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Hookipedia!

Pronouncing Monticello
Although nearly 100 percent of the intelligentsia in this town says "Mon-ti-CHELL-o," quite a lot of bright folks-- especially northern transplants living in Fluvanna-- say, "mon-ti-SELL-o" or that quirky southern variant, "monna-SELL-uh."

Channel 29
Local NBC affiliate supposedly not named after our biggest road. Bright red jackets come out during winter storms. It faces competition now that three other networks have set up Charlottesville stations collectively known as "The Newsplex."

Rio Road
"Rio," which means "river" in Spanish, was most likely used as a name for the old mill and bridge on this road because of their proximity to the Rivanna River. But the Spanish word is pronounced "Ree-o," some may point out. True, but locals at the time may have opted for the long "i" sound perhaps because it fit with the local pronunciation of the "RY-vanna" river. No one knows for sure, but they do know this: it was never Route 10.

Downtown Mall
An oasis of hipsterdom and a rare urban success story. Built in 1976, expanded in 1985, crossed by traffic in 1995. It's where the action is-- at least on warm Fridays.

Fridays After 5
Free summer concert series held at the east end of the Downtown Mall. Audiences used to sit on a grassy hill that was bulldozed in favor of the 3,500 seat cement-floor Charlottesville Pavilion.

Rebricking
What happened when the City replaced all of the bricks that make up the Downtown Mall in the spring of 2009 at a price tag of $7 million.

The University
The more erudite name for UVA and the full text of one of America's most pretentious bumper stickers.

The Grounds
UVA doesn't have a "campus," it has the Grounds. (And it wasn't built by "TJ"; it was founded by "Mr. Jefferson.") And there's no such thing as a freshman. It's "first year," please.

The Lawn
The original grounds of UVA. Streaking the length of it is considered a rite of passage for students.

The JPJ
While a construction crew tried to get the folksy diminuitive "The Jack" off the ground, this has become the standard moniker for UVA's 16,000 seat, $130 million John Paul Jones Arena, opened in 2006. No, it's not named for the Led Zeppelin bassist. Hedge fund king Paul Tudor Jones II gave $30 million for the project, and UVA named the building for his father, a Memphis attorney and UVA Law grad.

The Corner
Five blocks of fun. According to historian Coy Barefoot, students began using this moniker for the intersection of University Avenue and the central entrance to the University Grounds (where the fancy "honor" gate was erected in 1915) by 1902. The name stuck and eventually came to include all the real estate for several blocks in either direction. Now it's also the name of the radio station at 106.1 FM.

The "The"
Apparently, the word that absolutely must precede all UVA proper nouns.

Timberlake's The town's olde tyme drugstore downtown. Still delivers. Still has a lunch counter with homemade soup and real ice-cream sodas. The fireplace is a local gathering spot in winter.

Garrett Square
The old-school name for the low-income housing complex near the Downtown Mall now called "Friendship Court."

County recycling
A cruel joke. In 2003, the County ended its curbside recycling program for everything but newspapers and magazines after the market for bottles, cans, and other landfill-packing stuff collapsed.

Three Chopt Road
Also known as Three Notched Road, this colonial version of a highway is essentially the path of today's Route 250, including such historic stretches as the Downtown Mall and West Main Street.

Sacagawea
Probably more famous for being on the unpopular gold dollar coin, she was one of the few non-local folks in the famous Lewis & Clark expedition. According to the February 2003 National Geographic, she's the subject of more statues than any other American woman, including the local one with her crouching on West Main Street with her white male exploration counterparts. We're still holding out for a statue of York, the Albemarle-based slave on the trip.

The Omni
Built by City Council vote and lots of taxpayer dollars in the mid-1980s, it's simultaneously a symbol of government excess and a really nice place to stay if you want to stroll the Downtown Mall.

Bodo's
Charlottesville's fastest bagels-- and slowest opening schedule. The owner, Brian Fox, hung a "coming soon" banner on the Corner location in 1995. A decade after the sign-- and to bagel-lovers' awe and disbelief-- Fox finally opened the Corner and placed the third jewel in his bagel crown. Fox sold the franchise, but bagel fans need not fear. He kept it in the family by selling each restaurant to its respective manager.

