-services/departments-a-g/city-council|archive-date=April 6, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

According to the [https://charlottesville.gov/677/City-Council official page] the current city council are:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Member !! Party !! First Term Began
|-
|Juandiego Wade, [[Mayor]] || {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic || 2022 <small>(Mayor since 2024)</small>
|-
|Brian Pinkston, [[Deputy mayor|Vice-Mayor]] || {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic || 2022 <small>(Vice-Mayor since 2024)</small>
|-
|Michael Payne || {{Party shading/Democratic}}|Democratic || 2020
|-
|Lloyd Snook || {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic || 2020
|-
|Natalie Oschrin || {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic || 2024
|}

===Voting===
Charlottesville is one of the few Democratic bastions in heavily Republican central Virginia. It has swung particularly hard to the Democrats since the 1990s, in tandem with the growing Democratic trend in areas dominated by college towns. It has recently become one of the most Democratic out of all of Virginia's cities and counties, second only to Petersburg since 2016; in 2020 Joe Biden won the city with the highest percentage for a Democrat since 1912.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:9px"
|+Gubernatorial elections results<ref name="Leip, David"/>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party of Virginia|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party of Virginia|Republican]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 1993|1993]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''54.0%''' ''5,660''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|45.3% ''4,748''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 1997|1997]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''60.2%''' ''5,352''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|37.7% ''3,354''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2001|2001]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''72.9%''' ''6,781''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|24.9% ''2,316''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005|2005]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''79.4%''' ''8,018''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|18.5% ''1,870''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2009|2009]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''73.6%''' ''7,406''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|26.2% ''2,636''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2013|2013]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''75.6%''' ''9,440''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|15.4% ''1,922''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2017|2017]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''84.8%''' ''13,943''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|14.1% ''2,315''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021|2021]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''82.9%''' ''14,378''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|16.0% ''2,774''
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:9px"
|+Senatorial election results<ref name="Leip, David">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=General Election Results – Virginia|publisher=United States Election Atlas |author=Leip, David |access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party of Virginia|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party of Virginia|Republican]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006|2006]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''77.3%''' ''9,159''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|21.7% ''2,575''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008|2008]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''83.7%''' ''16,470''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|14.9% ''2,923''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2012|2012]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''78.4%''' ''16,800''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|21.4% ''4,589''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2014|2014]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''76.9%''' ''8,241''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|19.2% ''2,054''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2018|2018]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''86.1%''' ''17,641''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|11.5% ''2,346''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States Senate election in Virginia, 2020|2020]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''85.8%''' ''20,672''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|14.1% ''3,409''
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[2024 United States Senate election in Virginia|2024]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''84.0%''' ''19,439''
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|15.8% ''3,650''
|}
{{PresHead|place=Charlottesville, Virginia|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=August 12, 2017}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|3,428|19,435|571|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|3,094|20,696|415|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|2,960|17,901|1,606|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|4,844|16,510|443|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|4,078|15,705|261|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|4,172|11,088|190|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|4,034|7,762|1,428|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|4,091|7,916|782|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|4,705|8,685|1,509|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|5,817|7,671|164|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|6,947|7,317|42|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|5,907|6,866|1,789|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|6,673|6,846|350|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|7,935|5,240|178|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|5,601|3,831|1,903|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|4,415|5,205|84|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|3,651|2,894|83|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,746|1,783|494|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|3,292|2,174|8|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,419|1,527|421|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,055|2,188|12|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|743|1,759|13|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|335|1,393|14|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|409|1,287|8|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|708|992|0|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|218|831|111|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|351|1,041|15|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|117|618|4|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|39|454|29|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|82|428|8|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|71|391|6|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|361|731|13|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|371|801|18|Virginia}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|296|889|10|Virginia}}
{{PresFoot|1888|Democratic|407|674|8|Virginia}}

==Education==
[[Image:University of Virginia Rotunda in 2006.jpg|right|thumb|[[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]], situated on [[The Lawn]] in Charlottesville]]
The [[University of Virginia]], one of the original [[Public Ivies]], is located in the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle.

[[Piedmont Virginia Community College]] maintains several locations in Charlottesville.

