Charlottesville
Charlottesville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia with a population of 40,745[1]. It is home to the University of Virginia which provides another 9,000 part-time residents. Incorporated in 1762[2], Charlottesville is located on 10.4 square miles of land and is completely surrounded by Albemarle County. Charlottesville is also the County seat, though it is an independent city with a separate government.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the two jurisdictions as one of 363 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the nation. Its 2005 population of 188,016 ranked 212th in the nation[3]. The MSA also includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson Counties.
History
Charlottesville was incorporated in 1762 after being founded as an outpost along the Three Notch'd Road from Richmond to the Shenandoah Valley[4]. The town got its name from Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III[5].
Government
Charlottesville's city government is run by a City Manager who is supervised by a five member City Council.
City Council
- Main article: City Council
Councilors are elected every other November to four-year terms. The next election is scheduled for November 1, 2011. The seats currently held by Councilors Satyendra Huja, Holly Edwards and David Brown will be on the ballot. Brown has indicated he will not be seeking re-election.
Departments
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- Department of Neighborhood Development Services
- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Department of Public Works
Staff
The City Manager position in Charlottesville is currently vacant. The acting City Manager is Maurice Jones, who oversees a city staff with over 931 full-time equivalents[6] spread across several departments.
Other staff include:
- Craig Brown, City Attorney
- Richard Harris, Deputy City Attorney
- Jim Tolbert, Director of Neighborhood Development Services
- Brian Daly, Director of Parks and Recreation
- Judith Mueller, Director of Public Works
- Ric Barrick, Director of Communications
- Bernard Wray, Director of Finance
Government association memberships
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Charlottesville's government is a member of Virginia First Cities.
Neighborhoods
- Main article: List of Charlottesville Neighborhoods
Charlottesville is home to several neighborhoods, both formally defined by the planning department, and informally defined within the community.
Infrastructure
The Department of Public Works buys water from the RWSA and the Utility Billing Office charges residents directly.
The City builds it own roads.
The City voted to approve the lease-purchase of two ambulances so that it can begin providing its own ambulance service in 2008. Previously, emergency medical service (EMS) was provided by the Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad[citation needed].
Legal Agreements
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Charlottesville's government is bound by legal agreements with other area governments and some notable private enterprises:
Awards
- Main article: List of superlative awards
Charlottesville is repeatedly listed among "best places to live" rankings in many publications.
Authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander selected Charlottesville as the best place to live in the United States for the year 2004[citation needed].
Tourist attractions
Tourism is a significant part of the area economy[citation needed]. Major attractions include:
Notes
- ↑ http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=154, City website, retrieved on 20080326
- ↑ Barrick, Ric. City's 250th Anniversary of Incorporation. Rep. Charlottesville, 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/docs/20100517-CC-History-Celebration-staff-report.pdf>.
- ↑ Web. Bearfacts, Charlottesville, VA, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, retrieved 24 Jan 2010.
- ↑ Barrick, Ric. City's 250th Anniversary of Incorporation. Rep. Charlottesville, 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/docs/20100517-CC-History-Celebration-staff-report.pdf>.
- ↑ Rainville, Lynn. "LoCoHistory » Blog Archive » The Earl and the Queen." LoCoHistory. 3 Feb. 2007. Web. 21 July 2010. <http://www.locohistory.org/blog/albemarle/2007/02/03/the-earl-and-the-queen/>.
- ↑ http://www.charlottesville.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9698, O'Connell's March 3 presentation to Council, retrieved on 2008-03-26
External links
City of Charlottesville official government website
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