Queen Charlotte Sophia
Wife of King George III, against whom the colonists fought the Revolution. Fourteen years before the colonies waged war against the mother country, the General Assembly of the Virginia Colony elected to name the seat of Albemarle County for this young lady.

The White Spot
It's just a restaurant, but no glossary of the town is complete without mentioning this Corner mainstay and its Gusburger and Grillswith.

Farmington Country Club
Still considered the swankiest place to swing a club, but the past decade has brought stiff competition from Keswick and Glenmore.

Jack Jouett
If there had been a southern poet as sharp as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, schoolchildren might be reading less about Paul Revere and more about this guy, who warned TJ away from death or capture when the British invaded Charlottesville in 1781. Camping out on the lawn of the Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa, he spotted some British soldiers moving toward Charlottesville and took off on his trusty steed to spread the alarm.

Beta Bridge
Built over the C&O (now CSX) tracks in 1924 as part of a city-wide public works improvement project, it's now Charlottesville's most famous-- and most-often-changing-- site for public art. During the school year, it's typically repainted almost every day. In the spring of 2007, the message "Hoos for Hokies," painted after the shootings at Virginia Tech, remained for more than 50 days, until grateful Hokies painted the words, "Thanks, Hoos."

Jefferson Cup
Designed by the man himself, these low-volume pewter goblets adorn many a high school and college graduate's shelf of unused drinking vessels.

Meriwether Lewis
Intrepid Ivy-bred explorer of the American West and a private school cleverly disguised as a public school.

Federal Executive Institute
A former hotel on Emmet Street, now the site of a swanky sort of continuing education center for federal bureaucrats-- er, executives. Typical tuition: $9,000-- paid for by Uncle Sam and you.

Three presidents
Besides the ever-present "Mr. Jefferson," Central Virginia lays claim to at least two other presidents: James Madison, whose home, Montpelier, is in nearby Orange County, and James Monroe, whose more modest digs, Ash-Lawn Highland, sit near Monticello on Route 53. Just over the mountain, Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton.

Foxfield
Who knew that the quest for a nice little horse race in Charlottesville would lead to a rite of spring that has replaced a notorious annual UVA bacchanalian fest? After the early '80s cancellation of "Easters," students needed another outlet for spring fever. They found it at Foxfield. Begun quietly in 1978, the races now draw over 10,000 for spring and fall runnings. However, in recent years, spurred by resident complaints of urine-soaked shrubs and drunk driving, County officials have asked police to keep closer tabs on the shindig. 

Sally Hemings
TJ's love interest. Probably buried under the Hampton Inn on West Main. City leaders opted not to rename 10th Street for her a few years ago.

The car bumper statue
That big silver statue outside St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Alderman Road is actually made out of old car bumpers. Sculptor/priest Father Henry Mascotte created a statue of a meditating Aquinas in the mid-1960s by piecing together auto salvage from around South Bend, Indiana.

Peter Jefferson and Martha Jefferson
Besides being an office park and a hospital, these are actual people from back in the day. Peter Jefferson was a county surveyor who built a house in Shadwell in 1735 (unfortunately, it burned down), but his greater fame came from having a famous son. Martha Jefferson was TJ's wife who bore him a daughter of the same name after whom the hospital is named. After the elder Martha died in 1782, Jefferson vowed never to remarry, opting to remain a widower for the next 44 years. His vow apparently did not preclude intimacy, however (see above, Sally Hemings). 

Vinegar Hill
Considered a slum, this racially mixed but mostly African-American neighborhood of homes and businesses was bulldozed in the early 1960s when "urban renewal" was all the rage. (The art house movie theater by this name opened in 1976.)

Earl Hamner Jr.
Just another kid in the Nelson County town of Schuyler during the Depression, he put his memories on paper, and one of the most long-lasting TV shows was born: The Waltons.

Dave
Used to be the bartender at Downtown pub Miller's until he threw it all away and started a band. Whoever heard of a violin and sax in a rock band, anyway?