Charlottesville is served by the [[Charlottesville City Public Schools]]. The school system operates six elementary schools, Walker Upper Elementary School, [[Buford Middle School]] and [[Charlottesville High School]]. It operated [[Lane High School]] jointly with Albemarle County from 1940 to 1974, when it was replaced by Charlottesville High School. [[Burley High School (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Jackson P. Burley High School]], a segregated school for African American students, was in operation from 1951 to 1967 and served students from both the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Burley High School was purchased by Albemarle County soon after it closed,<ref>"Jackson P. Burley School | African American Historic Sites Database". African American Historic Sites Database. Retrieved 2018-08-19.</ref> and reopened in 1974 as Jackson P. Burley Middle School.<ref>Bragg, Michael (6 October 2017). "In honor of Burley High". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2018-08-19.</ref>

[[Albemarle County Public Schools]], which serves surrounding [[Albemarle County]], has its headquarters in Charlottesville.<ref>{{cite web |title=Albemarle County Public Schools |url=http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/images/headers/96025/header_1275833942_.swf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629085507/http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/images/headers/96025/header_1275833942_.swf |archive-date=June 29, 2014 |access-date=October 7, 2011}}</ref>

Charlottesville also has the following private schools, some attended by students from Albemarle County and surrounding areas:
* Charlottesville Day School
* Charlottesville Waldorf School
* [[The Covenant School (Virginia)|The Covenant School]] (Lower campus)
* Regents School of Charlottesville 
* Renaissance School
* [https://www.theisc.org/ The International School of Charlottesville]
* [[St. Anne's-Belfield School]] (Greenway Rise campus)
* [[Village School (Charlottesville, Virginia)|Village School]]
* The Virginia Institute of Autism
* Peabody School

City children also attend several private [[Albemarle County, Virginia#Education|schools in the surrounding county]]. Those with Charlottesville postal addresses include:
* Charlottesville Catholic School
* [[The Covenant School (Virginia)|The Covenant School]] (Hickory campus)
* [[Tandem Friends School]]

[[Jefferson-Madison Regional Library]] is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Charlottesville.

==Media==
===Print publications===
Charlottesville has a main daily newspaper, ''[[The Daily Progress]]''. Weekly publications include ''C-Ville Weekly,'' which also publishes quarterly, bi-annual, and yearly glossies such as ''Abode'' (home, garden, architecture), ''Knife & Fork'' (food, drink, restaurants), ''Unbound,'' (outdoor sports and recreation, environmental issues), ''Best of C-VILLE'' (readers' favorite restaurants, bars, shops, etc.), ''CBIZ'' (local business), and ''Weddings.'' Other magazines published locally include ''Blue Ridge Outdoors'', ''[https://www.charlottesvillefamily.com/ CharlottesvilleFamily Magazine]'' and ''Albemarle Magazine''. A daily newspaper, ''[[The Cavalier Daily]]'', is published by an independent student group at UVA. Additionally, the alternative newsmagazine of UVA, ''The Declaration'', is printed every other week with new online content every week. The monthly newspaper ''Echo'' covers [[holistic health]] and related topics. ''Charlottesville Tomorrow'', an online nonprofit news organization, covers land use, transportation, business and education. Other lifestyle publications include''The Charlottesville Welcome Book'', CharlottesvilleFamily's ''Bloom! Magazine'', ''Wine & Country Life'' and ''Wine & Country Weddings''.

===Broadcast media===
Charlottesville is served by major television networks through stations [[WVIR-TV|WVIR]]/[[WVIR-CD]] 29 (NBC/CW on DT2), [[WCVE-TV|WHTJ]] 41 (PBS), [[WCAV]] 19 (CBS/FOX), and [[WVAW-LD]] 16 (ABC). News-talk radio in Charlottesville can be heard on [[WINA]] 1070 and [[WCHV (AM)|WCHV]] 1260. Sports radio can be heard on [[WVAX]] 1450. Country can be heard on [[WKAV]] 1400. [[National Public Radio]] stations include [[WMRA]] 103.5 FM and [[WVTF]] 89.7 FM. Commercial FM stations include [[WQMZ]] Lite Rock Z95.1 (AC), [[WWWV]] (3WV) (classic rock) 97.5, [[WCYK]] (country) 99.7, [[WHTE]] (CHR) 101.9, WZGN (Generations) 102.3, [[WCNR]] (The Corner) 106.1 and [[WCHV-FM]] 107.5. Charlottesville community broadcasters include [[WNRN-FM]] 91.9 and [[WTJU]] 91.1 (owned by the University of Virginia) radio and CPA-TV and Charlottesville's Own TV10 television stations.

