Charlottesville, VA

[Purled]

Excellent, this is going on my resource list; thank you!

A friend told me about this place for fresh local produce:

http://cvillemarket.com/

It's a little ways from Grounds, but he said it's worth the trip.

[Purled]

This is excellent, thank you, and possibly see you this weekend.

I am a current poli sci grad student at UVA, glad that new admits are on this board.

I pay $560 + fixed $100 for all utilities (inc. internet) at a place called Grad Court - walkability was important to me, and this place is 2 blocks from a lot of restaurants/bars on the "corner" and 10 minutes away from the PoliSci dept. I have my own lofted bedroom, main room, and bathroom, but I share a kitchen and living room with a history PhD and 2 other dudes.

I know people who pay more in the range of $300-400 off Brandon Ave and in JPA (2 or 3 bedroom places), which is actually closer to the PoliSci dept. (located at the southernmost part of main grounds), but if you go with a standalone house you might have to pay more for utilities. At the same time, most people I know with one bedrooms pay upwards of $600-800. My view is that as long as I have my own bathroom, there's no need to pay that much.

Look at the Woodard properties page, and maybe the Wade properties page. C-list is how I found my apt, though.

And the produce varies - there's a Farmer's market half the year that has excellent produce, and Harris Teeter usually is pretty good the rest of the year. They are also opening a new whole foods closer to grounds that should have decent fruit/veg.

edit: also, what the poster above me said is true, the undergrads can be a little annoying. however, living downtown is often more expensive (except some places in Belmont) and getting to the politics dept. is a much bigger hassle. Parking is rough, and taking the bus would be a little annoying, at least IMO. My apt.'s location within the complex is far enough away from 14th street that I never get bothered by noise, but I bet people who live right on the street have a different opinion.

[Calhoun]

And I'm told a Traders Joe's will open in 2012!

[papercuts]

Hi everyone,

I am currently a phd student at UVA and I was looking last year for places to live and found a great co-operative living community of which I am now the recruitment coordinator. It's called Cooperative Housing at UVA (or just CHUVA). We will have a few openings for new students next year in all of our four houses and we're now open for applications. The people are great and it's a good community for people who are new to the town. We have potlucks, events and parties and the rooms are quite affordable ranging from $350-$380 per month plus utilities. There are also summer subleases for those interested.

If you'd like to learn more just visit our website at : http://www.student.virginia.edu/coop/ (A new website is coming soon.) You can download and fill our application from this link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1237913/New%20CHUVA%20App_v2.doc

You can also email me at caneruguz@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Charlottesville is a great city and it would be a good decision to come here regardless of where you live. Good luck with your application process.

Caner

[wink]

Hi all, I will be starting at UVa this fall!

I'm looking at apartments now and I'm wondering if anyone knows about Eagles Landing. It looked good to me but I just found a bunch of reviews that say it's very noisy, rowdy etc. Any insight?

[basst]

Hi all, I will be starting at UVa this fall!

I'm looking at apartments now and I'm wondering if anyone knows about Eagles Landing. It looked good to me but I just found a bunch of reviews that say it's very noisy, rowdy etc. Any insight?

It's quite far from campus about 10 min drive. It has their own shuttle to campus and supermarket every 30 min.

[AlaskanJustin]

Bump. Just got an acceptance here and want to start weighing up the options if I decide to go there. Any RECENT information would be most welcomed. Any UVA/C'Ville lovers?

[Revo]

Bump. Just got an acceptance here and want to start weighing up the options if I decide to go there. Any RECENT information would be most welcomed. Any UVA/C'Ville lovers?

Anything in particular that you want to know?

For housing, most of the decent housing in C'ville is around the same price. There's a tradeoff: the closer to UVA you are the more you'll pay (or the lower the quality of the apartment), while you can pay less and/or get better quality if you live farther away from the University.

There's a functional city and university bus system, plenty of grocery stores (including a few 24-hour ones), and about one of every big box store ... plus a small mall with department stores and a downtown pedestrian mall with smaller businesses.