Coran
Coran Capshaw, that is, Dave's elusive manager. Has a thumb in many Charlottesville pies including the new pavilion at the end of the Downtown Mall,  the Jefferson Theater, and Musictoday.com.

Trax
The house that Dave built? Not really; it was Coran who kept the place consistently booked before Tuesday-nights-with-DMB became legendary. And lest we forget, DMB had a manager before Capshaw, one Charles Newman. Trax was reduced to rubble in December 2002 to make way for a UVA hospital annex of some sort.

HookTip: Charlottesvillians also have colloquialisms to refer to other parts of the Commonwealth (that's right, Virginia's not a state). Southside refers to the southwestern part of the Old Dominion around Roanoke, Bristol, Danville, and the campus of (Virginia) Tech. Hampton Roads or Tidewater are names for the area east of Williamsburg stretching all the way to the coast. NoVa or NorVa is the suburban sprawl in the Washington, D.C. area.

Celebrities galore

"Virginians are all snobs, and I like snobs. A snob has to spend so much time being a snob that he has little left to meddle with you."--William Faulkner

Screen: Sissy Spacek (Oscar-winning actress), Howie Long (Fox Sports football analyst, Radio Shack pitchman), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (actor, former WWE wrestler) bought a house out in Orange County horse country in 2007, Sister, Sister star Tim Reid and his wife Daphne Maxwell Reid, who are movie producers now, but he'll never be forgotten as WKRP's Venus Flytrap.

Politics: Julian Bond (historian, NAACP chair), Lawrence Eagleburger (frequent Fox News commentator and Secretary of State for about five minutes during administration of Bush 41), Larry Sabato (television's favorite politico talking head), Nathaniel Howell (ambassador to Kuwait during the Gulf War), John Whitehead (religious/civil rights fighter who rose to national prominence by pressing the Paula Jones case against Bill Clinton), Philip Zelikow (historian, UVA professor, Pulitzer Prize winner for authoring The 9/11 Commission Report).

Money:  Patricia Kluge (billionaire's ex-wife turned businesswoman), Edgar Bronfman (heir to Seagram fortune and bison purveyor), Coran Capshaw (music mogul, manager of Dave Matthews Band)

Music:  Maxine Jones (member of Grammy-nominated '90s girl group En Vogue), Mary Chapin Carpenter (Batesville's resident folkie), Corey Harris (bayou blues), Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, LeRoi Moore, and Boyd Tinsley (Dave Matthews Band), Tom Peloso (Modest Mouse, formerly of local faves the Hackensaw Boys).

Literature: John Grisham (world's #3 novelist-- topped only by Dan "Da Vinci Code" Brown and that clever Rowling lady), Jan Karon ("Father Tim" in the fictional town of Mitford), John Casey (Spartina), Rita Mae Brown (from Rubyfruit Jungle to Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries), Ann Beattie and Deborah Eisenberg (darlings of MFA programs), Dahlia Lithwick (legal correspondent for Slate), Rita Dove (former U.S. Poet Laureate) Charles Wright, (Pulitzer Prize-winning poet).

Sports: Gene Corrigan (longtime ACC Commissioner, former NCAA president). Howie Long (Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, see "screen" above), Bob Rotella (renowned sports psychologist to pro athletes galore), Mike Cubbage (former Major League third-baseman, one-time Boston Red Sox manager), Billy Wagner (All-Star New York Mets relief pitcher resides on a farm near Crozet during the off-season), Bruce Arena (former UVA, D.C. United, and U.S. National soccer coach), Pete Gillen (former UVA men's basketball coach, analyst for CBS Sports).

Pop Culture: Peter Max (pop artist whose works look like the Yellow Submarine cover) owns land near Yogaville in Buckingham, Cathy Baker Purcell (the "That's all" girl from Hee-Haw) lives in Orange County, Julann Griffin, ex-wife of Merv, co-founder of Jeopardy!, and owns a farm in Fluvanna.