===Municipal Open Data===
The city hosts the [[Charlottesville Open Data Portal]] for sharing municipal data as well as community information which local businesses and nonprofit organizations provide.

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
====Roads and highways====
[[File:2019-06-06 12 13 12 View west along Interstate 64 at Exit 121 (Virginia State Route 20, Charlottesville, Scottsville) in Charlottesville, Virginia.jpg|thumb|right|I-64 westbound at Exit 121 in Charlottesville]]
The most significant highways passing through Charlottesville are [[Interstate 64 in Virginia|Interstate 64]] and [[U.S. Route 29 in Virginia|U.S. Route 29]]. I-64 heads east to [[Interstate 95 in Virginia|Interstate 95]] in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] and west to [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|Interstate 81]] in [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]]. US 29 heads southwest towards [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] and northeast to [[Washington, D.C.]] Other highways serving Charlottesville include [[U.S. Route 250 in Virginia|U.S. Route 250]] and [[Virginia State Route 20]]. US 29 and US 250 are served locally by bypasses around downtown, with business routes passing directly through downtown.

====Public transportation====
[[File:Cville bus Station (4904743457).jpg|thumb|left|Bus Transit Center in downtown Charlottesville (2013)]]
Charlottesville is served by [[Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport]], the [[Charlottesville (Amtrak station)|Charlottesville Amtrak Station]], and a [[Greyhound Lines]] intercity bus terminal. Direct bus service to [[New York City]] is also provided by the [[Starlight Express (bus)|Starlight Express]]. [[Charlottesville Area Transit]] provides area bus service, augmented by JAUNT, a regional [[paratransit]] van service. [[University Transit Service]] provides mass transit for students and residents in the vicinity of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville area.

=====Rail=====
[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail service, provides service to Charlottesville with three routes: The [[Cardinal (train)|''Cardinal'']] (service between Chicago and New York City via central Virginia and Washington, D.C.), select ''[[Northeast Regional]]'' trains (service between Boston and Roanoke) and the [[Crescent (Amtrak)|''Crescent'']] (service between New York City and New Orleans). The ''Cardinal'' operates three times a week, while the ''Crescent'' and ''Northeast Regional'' both run daily in both directions, but have different operating schedules on the weekdays and weekends.

Charlottesville was once a major rail hub, served by both the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) and the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]]. The first train service to Charlottesville began in the early 1850s by the Louisa Railroad Company, which became the [[Virginia Central Railroad]] before becoming the C&O. The Southern Railway started service to Charlottesville around the mid-1860s with a north–south route crossing the C&O east-west tracks. The new depot that sprang up at the crossing of the two tracks was called Union Station. In addition to the new rail line, The C&O and Southern located a major repair shop that produced competition between the two rail companies and bolstered the local economy. The Queen Charlotte Hotel went up on West Main street along with restaurants for the many new railroad workers.

The former C&O station on East Water Street was turned into offices in the mid-1990s. [[Charlottesville Union Station]], still a functional depot for Amtrak, is located on West Main street between 7th and 9th streets where the tracks of the former C&O Railway (leased by C&O successor [[CSX]] to [[Buckingham Branch Railroad]]) and Southern (now [[Norfolk Southern Railway]]) lines cross. Amtrak and the city of Charlottesville finished refurbishing the station just after 2000, upgrading the depot and adding a full-service restaurant. The Amtrak Crescent and northeast regional travels on Norfolk Southern's dual north–south tracks. The Amtrak Cardinal runs on the Buckingham Branch east-west single track, which follows [[U.S. Route 250]] from [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]] to a point east of Charlottesville near [[Cismont, Virginia]]. The eastbound Cardinal joins the northbound Norfolk Southern line at [[Orange, Virginia|Orange]], on its way to Washington, D.C.

Charlottesville also had an electric streetcar line, the [[Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway]] (C&A), that operated during the early twentieth century. Streetcar lines existed in Charlottesville since the late 1880s under various names until organized as the C&A in 1903. The C&A operated streetcars until 1935, when the line shut down due to rising costs and decreased ridership.

