Charlottesville, Virginia is an American city in the state of Virginia. The city has been a home to three United States presidents and is the location of University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson. The city has 41,750 residents. Charlottesville has been home to a number of celebrities from TV, movies, and the music industry, including the Dave Matthews Band, John Grisham, and Sissy Spacek.http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=2

Charlottesville has average yearly high and low temperatures of 88 and 26 degrees.http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/insider/oriented_facts.htm The city is situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is the county seat of Ablemarle County. The city has a tourism industry based on its wine industry, yearly music festivals, and Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's nearby home.http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=2

Charlottesville was originally settled by Native Americans of the Monasukapanough tribe. British colonists began to establish communities in the area in the early 1700s. Charlottesville itself was incorporated in 1762 by the Virginia State Assembly.http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/schwartz/cville/cville2.narrative.html The city is named for Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife to English King George III.http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=2

Thomas Jefferson established the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1819. It received its first railroad line in 1850, which dramatically expanded the city's economy and population. The town of Charlottesville officially became a city in 1888. Three United States presidents lived in Monticello: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe.http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/schwartz/cville/cville2.narrative.html

Present-day Charlottesville is 10.8 miles in surface area. The city sits on the upper Piedmont Plateau along the headwaters of the Rivanna River. Charlottesville is located in West Central Virginia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city is located 100 miles southwest of Washington, DC and 70 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia.http://www.charlottesville.org/index.aspx?page=155

• Monticello - Thomas Jefferson's home

• New Market Battlefield State Historical Park - Civil War battlefield

• University of Virginia

• Virginia Discovery Museum

• The Museum of American Presidentshttp://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/Southern-Appalachian-Mountains/vacation-ideas/Charlottesville-VA.html

• Thomas Jefferson - United States President

• James Madison - United States President

• James Monroe - United States President

• Dave Matthews Band - rock band

• John Grisham - author

• Tami Hoag - Author

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - actorhttp://www.law.virginia.edu/html/insider/oriented_facts.htm