Moved away: Muhammed Ali ("The Greatest" owned Nelson County property in the mid-'80s), Tami Hoag (best selling author), Grammy-nominated John McCutcheon moved to the Atlanta area in the mid-aughts, and Dave Matthews (rocker moved here from South Africa when he was 16, moved to Seattle in the early millennium but now appears here more often), Tina Fey (30 Rock star, former SNL head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor went to UVA), Katie Couric (America's favorite news gal happens to be a UVA alumna), Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard (romantically linked for decades, this thespian couple owned an Albemarle farm until the mid-'90s, moved to Minnesota and now live in a co-op in New York), Lawrence Ferlenghetti (renowned poet and founder of San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore, he owned a home on Park Street from 1998 to 2002), John Kluge (once the richest man in the world, he's now ranked #52 by Forbes with a fortune of $9 billion), Antonin Scalia (Supreme Court justice was a professor at UVA Law in the late '60s and early '70s), Edward Kennedy (the late Massachusetts senator attended UVA Law in the late '50s, left with a J.D. degree and convictions for reckless driving, evading police, and driving without a license).

Dead fraud: Anna "Anastasia" Manahan. Claimant to the Russian throne was determined by DNA in 1994 to be not a romantic, missing grand duchess but a delirious Polish peasant who later married a local eccentric.

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Community low-down

CHARLOTTESVILLE
Size: 10.26 square miles
Population: 41,487
Change since 2000: 3.5%
Density: 4,044 people per square mile

ALBEMARLE COUNTY
Size: 726 square miles (3/4 the size of Rhode Island)
Population: 94,075
Change since 2000: +11.7%
Density: 130 people per square mile

SCOTTSVILLE TOWN
Once a key river town, Scottsville has the distinction of being Albemarle's only incorporated town; and although smaller in population than Crozet, it actually has elected government officials.
Size: 1.54 square miles
Population: 568
Density: 368.8 people per square mile
--source: U.S. Census Bureau

What's this area like?
Well, according to a demographic firm called ClaritasExpress, the 22901 and 22902 zip codes consist of the following human types: Boomtown Singles, Country Squires, Gray Power, Young Influentials, Bedrock America, Family Thrifts, Hometown Retired, Mobility Blues, Suburban Pioneers and Suburban Sprawl (as if we needed Claritas to tell us that!). According to the census, women constitute about 53 percent of the Charlottesville-Albemarle population.

Neighborhood Stuff

Predators nearby?
Virginia requires convicted rapists, pedophiles, and other violent sex offenders to register their whereabouts with the state police. You can search the database to see if there's one living near you. http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/. 

Noisy neighbors?
CHARLOTTESVILLE-- In residential areas of the city, the 10pm-6am limit is 55 decibels (or about the level of loud talking), 65 decibels for 6am-10pm. In 2008, the City also created a 75-decibel limit after 10pm outside restaurants and anytime in its downtown business district, something that suddenly, controversially (and perhaps inadvertently) outlawed African drumming on the Downtown Mall. Charlottesville police are the enforcers and may be willing to come out and measure the racket with their special meters. 970-9041.
ALBEMARLE-- Any increase of 15 decibels above the ambient sound level-- with few officially sanctioned exceptions like school events, agriculture, church bells, and the "lawful discharge of a firearm"-- is prohibited. The law is broader when it comes to TV and musical devices, which says any annoyance of anybody in a residential area is illegal. Since the summer of '08, dogs have their own special law. 296-5807.

Remove the snow!
CHARLOTTESVILLE-- Many people don't realize that a city ordinance requires all citizens to remove snow from the sidewalks along their property within 12 hours of the snowfall's cessation.