There are proposals to extend [[Virginia Railway Express]], the [[Commuter rail in North America|commuter rail]] line connecting [[Northern Virginia]] to [[Washington, D.C.]], to Charlottesville.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.cvillerail.org
 | title= CvilleRail
|website=cvillerail.org
 | access-date = February 24, 2008
|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080318181320/http://www.cvillerail.org/ |archive-date= Mar 18, 2008
}}</ref> Also, the [[Transdominion Express]] steering committee has suggested making Charlottesville a stop on the proposed statewide passenger rail line.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tdxinfo.org/proposed-route-map/ |title= Route Map |website=TransDominion Express |publisher=The Committee to Advance The TransDominion Express |access-date=April 5, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727184704/http://www.tdxinfo.org/proposed-route-map/ |archive-date= Jul 27, 2010 }}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Charlottesville, Virginia}}
Since the city's early formation, it has been home to numerous notable individuals, from historic figures [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Monroe]], to literary giants [[Edgar Allan Poe]] and [[William Faulkner]], to NFL player [[Ralph Horween]].

Charlottesville's Albemarle County is or has been the home of movie stars [[Rob Lowe]], [[Sissy Spacek]], [[Jessica Lange]] and [[Sam Shepard]], novelist [[John Grisham]], [[Ray Austin (director)|Raymond Austin]], television director, writer and novelist, the poet [[Rita Dove]], the [[Dave Matthews Band]], and the pop band [[Parachute (band)|Parachute]], as well as multi-billionaires [[John Kluge]] and [[Edgar Bronfman Sr.]]

Between 1968 and 1984, Charlottesville was also the home of [[Anna Anderson]], best known for her false claims to be [[Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Anastasia]] and lone survivor of the 1918 massacre of [[Nicholas II]]'s royal family.

The city was also home of the Tibetan lama [[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]], but he and his family have since moved to California. His Ligmincha Institute headquarters, Serenity Ridge, is in nearby [[Shipman, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://serenityridge.ligminchainstitute.org/|title=Serenity Ridge Retreat Center |website=serenityridge.ligminchainstitute.org |access-date=August 12, 2017|archive-date=August 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812212836/http://serenityridge.ligminchainstitute.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Sister cities==
Charlottesville has four [[town twinning|sister cities]]:<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Online Directory: Virginia, USA
 |work        = Sister Cities International
 |url         = http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/VA
 |access-date  = June 2, 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060502174936/http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/VA
 |archive-date = May 2, 2006
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|France}} [[Besançon]], [[Doubs]], France
* {{flagdeco|Bulgaria}} [[Pleven]], Bulgaria
* {{flagdeco|Italy}} [[Poggio a Caiano]], [[Tuscany]], Italy
* {{flagdeco|Ghana}} [[Winneba]], Ghana<ref name=dpclock>{{cite web|url=http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/residents_chime_in_on_city_clock_designs/48880/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118181227/http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/residents_chime_in_on_city_clock_designs/48880|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 18, 2009|title=Residents chime in on city clock designs|publisher=[[The Daily Progress]]|date=November 15, 2009|author=Tasha Kates}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[:Category:Mayors of Charlottesville, Virginia|Mayors of Charlottesville, Virginia]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Charlottesville, Virginia]]
* [[:Category:People from Charlottesville, Virginia|People from Charlottesville, Virginia]]
* [[:Category:Charlottesville, Virginia|Topics related to Charlottesville, Virginia]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Charlottesville}}
* {{Official website|http://www.charlottesville.org/}}
* [http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Charlottesville_During_the_Civil_War Charlottesville During the Civil War in ''Encyclopedia Virginia'']
* [http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/schwartz/cville/cville.history.html Charlottesville, A Brief Urban History]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509071959/http://albemarlehistory.org/on-line_exhibits.htm Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society Online Exhibits]

{{Charlottesville, Virginia}}
{{Virginia}}
{{Virginia county seats and independent cities}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|display=title|38.02990|-78.4790}}

[[Category:Charlottesville, Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Virginia]]
[[Category:County seats in Virginia]]
[[Category:Cities in the Charlottesville, Virginia metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1762 establishments in the Colony of Virginia]]
[[Category:Western Virginia]]