Recently ranked by Sperling and Sander as the best place to live in the USA, Charlottesville, Virginia (pop: 118,400) is best known for the 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites located there - Thomas Jefferson's home (Monticello) and the university he founded (the University of Virginia). Also the southern gateway to Shenandoah National Park (just 20 miles west off I-64), Charlottesville offers a wealth of recreational opportunities which soon may grow to include a bicycle beltway trail that will encircle the city.
According to a story yesterday in The Daily Progress, Charlottesville is acquiring easements for 20 miles of bike trails that will parallel the existing Rivanna River hiking trail system. City planners hope to begin construction by the end of the 2007 and complete the system by 2015. The city is budgeting $100k/yr over the next 5 years for trail construction and is counting on state, federal & private grants to cover much of the multi-million dollar total cost.
For a city the size of Charlottesville to embark upon such an ambitious bicycle facility building program speaks volumes towards the importance of bicycling. Obviously, this is a city that wants to remain among the best places to live for years to come.
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