[SAUgrin]

Hey guys I'm looking to create a Facebook group for all incoming graduate students to UVA for fall. Hopefully it will be a good resource for finding housing and helping us integrate into the community. Reply if you are interested or email me at SAUgrin@yahoo.com.

[MinervasOwl]

I just accepted a place at UVA and am panicking about housing. That I live in another continent on the other side of the world does not make things easier. I need a safe neighborhood, conveniently located with shops nearby and either accessible by Univ shuttle or safe transport. I don't know my stipend yet but I'm betting its not going to be very bountiful. I don't want to compromise on safety though, I'd rather skip meals to save money

Any advice for me? If anyone could recommend specific apartments/buildings rather than neighborhoods in general that would be really helpful.

What's the deal with Copely? Do grads have to share a room or just share the apartment? And how do they pick roommates?

Please help!!!!!!

[midnight]

Can anyone tell me about the parking situation at UVA or close to campus? I'm likely going to be commuting, and I'm really worried that it might be like my alma mater (another VA state school that had a horrific parking situation where students often couldn't find spots and would be late for class or miss class altogether!).

 

Thanks for any input.

[portraitofsarah]

Does anyone know anything about Cambridge Square apartments or Oxford Hill? I'm perusing the Craigslist and they seem like a good deal, but I'm all the way in NYC and can't see them for myself. Was wondering if anyone on the ground knew one way or the other. 

[Eruthos]

Most likely that my acceptance will come in within 2 weeks (had a good talk and offer from my POI), so I'm checking the possibilities of housing in C-ville. The graduate on-campus housing has caught my eye (Copeley Hill and University Grounds). Is there any recent info on the quality of the housing in these areas? I currently live in Delft and there's always noise (like trams, cars, people and even neighbours having insanely rough sex in the middle of the night..) so I'm kind of used to it. Are there any other recent developments that someone can point out?

 

I'm also not bothered by distance, as I'm used to biking at least 6 km (4 miles) to get to school/work/etc. I will most likely get a car, but that's only for leisure use.

 

Edit: also, what about for instance "GrandMarc at the Corner"? I heard that University Place is aweful?

Edited March 5, 2014 by Eruthos

[hj2012]

Hey! Glad to hear you're considering UVA. I did my undergrad there, and Charlottesville is a lovely college town.

You shouldn't have any serious problems with noise in Copeley. North Grounds are usually pretty quiet and removed from the Corner, which is where you'll usually find problems regarding noise. The housing quality isn't bad, either.

However, there isn't a whole lot to do there, and you might find getting to restaurants or bars a bit of a pain. If you're considering off-grounds housing there are some nice complexes further down on 14th (away from the Corner and Rugby Rd). If distance isn't a problem, you might look at places closer to Downtown or on Jefferson Park Ave extended.

Good luck!

Edited March 5, 2014 by hj2012

[hj2012]

Just saw your edit. I would highly recommend that you stay away from Grand Marc. It is full of undergrads and can get very, very loud on weekends. What is your budget? Are you looking for studios or one bedroom apartments or would you prefer roommates?

[Eruthos]

Thanks for your quick reply hj2012! I will be doing a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering and I think that with the minimum stipend I will be able to spend $800 max a month (incl utilities). Since I'm from Europe I think the best experience will be with roommates, especially in the first year. The Copeley Hill 3-bedroom apartments look very nice, but would the university allow 3 random people to be roommates? I have no clue on that part. If I receive my admission offer and financial stuff I will contact the university myself, but any extra information beforehand is helpful!

[lucerovespertino]

@Eruthos: I did my undergrad at UVa (graduated 2010) and will probably be returning for my doctoral degree this coming fall. I lived with two roommates on a quiet street off JPA. I could walk to class easily, and the noise levels weren't very high since it was a house off of the main road. We paid $450 each and I honestly only used my car for trips to the grocery store or outside of Charlottesville. 

 

If I do return in August, I'll definitely be searching for something quiet again, though this time without roommates and pet friendly (I have a dog). I was thinking of living a bit farther away and paying the monthly fee for parking at the Emmet/Ivy Garage when I come to class. There are some lovely 1bdr apartment complexes (with dog parks!) around the Fashion Mall area.