Grass/weeds
CHARLOTTESVILLE-- You're subject to a fine if you let them grow over 18 inches tall, and although the city has "no mow" zones near creeks and streams in five city parks, it took one man's fight against City Hall to adjust the law somewhat. And city residents are still required to mow right up to the street-- even if the grass doesn't actually belong to them. Enforcer: zoning department. 970-3182

Newcomers
The Newcomers Club of Greater Charlottesville says it's open to all who have been residents of the area for less than three years. 980-2725

Before you dig...
Since undergrounding utilities is all the rage, Virginia has one sweet phone number you should call first to avoid death and injury when you put that shovel in the ground. After you call "Miss Utility," honchos come out, free of charge, and spray-paint lines where underground utilities lie. 811

Utilities

Getting electricity
Currently you are served by only one company. Depending on where you live, it's probably this one:
Dominion Virginia Power 888-667-3000
But it could also be one of these:
AEP-Virginia - 888-277-2177
Allegheny Power - 800-255-3443
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative - 800-367-2832
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative - 800-552-3904

Going green
Some solar/wind companies:
Cville Solar - 981-1076
Altenergy Incorporated - 293-3763
Old Mill Power Company - 979-9288
Skyline Turbine - 540-246-9463

Landline phones
The phone book lists several local providers, but as far as we can tell, the only one that actually provides residential landlines for a price that doesn't require a second job is Embarq. Just three years after it was spun off from Sprint/Nextel, Embarq was recently acquired by CenturyTel and will soon be ditching its wireless service and known as CenturyLink and ditches its wireless service. To establish a landline, dial 811 from an Embarq landline or 800-304-7628. Businesses can buy local service from Ntelos (877-468-3567), Comcast (800-266-2278) or Telcove (formerly Adelphia) (817-8170), in addition to Embarq's business unit (800-901-9675).

Natural gas
Efficient stuff for heating. Available only through the underground pipes of Charlottesville's City Public Utilities, which serves the City limits and nearby suburbs. City Public Utilities is so hungry for customers it provides several helpful services: one free pilot-lighting of your furnace each year as well as $100 rebates for converting to programmable thermostats, gas water heaters, and even low-flow toilets.
Billing: 970-3211
Pilot lighting & gas emergency: 970-3800

Propane and fuel oil
An alternative for folks who don't live on the natural gas pipeline. While fuel oil is generally just for heating, many Central Virginia households use propane for both cooking and hot water in addition to heat. Many local companies will fill your tank.

Coal and firewood
UVA, in addition to burning natural gas and fuel oil, also makes heat the old-fashioned way: with coal. But as far as we can tell, no one is selling coal retail in Charlottesville, and there are probably only a few dozen houses with those cute little coal-burning fireplaces anyway. As for firewood, every modern-day Paul Bunyan and his brother seems to be selling the stuff come fall.

Hook tip
Make sure you get what you pay for in firewood, as a cord is 128 cubic feet, e.g. 4 x 4 x 8 or 3 x 6.5 x 6.5. Prices typically range from $90-$160 per cord.

Internet access
In addition to the myriad national providers, residential customers have several firms with a Central Virginia presence to choose from, including:

Blue Ridge Internetworks - 817-0707
Broadband Network Services, Inc. - 817-7300
Ceva Net - 877-444-2382
Comcast- 800-266-2278
Embarq- 866-304-6820
Firstnet- 817-3131
Helix- 963-4900
Localnet- 977-2962
Ntelos - 877-4NTELOS
Pure Internet - 866-517-0033
VA.net- 296-6055

Cable television
Many years ago, when cable was thought to be a natural monopoly, the city struck a deal making Adelphia the sole provider. In 2006, Adelphia was divvied up between Time Warner and Comcast, the latter of which got dibs on the local cable market. Technically, it's not the exclusive provider; it just works out that way. The company provides everything from local broadcast channels to public access (which gives City Council and other civic meetings) to all the premium goods including HBO and Cinemax. 888-266-2278

Satellite television
Dish Network (800-333-3474) and DirecTV (800-644-8103) are the two we've heard about.

