The best of country living is within two hours of Washington, D.C., say Realtors in Greene County, Virginia, where Blue Ridge Mountain towns offer growth along with small-town values.

"Greene County is the northern overspill area for Charlottesville," says Realtor Bev Nash, "as prices have been so much more reasonable, and it is only about a 20-minute commute. Rt. 33 heads over the Blue Ridge to the Shenandoah Valley, and we are around two hours from DC. Raw land and home prices are rising in line with the surrounding areas and Barboursville to the east is a high demand area, too."

Explains Realtor Carol Costanzo, "First-time homebuyers, who account for four out of ten home purchases, provide liquidity to the housing market and make it easier for existing owners to trade up or trade down, according to a new survey of home buyers and sellers released by the National Association of Realtors® . NAR's composite Housing Affordability Index was 128.6 during the third quarter of 2004, down 3.7 percentage points from 132.3 in the second quarter; it was 7.6 points below the same period a year earlier when it stood at 136.2.*

About the market, Costanzo says, "Greene County is a rural county that is experiencing growth. This enables buyers to get new construction and resale homes at a lower price than Charlottesville with an easy commute. The secret of Charlottesville's success as a city is its quality of life. We have a seasonably mild climate, beautiful, rich landscape with the Blue Ridge Mountains, Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail all nearby. The University of Virginia is located here. We are rich in history too with Monticello, Michie Tavern, and Ashlawn all right here.

"Richmond is about 45 minutes from here," she continues. "We are centrally located to Virginia Beach at about three hours. Frommer's Cities Ranked and Rated has named Charlottesville the Best Place to Live in America! The new publication rated over 400 cities in the United States and Canada in ten different categories, and found that Charlottesville attained the top overall rating. USA Today on Charlottesville real estate: Out of 466 American cities, Charlottesville Virginia is ranked the number one place to live in the USA. The New York Times on Charlottesville Virginia: The place where privacy is respected, where Southern gentility, even chivalry still thrives, and, perhaps above all, where the land rolls away toward the mountains in the west with a beauty that snatches the breath at the top of each crest and the bottom of each vale. CNN Money on Charlottesville area real estate: The best place to live and raise children in Virginia. Tennis Magazine on Charlottesville Virginia real estate: A top 10. Golf Magazine on Charlottesville golf properties: Unsurpassed in beauty and splendor...Virginia golf is king. Frommer's on Charlottesville real estate: Our annual choice for the number one place to live in America for 2004: Charlottesville, Virginia. The ten evaluated categories included Economy & Jobs, Cost of Living, Climate, Education, Health & Healthcare, Crime, Transportation, Leisure, Arts & Culture and overall Quality of Life.

"For the past 27 years," says Costanzo, "Charlottesville has had a Triple A bond rating. We are the smallest city in the nation to have that rating. There are only 14 cities nationwide that received this rating, and it allows the city to get a better rate when they issue Municipal Bonds. This saves taxpayers money."

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Published: December 24, 2004

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