 

http://brac.com/ is a great resource for places. When I lived there, I rented from http://velikyrentals.com/ and I never had any complaints either. 

[Eruthos]

@lucerovespertino - Thanks! Handy to hear these kind of things !

[hj2012]

Eruthos, you can definitely live in Copeley and choose the option for random roommates. Because of Copeley's proximity to the law and business school, lots of law / business students live there.

 

I also second the recommendation for brac.org -- great resource for finding apartments. If you're in engineering, you might be happier living off JPA because it'll definitely be a closer walk to campus.

 

Since you're interested in roommates, you might also consider using http://offgroundshousing.student.virginia.edu/roommate/search (if you don't know about it already!). However, you might have better luck in about a month or so, after people finish making their decisions and begin to commit. Since most undergraduates sign leases in the fall/winter, the lost time shouldn't hurt you significantly.

 

Best of luck with your search!

[Eruthos]

@hj2012 - I found the off-grounds roommate site indeed, already signed up a few days ago. Should I get all the paperwork done I might as well go for a Copeley Hills apartment and get roommates =)! And in terms of distance, I don't care.. I'm Dutch, I'm born to bike .

[Benediction]

Hello everyone, I will also be attending UVa this year! 

 

I just got an offer from Copeley. I'm an international student and because I have no chance to come and see the houses before I arrive to Charlottesville in August, I'm thinking about playing safe and staying in Copeley for the first year. I'm just worried about the fact that it might be too boring up there. Is getting around at night really impossible or is it manageable? I was thinking it would be fun to live with other grad students but I'm a bit confused right now. 

 

Thanks in advance! 

[hj2012]

Hello everyone, I will also be attending UVa this year! 

 

I just got an offer from Copeley. I'm an international student and because I have no chance to come and see the houses before I arrive to Charlottesville in August, I'm thinking about playing safe and staying in Copeley for the first year. I'm just worried about the fact that it might be too boring up there. Is getting around at night really impossible or is it manageable? I was thinking it would be fun to live with other grad students but I'm a bit confused right now. 

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

Hey there! Copeley is on North Campus and is pretty far removed from where all the action goes on. It depends on how close you want to be to nightlife and bars and such. From what I remember, nearly everyone I met who lived at Copeley was an international student or a visiting student. So if you're looking for that kind of community, Copeley might be a good fit.

 

Would it be possible for you to contact others in your cohort and see if anyone is interested in splitting an apartment? That'll probably be the best option, and probably more affordable as well.

[Benediction]

Hey there! Copeley is on North Campus and is pretty far removed from where all the action goes on. It depends on how close you want to be to nightlife and bars and such. From what I remember, nearly everyone I met who lived at Copeley was an international student or a visiting student. So if you're looking for that kind of community, Copeley might be a good fit.

 

Would it be possible for you to contact others in your cohort and see if anyone is interested in splitting an apartment? That'll probably be the best option, and probably more affordable as well.

 

Hmm the fact that it's far away is not nice, but then again I like the idea of being in an international community. And maybe, I'm just being naive by thinking that I would have time for all this..

 

And what about the taxis? Would it be too expensive to use them to return back home occasionally? Are they convenient to use? Please don't get me wrong, I'm not rich or anything but it's just, the city where I come from is a huge one and we have no other means than a taxi to go back home after a night-out. 

 

And thank you for the suggestion! Think I might give it a try, but in case it doesn't work, I would like to keep the Copeley option open  

[hj2012]

No, you could use taxis to return home on occasion. It's usually not too difficult to hail a taxi on the Corner (strip of bars close to grounds) or on the Downtown Mall (more "grownup" nightlife options).

 

People get used to the distance between North Grounds and the rest of grounds, but I personally would find it a pain to have to get from North Grounds to my building every day. If you're in politics I'm assuming you'll be in the South Lawn building complex most of the time. There are definitely closer (off grounds) options if you look for them.

[RPCV Cameroon]

How much is the fee for a parking pass at/near UVA?