Charlottesville, Virginia : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Charlottesville, Virginia

Official name

Charlottesville, Virginia

Settlement type

Independent City

Motto

A great place to live for all of our citizens

Country

United States

State

Virginia

Founded

1762

Government

Mayor

Dave Norris

Geography

Total Area

10.3 sq mi (26.7 km2)

Land Area

10.3 sq mi (26.7 km2)

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km2)

Elevation

594 ft (181.1 m)

Demography

Total Population

43475 (2010)

Density (pop.)

1629.3/km² (4220.9/sq mi)

Other information

Time zone

EST (UTC-5)

- Summer (DST)

EDT (UTC-4)

ZIP codes

22901-22908

Area code

434

FIPS code

51-14968

GNIS feature ID

1498463

Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.

The official population estimate for the city, calculated in 2010, was 43,475. It is the county seat of Albemarle County though the two are separate legal entities. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Charlottesville with Albemarle County for statistical purposes, bringing the total population to 118,398. The city is the heart of the Charlottesville metropolitan area which includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson counties.

Charlottesville is best known as being the home to two U.S. Presidents (Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe), and nearby is that of James Madison in Orange, as well as the home of the University of Virginia, which, along with Monticello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Monticello, Jefferson's mountain-top home, attracts approximately half a million tourists every year. . While both these gentlemen served as Governor of Virginia, they lived in Charlottesville and travelled to and from the capitol (Richmond, Virginia along the 71 mile (114 km) historic Three Notch'd Road.