Water/Sewer
CHARLOTTESVILLE- Before they open the flow, they'll demand a letter of credit or ask you to pay a deposit. But that's not what scares some customers. Ever since the drought of 2002, rates have soared-- with the summer water (May-September) price currently $52.17 per 1000 cubic feet (an increase of $2.60 from last year) and winter $41.06 per 1000 c.f (up $2.01 from last year). City officials say the hike is due to an increase in operating costs, a decline in sales, and a price increase from the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority, which actually owns the water and sells it to the city and county. The sewage rate is $43.81/1000 c.f. There's an additional $4/month service charge for each utility. Charlottesville Utility Billing Office. 970-3211

ALBEMARLE- On July 1, 2009, Albemarle implemented a system that drastically rewards thrift and punishes gluttony. See the nearby Hook tip. (Note that Charlottesville and Albemarle calculate their rates differently. Charlottesville uses the cubic foot, which equals 7.48 gallons.) Albemarle County Service Authority. 977-4511

Hook tip:
If you live in Albemarle in a single-family house, you can dramatically cut your water bill by using less than 3,000 gallons a month because rates increase $3.32 per 1,000 each time you use 3,000 gallons a month to a max of $13.28 per 1,000.

If you're not on the sewer grid
Make sure to regularly get your in-ground septic system to process wastewater. These things are regulated by the local Health Department at 1138 Rose Hill Drive, which can even show you a little sketch of where your property's septic field is located. 972-6259

Where's my water from?
If you're on either the city or county water system, your water is stored at one of these three reservoirs: the South Fork Rivanna, Ragged Mountain, or Sugar Hollow. The quasi-public body that chlorinates and sells the water to Charlottesville and Albemarle is the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.

Ye olde droughte
Emergency water restrictions took effect during the infamous summer and fall of 2002. No washing of cars, sidewalks, plants, etc. As a result, now all automatic irrigation systems on the public water supply must contain a rain sensor. If we get another such emergency and you want to report someone breaking the rules, call 970-3040.

Trash/Recycling

Recycling
CHARLOTTESVILLE- Curbside recycling is free: newspapers, magazines, catalogs, cardboard, aluminum cans, other metals, even #1 and #2 plastic bottles and glass bottles are picked up at curbside on the day your trash is collected. Best of all, there's no need to sort! Just throw it all together into the recycling containers the city distributes for free. Guidelines available from the City Public Service, 970-3830.

ALBEMARLE- To the eyes of some, Albemarle County stepped back into the dark ages on July 1, 2003 when-- aware that there's insufficient market for second-hand glass and plastic-- it dropped those two categories as well as cans from its curbside program. Now the county demands that private haulers (who actually do the work) pick up only newspapers and magazines. Find out more from the county Engineering Department. 296-5861. These days, your best county bet is the McIntire Road Recycling Center (906-0763) which is open to city and county residents, and accepts almost all major categories including cardboard, books, spray cans, #1 and #2 plastic, and colored glass. M-F 7:30am-5:20pm, Sat 8am-5:20pm, Sun 12:30-5:20pm. And if you have a lot of metal, you might get some real money down at Coiner's Scrap Iron & Metal in the Woolen Mills neighborhood. 296-6465

Trash hauling
ALBEMARLE- Many people haul their own trash to the landfill or bury it on their property, but most suburbanites hire one of the many private haulers who advertise their services in the Yellow Pages. Typically, they charge $20-25 a month.

CHARLOTTESVILLE- The city gets this done via a private firm that swings by your house once a week, but you have to pay (to cover landfill fees and encourage recycling) via the dreaded sticker system. You have to buy stickers, which you affix to your trash can or bag-- weekly by buying 32-gallon stickers for $2.10 each or 13-gallon stickers for $1.05. Or spring for the annual sticker ($94.50) and paste it on the side of your trash can. These can be purchased at City Hall or at any number of local grocery and convenience stores. For more information, call 970-3146.
$25 large-item disposal- Until 2004, Charlottesville residents got a big bonus: up to two annual visits from a huge truck with a giant claw that would take away jumbo trash like refrigerators, tree limbs, and sofas. They still pick up, but now you have to pay. To schedule, call 970-3321.
Free leaf pickup- Another bonus of living in the city. Free collection begins each November with pickup of bagged leaves (the city even provides free bags) and vacuuming of raked-to-the-curb leaves. 970-3830

