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This Just In
Why are Charlottesville & Albemarle Governed Separately? – July 15, 2022
Have you ever looked at a map of Charlottesville, surrounded on all sides by Albemarle County, and wondered why Charlottesville and Albemarle are governed completely separately? Maybe you moved here from another state and were surprised to learn that your children would attend a city school rather than a county one. Or maybe you’ve visited northern Virginia and crisscrossed in and out of Fairfax County as you passed through the cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and even the independent city of Fairfax which is surrounded on all sides by the county of Fairfax. The answer is that cities in Virginia are independent cities. There are 41 independent cities in the whole United States and 38 of them are in Virginia. So this week we’re going to talk about what they are, why they exist and what they mean for local governance. First up, we’re going to get the legal perspective from UVA Law Professor Rich Schragger. In the second half of the show we’ll get a boots on the ground perspective from Charlottesville City Councilor, Juandiego Wade.
Charlottesville Soundboard is member of the Virginia Audio Collective and is produced at the studios at WTJU 91.1 FM. You can support this project by making a donation.
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Charlottesville Soundboard is a member of Virginia Audio Collective and produced at WTJU 91.1 FM, an educational non-commercial, nonprofit radio station at the University of Virginia. Views and opinions expressed by hosts or guests are not necessarily the opinions of WTJU or the University. This editorial and ethics policy pertains to Charlottesville Soundboard’s editing and production process. Charlottesville Tomorrow has its own policies and guidelines regarding their editorial and ethical decisions.
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You might notice these elements are inspired by Phillip Meyer’s writing on public journalism.
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