Burning stuff
ALBEMARLE-- You're allowed to burn stuff in the county! But there are some rules. Moreover, between February 15 and April 30, open burning may take place only between the hours of 4pm and midnight, unless you're burning a distance of 300 feet or more from woodlands or other material capable of spreading fire to woodlands. Other regulations also apply. Fire Marshal: James Barber. Albemarle Department of Fire & Rescue: 296-5833

CHARLOTTESVILLE-- No outdoor burning in the city, without the Fire Marshal's approval. Certain grills and artificial pits for cookouts are fine, but check with the Fire Marshal first to be sure yours has the okay. Fire Marshal: Steve Walton. Charlottesville Fire Department: 970-3240


The landfill
It operates under the goofy name Materials Utilization Center, but everyone still calls it "The Ivy Landfill." Located on Dick Woods Road (Route 637) in Ivy, it no longer actually puts trash in the ground but does accepts your junk for around $66/ton (and then ships it far away). Hours: 7:30am-4pm Mon-Sat. It accepts the following items for free: paint, motor oil, antifreeze, flourescent light tubes, cell phones, pesticides, household cleaners and solvents, adhesives, batteries (including household batteries). The landfill is also the site of the Encore Shop, which lets people claim "trash" as treasures. 977-2976

Reporting dead animals
CHARLOTTESVILLE- Call City Public Service (970-3830) or police dispatch (977-9041) for pickup.
ALBEMARLE- Call VDOT (293-0011) or police dispatch (977-9041) for pickup.

Reporting Pollution
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) urges citizens to report suspected pollution incidents during business hours by calling Amy Owens at DEQ's regional office at 540-574-7800-- or the Department of Emergency Management at 800-468-8892 on nights, holidays, and weekends.

Jury Duty
In Virginia, potential jurors are selected randomly by jury commissioners using lists designated by the court, such as the voter registration list and the driver's license list. Jurors are reimbursed $30 for each day.

Gardening
This town contains not only an old-fashioned rural Co-op (Southern States), but also a major national catalog retailer in Plow & Hearth, and more garden centers than you can shake a watering can at. Plus, the City of Charlottesville offers 30'x30' plots of land that can be rented for just $40 a year ($60 to non-residents) in Azalea Park and at the old Fairgrounds near the Emmet Street Bodo's. Renewal registration starts the first Monday in February. New renters can sign up the third Tuesday in February. 970-3260

Every April, some of the most sumptuous gardens and grounds are open to the gawkers during Historic Garden Week. See "Annual Events" in our Outings section for more. 804-644-7776

Wannabe farmers should call the Virginia Cooperative Extension to find out what the extension agents think you can grow and how to do it. 872-4580

-->>See our "Books" section in Culture for libraries.

Safety
Charlottesville Police - Info: 970-3280. Chief: Timothy Longo
Albemarle Police - Info: 296-5807. Chief: John Miller
UVA Police- Info: 924-7166. Chief: Michael Gibson
Emergency calls- for all three jurisdictions: 911
Non-emergency dispatch calls- for all three jurisdictions: 977-9041

Consumer tips-->>See our Consumer section

Weather

Snow
The most fun time locally is the winter when everyone flips out when it snows. On average, we get 24 inches per year, but it takes only a few flakes (or even the threat thereof) to close schools. Debate rages over whether the 20.7 inches that fell on March 6, 1962 or the "Blizzard of 1996," with what seemed like at least two feet of snow began falling on January 6, was the record.

Tornadoes
In May 2008, we got a good scare when tornadoes touched down to the southeast of us in Suffolk, and tornado warnings led local TV news to pre-empt primetime programming in favor of wall-to-wall coverage of falling rain. But no funnel clouds toched down in this immediate area. The last time our part of the state saw serious tornado damage was September 30, 1959, when a twister killed ten in Ivy.

The heat is on!
Charlotesville averages highs in the mid-80s during the summers, but it's not, as they say, a dry heat. With average relative humidity during the summer months hanging around 70 percent, the average heat index (a.k.a. "feels like") is in the low 90s.

Sources: University of Virginia Climatology Office as well as the National Weather Service with stations in Blacksburg, Sterling, and Wakefield that compile data on this area.

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